This study investigates three things to confirm the premise that adolescent activity participations are an important process to cultivate adolescents' civic mind. Firstly, the study canvasses the adolescent activities of Kwangmyeong city adolescents. ...
This study investigates three things to confirm the premise that adolescent activity participations are an important process to cultivate adolescents' civic mind. Firstly, the study canvasses the adolescent activities of Kwangmyeong city adolescents. Secondly, it seeks to discover the relationship between adolescent activity participations and the civic mind of adolescents. Thirdly, it examines the relationship between adolescent activities, understanding of a local community, and civic mind. This study is conducted to propose a way to invigorate adolescent activities and for a systematic support, based on the proven effectiveness of adolescent activities.
The study targeted 500 Kwangmyeong city adolescents. It devised and distributed a 54-question questionnaire in relation to adolescent activities and civic mind, etc. The data analysis was conducted with 451 questionnaire sheets and the SPSS WIN 12.0 statistic application. The frequency analysis, t-test, ANOVA, and correlation analysis were executed.
The results are as the following.
Firstly, according to the result regarding adolescent activity participations, a majority answered that they joined culture experience programs or participant activities all voluntarily, which is a significant thing to consider.
Secondly, according to the result regarding the adolescent participation and civic mind: (1) adolescents with the experience of using adolescent facilities had higher scores at all civic mind areas - autonomy, willingness to participate, and community mind, in a statistically meaningful way; (2) adolescents who had participated culture experience programs scored higher in all civic mind areas - autonomy, willingness to participate, and community mind; (3) adolescents who had joined participant activities more than once also showed higher scores in all areas of civic mind. They had a stronger community mind like the culture experience group; (4) regarding civic mind indicators from their local community understanding level, adolescents with experience of adolescent facilities, culture experience programs, and participant activities all showed higher scores in all civic mind areas - autonomy, willingness to participate, and community mind, in statistically meaningful ways.
Thirdly, the analysis of the relationship between adolescent activities and civic mind, adolescents who used the adolescent facilities showed a static correlation to civic mind. Adolescents with culture experience programs showed the highest community mind while showed static correlations in all other areas of autonomy and willingness to participate, in that order. In the case of participant program users, the correlation with willingness to participate is the strongest.
The suggestions from this study are:
Firstly, it is urgent to deepen our understanding regarding adolescent activities. It requires a promotion program that shows the positive effects of adolescent participation activities to parents.
Secondly, for the development of adolescents and the cultivation of their core-skills and civic mind, it requires a diverse and specialized adolescent activity program with a systematic operating system.
Thirdly, it is necessary to make the infrastructure and the co-work system to implement the adolescent activity programs.
Fourthly, a systematic education and management of participation activities such as adolescent clubs, participation (operation) committees, and press groups, etc.
Fifthly, institutional make-up devices for the successful program should be considered, like providing various communication channels for inputs and voices of adolescents.
Sixthly, the change of view that sees adolescents as citizens is necessary. The civic education for adolescents should be joint efforts by homes, schools and local communities.
Seventhly, an adolescent activity policy that does not isolate any adolescent is required.
As a follow-up for this study, it suggests that we continuously observe how the adolescent participant activities change the adolescent's civic mind. To see the degrees of influence, we can devise a pre- and post-activity comparison study or a participant observation study for activity programs. It will help us gauge the positive effect of the programs.