Service Participation among Adolescents in Mainland China

Abstract

Service participation plays a critical role in adolescent development. To explore the characteristics of Chinese adolescents’ service participation, a national survey (N = 6161 adolescents) was conducted in mainland China. Findings indicated that: (i) Chinese adolescents mostly participated in routine service activities within school, and the quality of their service experiences was relative low; (ii) adolescents’ service experiences varied across different districts, school types, and family structures; and (iii) the intensity, breadth, and type of service participation and service quality significantly predicted adolescents’ civic attitudes and intention for future service. Moreover, service quality moderated the association between service types or breadth and adolescent outcomes. Future longitudinal research is needed to further examine the association between adolescents’ service participation and developmental outcomes.

Keywords:

• Adolescent
• service activity
• service experience quality
• civic attitudes
• China

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the MOE Project of Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences at Universities (No.15JJD190002).