ERIC Number: ED505258
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Sep
Pages: 18
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Adolescent Development of Trust. CIRCLE Working Paper 61
Flanagan, Connie; Gallay, Leslie
Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE)
The purpose of this project was to gain a better understanding of dimensions of trust and inter-relationships between those dimensions during the adolescent years. Drawing from survey data collected at the beginning and end of a semester in eighty middle- and high-school social studies classes, relationships were assessed between: social trust, trust in elected officials, trust in the responsiveness of government to ordinary people, trust in the American promise, and trustworthiness of the media. The study was designed as a randomized evaluation of a civics curriculum called Student Voices in the Campaign, with data gathered from two waves of surveys with 1,670 students ages 12-19 during the fall of 2004. Students from ethnic minority backgrounds were less likely than their ethnic majority peers to trust elected officials or people in general or to believe that the government was interested in ordinary people. However, ethnic minority students were not less likely to believe in the general tenets of that all people, regardless of background, had an equal opportunity to succeed in America. Controlling for social class, age, and ethnicity, adolescents' trust in the American promise and their civic commitments were found to be significantly predicted by the youths' proximate experiences of social inclusion in their communities and, particularly for ethnic minority students) by their reports that teachers practiced a democratic ethos at school. (Contains 9 tables.)
Descriptors: Adolescent Development, Social Class, Trust (Psychology), Minority Groups, Adolescents, Middle School Students, Social Studies, High School Students, Mass Media, Public Officials, Government Role, Civics, Student Attitudes, Racial Differences, Civil Rights, Predictor Variables, Age Differences, Social Environment, Democratic Values, White Students, Asian American Students, African American Students, Hispanic American Students, American Indians, Socioeconomic Status, Correlation, Educational Environment, Citizenship, Social Attitudes, Parent Influence, Educational Attainment, Citizen Participation, Social Justice
Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). University of Maryland, School of Public Policy, 1112 Preinkert Halll, College Park, MD 20742. Tel: 301-405-2790; Web site: http://www.civicyouth.org
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: High Schools; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: CIRCLE (The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A