Vortrag: „Integrating Development, Education and Civic Engagement: Promoting Youth Contributions to Civil Society“ von Prof. Richard Lerner
Leiter des Instituts für Angewandte Forschung in Jugendentwicklung
an der Tufts University, USA am Samstag, 23.10.2010 im Landesinstitut für Lehrerbildung und Schulentwicklung Hamburg
Explore beautiful and ugly buildings. Mathematics helps us create beautiful d...
„Integrating Development, Education and Civic Engagement: Promoting Youth Contributions to Civil Society“
1. October 23, 2010 1Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
Richard M. Lerner
Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development
Tufts University
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
2. October 23, 2010 2Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
3. October 23, 2010 3Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
Education should be more than just
the transmission of academic
knowledge
Education should prepare youth to
live healthy, positive, and productive
lives in their families, work places,
and communities
Such holistic education should occur
in families, schools, and throughout
communities
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
4. October 23, 2010 4Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
Development must encompass all
individual and social facets of the
person for healthy, positive, and
productive life paths to exist
Development involves positive
functioning in all settings of
life: Families, schools, and
communities
To develop successfully, an individual
must be supported in, and given the
opportunity to contribute to, all these
settings
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
5. October 23, 2010 5Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
The positive development of youth
rests on integrating development
and education within all settings of
life
Therefore, healthy youth
development– what we will term
Positive Youth Development (PYD) –
involves supporting the
development of an individual’s
specific abilities, interests, and life
goals
Civil society should maximize the
chances of such holistic, positive,
individual development
PYD should, in turn, enhance civil
society
WHY LINK DEVELOPMENT, EDUCATION, AND CIVIC
ENGAGEMENT?
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
6. October 23, 2010 6Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
PYD needs civil society!
Civil society needs PYD!
We need a PYD Civil
Society relation
WHY LINK DEVELOPMENT, EDUCATION, AND CIVIC
ENGAGEMENT?
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
7. October 23, 2010 7Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
1. What is positive development?
2. What are the key ideas associated with
the PYD perspective?
3. Why is it important to study the links
among PYD, education, and youth
development (YD) programs pertinent
to engaged citizenship?
4. What does research tell us about
these links?
5. What are the implications of research for
practice and policy?
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
8. October 23, 2010 8Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
G. Stanley Hall (1904), of Clark University,
founded the study of adolescence.
Hall defined adolescence as a period of
universal and inevitable, biologically-
based “storm and stress.”
Therefore, according to Hall, Anna Freud,
and Erik Erikson, adolescence was a
period of crisis and disturbance.
These ideas resulted in the view that
adolescents were "broken" or in danger
of becoming "broken."
For almost all of the 20th century most
research about adolescence was based
on this deficit conception of young
people.
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
9. October 23, 2010 9Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
As early as the 1960s, research began to show that the
deficit model was not in fact true:
There are problems that occur during adolescence.
BUT there are problems that occur in infancy,
childhood, and adulthood as well.
All age periods have challenges, and the fact that
there are life problems in the teenage years does
not in and of itself make it a special period.
The adolescent years may have some age-typical
problems, but so too do all other age periods.
Adolescents who have an especially stormy decade
also tend to have had a problematic childhood as
well.
The stereotypes of adolescent problems evaporate
in the light of actual research.
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
10. October 23, 2010 10Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
Most young people do NOT have a stormy
adolescent period.
Although adolescents spend increasingly
more time with peers than with parents,
most adolescents still value their
relationships with parents enormously.
Most adolescents have core values (e.g.,
about the importance of education in one’s
life, about social justice, and about
spirituality) that are consistent with those
of their parents.
Most adolescents select friends who share
these core values.
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
11. October 23, 2010 11Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
Into much of the 1990s most
research continued to use Hall’s
deficit model to study
adolescence.
Literally hundreds of millions of
dollars continue to be spent each
year in the United States to
reduce the problems “caused”
by the alleged deficits of
adolescents.
These problems include alcohol
use and abuse; unsafe sex and
teenage pregnancy; school
failure and drop out; crime and
delinquency; and depression and
self-harming behaviors.
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
12. October 23, 2010 12Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
In the 1990s a new vision of the teen years emerged
from biology and developmental science.
This is the Positive Youth Development (PYD)
perspective.
The Birth of a New Phase In the
Scientific Study of Adolescence
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
13. October 23, 2010 13Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
1. Because of the potential to
change, all youth have strengths.
2. All contexts have strengths as
well. These strengths are
resources that may be used to
promote positive youth
development.
3. These resources are termed
“developmental assets”. They are
the “social nutrients” needed for
healthy development.
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
14. October 23, 2010 14Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
4. These assets are found in families,
schools, faith institutions, youth
serving organizations, and the
community more generally.
5. If the strengths of youth are combined
with ecological developmental assets,
then positive, healthy development may
occur.
6. We should be optimistic that it is in our
power to promote positive development
among ALL youth and to create more
asset-rich settings supporting such
development among ALL youth.
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
15. October 23, 2010 15Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
1. PYD is constituted by “Five Cs”:
The “Five Cs”
Competence
Confidence
Character
Connection
Caring
Contribution
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
16. October 23, 2010 16Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
2. Across adolescence, PYD occurs when
the strengths of young people are aligned
with the resources for healthy development
(“developmental assets”) present in their
Families,
Schools, and
Communities
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
17. October 23, 2010 17Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
3. Youth Development (YD) programs constitute key
developmental assets promoting PYD.
YD programs are marked by the presence of
the “Big 3”:
1. Sustained, positive
adult-youth relations;
2. Skill building
activities; and
3. Youth participation
and leadership.
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
18. October 23, 2010 18Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
The 4-H Study of
Positive Youth Development
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
19. October 23, 2010 19Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
Jen Agans
Mimi Arbeit
Edmond Bowers
Michelle Boyd
Paul Chase
Kristen Fay
Sonia Issac Koshy
Heidi Johnson
Megan Kiely Mueller
Selva Lewin-Bizan
Jacqueline V. Lerner
Jarrett Lerner
Richard M. Lerner
Alicia Doyle Lynch
Christopher Napolitano
Marie Pelletier Bice
Erin Phelps
Kristina Schmid
Amy E.A. Warren
Michelle Weiner
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
20. October 23, 2010 20Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
The 4-H Study is a cohort-
sequential longitudinal
investigation
Beginning in 5th
Grade, we are
following some youth through
12th
Grade (and we hope for at
least one year past high school)
To adjust for the loss of
participants and to maintain
statistical power, we have added
new students in 6th
, 7th
, 8th
grades,
etc.
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
21. October 23, 2010 21Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
We also are studying these new students longitudinally
Therefore, the sample size increases across the study
To date, we have sampled about 7,000 youth and 3,500
parents from 43 states
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
22. October 23, 2010 22Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
BOTH THE INITIAL AND THE MORE
RECENT FINDINGS FROM THE 4-H
STUDY HAVE CHANGED
RESEARCH AND PRACTICE IN
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
23. October 23, 2010 23Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
1. We can now talk about the strengths of youth by using a
scientifically-validated set of positive terms:
PYD is constituted by “Five Cs,” and PYD is linked to
youth Contribution
The “Five Cs”
Competence
Confidence
Character
Caring
Connection
Contribution
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
24. October 23, 2010 24Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
2. The strengths of young people – their internal
developmental assets – can be measured by three
characteristics:
Selection of goals
Optimization (developing
strategies and means for
reaching one’s goals)
Compensation (in the face
of failure or blocked goals)
This is the SOC model!
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
25. October 23, 2010 25Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
3. There are four (4) Ecological Assets present in the
Families, Schools, and Communities of Youth:
Individuals
Institutions
Collective Action
Access
In each setting INDIVIDUALS are always the most important
asset!
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
26. October 23, 2010 26Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
4. We know now what must be done to promote
PYD and Contribution:
Across adolescence, positive youth development occurs
when the strengths of young people are aligned with
the ecological resources for healthy development
present in their communities
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
27. October 23, 2010 27Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
5. Youth Development (YD) programs constitute key
ecological assets promoting PYD
YD programs are effective in promoting PYD
when they are marked by the presence of the
“Big 3,” that is:
1. Sustained, positive
adult-youth relations;
2. Life skill building activities; and
3. Youth participation and
leadership.
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
28. October 23, 2010 28Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
29. October 23, 2010 29Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
Behavior
Social Relationships
Emotions
Cognition
Contribution DOES involve behavioral
engagement with one’s world.
But there is more. Contribution involves:
How do we study such a
conception of Contribution?
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
30. October 23, 2010 30Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
Vice President, Research, America's Promise Alliance
Scholar-in-Residence, Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development,
Senior Fellow, Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service,
Tufts University
America's Promise Alliance:
•The nation’s largest cross-sector partnership dedicated to improving the
lives of America’s children
•Partners include the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, State Farm
Insurance, Ford Motor Company, and America’s largest educational
associations and governmental associations
On the national, state, and local level, America's Promise
Alliance:
•Raises awareness about the most pressing needs and most effective,
positive youth development solutions for young people
•Engages in advocacy for policies and practices that support the holistic
needs and strengths of young people
•Creates opportunities for action in states and in local communities to
support young people
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
31. October 23, 2010 31Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
Contribution involves
Active and Engaged Citizenship (AEC)1
:
Civic duty
Civic skills
Neighborhood social connection
Civic participation
1
Based on data from the 4-H Study.
WHAT CONSTITUTES “CONTRIBUTION?”
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
32. October 23, 2010 32Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
“Those who share a
commitment to actively
engage in their
communities to build
stronger, healthier, and
safer communities.”
AEC, According to Jonathan M. Tisch
College of Citizenship and Public
Service at Tufts
How to measure AEC:
Sense of civic duty
Confidence about and ability
(skills) to effect change
Social connection to one’s
community
Participation in civic behaviors
AEC doesn’t necessarily mean
successful engagement
Engagement is formative and
not succeeding can lead to
positive development
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
33. October 23, 2010 33Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
34. October 23, 2010 34Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
The Scholarship of Michelle J. Boyd
Graduate Research Assistant, Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development
Graduate Research Assistant & Study Coordinator, Tisch College of Citizenship and
Public Service, Tufts University
Research Interests:
Media effects
Civic socialization and development
Communication competence
Media literacy
Relationship between news media use
and civic engagement among adolescents
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
35. October 23, 2010 35Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
Today, the ecology of youth development includes media of
different qualities as well as greater access to such media
It may be that media is a salient contextual influence on the
development of youth
More needs to be learned about what media youth use, the
patterns of usage, the purposes for media use, and the nature
and range of the outcomes related to such media use, including
potentially positive outcomes.
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
36. October 23, 2010 36Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
One area of media use that warrants further exploration
with regard to positive development is adolescents’ use of
news media.
Data from the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development
was used to assess the relation among 8th
graders of use of
media for information on politics and current events and
AEC (civic duty, civic skills, neighborhood social
connection, and civic participation).
Overall news media use contributed significantly to the
prediction of both civic skills and civic participation, but
not to civic duty and neighborhood social connection.
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
37. October 23, 2010 37Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
Assess longitudinally the links between news media use
(e.g., involving newspapers and the Internet) and civic
engagement
Consider how media literacy “builds an understanding of
the role of media in society as well as essential skills of
inquiry and self-expression necessary for citizens of a
democracy” (Center for Media Literacy).
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
38. October 23, 2010 38Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
HOW DO WE PROMOTE AEC?
School- and Community-based YD Programs (Marked by the “Big 3”
Program Characteristics) influence PYD and Civic Behaviors
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
39. October 23, 2010 39Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
How Do We Use the “Big 3” to
Promote the Cs of PYD as well
as Community Contribution and
Leadership
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
40. October 23, 2010 40Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
THE GOOD SCHOOL
TRANSFORMING EDUCATION FOR
HAPPINESS, HEALTH, AND SUCCESS IN LIFE
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
41. October 23, 2010 41Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
Development is a cumulative process that begins in the womb
(with healthy prenatal care) and continues throughout life
◦ Invest early…
◦ …And keep investing throughout the first two decades of
life
A young person develops within multiple contexts (e.g., family,
school, and community) that interactively support the positive
development of the child
◦ Provide “glue money”’ to bring together the community,
school, and family
◦ Improve the quality of each of these contexts
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
42. October 23, 2010 42Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
Youth have multiple attributes and skills that define
positive development (e.g., the “Five Cs” of PYD)
◦ Broaden accountability indicators beyond academic ones
◦ Focus on youth strengths
Developmental contexts and the young person
interact: There should be a fit between the strengths
and needs of the youth and the supports (and deficit
reductions) in developmental contexts
◦ Apply components of effective youth programming
◦ Embed youth development principles into teacher and
counselor training
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
43. October 23, 2010 43Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
RESEARCH
PRACTICE POLICY
ENHANCING THE PYD CIVIL
SOCIETY RELATIONSHIP
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
44. October 23, 2010 44Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner
What actions predicated on the “Big Three,” of what duration,
with what youth, in what communities, at what points in
adolescence, will result in what features of positive youth
development and youth contributions to self, family,
community, and civil society?
Or, more simply:
How do we use civic engagement programs promoting
integration to foster mutually beneficial relations between
healthy youth and a nation marked by social justice, democracy,
and liberty?
Education and Development
Richard M. Lerner