engleski

Relations between contribution to school and community, self-regulation, achievement and depression

Despite the growing attention given to youth civic engagement, as well as concerns regarding youth being too self-centered and disengaged from their communities, students’ contribution to their schools and communities and its role in education have not been the subject of much research. Even in Western countries who have included development of citizenship competence in their national or school curricula, its value is often overseen compared to other, more academic subjects, possibly due to the lack of understanding of its benefits to positive youth development. The study reported here aimed at investigating the prevalence and potential benefits of secondary students’ active contribution to their schools and communities. Secondary school students anonymously filled out a questionnaire including questions regarding their age, gender, academic achievement, self- regulation, depression, and time they spent engaged in behaviors 191 aimed at contributing to their schools and communities, such as helping one’s family, friends or neighbors, mentoring peers, volunteering in one’s community and participating in school organizations or boards. Students’ self-reports showed generally low levels of students’ engagement in their schools. They report rarely mentoring peers or volunteering in their communities. Helping their families and friends was their biggest contribution. Results showed significant effect of student contribution to their schools and communities on the level of depressive symptoms, partially mediated by their overall self-regulation skills and school achievement. Potential benefits of engaging students in their schools and communities for their personal well-being as well as their schools and communities are discussed.

Motivation and emotion, Out-of-school learning, Secondary education, Self-regulation

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