ERIC Number: EJ903832
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1443-1475
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Prosocial Behaviour and Political Culture among Australian Secondary School Students
Saha, Lawrence J.
International Education Journal, v5 n1 p9-25 2004
This study investigates the extent to which forms of prosocial behaviour and values of social responsibility are related to various domains of political culture among Australian youth. Using data from a survey of 1311 senior secondary students from the ACT and South Australia, it was found that 14 per cent had participated in one or more volunteer activities and 26 per cent scored highly on social responsibility values. Furthermore, it was found that at least one or the other of these prosocial measures was positively related to five of the six domains of political culture, the exception being the feeling of political efficacy. Students who were prosocial also manifested higher levels of political knowledge, political awareness, political activism experience, and positive attitudes towards political freedoms and towards human rights. The implications of these findings for family practices and school programs for volunteer activities and for the instilling of a sense of social responsibility are discussed. (Contains 3 tables and 12 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Activism, Citizenship Education, Foreign Countries, Social Responsibility, Volunteers, Secondary School Students, Prosocial Behavior, School Culture, Social Values, Political Attitudes, Extracurricular Activities, Student Participation, Student Surveys, Predictor Variables
Shannon Research Press. Available from: Australian and New Zealand Comparative and International Education Society. ANZCIES Secretariat, Curtin University, Box U1987, Perth, WA Australia. Tel: +61-8-9266-7106; Fax: +61-8-9266-3222; e-mail: editor@iejcomparative.org; Web site: http://www.iejcomparative.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A