The MAP to Purpose: A Model of Youth Purpose, Motivation, and Civic Engagement in Adolescence

• In Event: Youth Engagement and Belonging

Abstract

This goal of this study was to develop and validate a measure that captures the three dimensions of youth purpose proposed by Damon, Menon, and Cotton-Bronk (2003). To do this we tested a theoretical model that links youth purpose (comprised of intention, engagement, and prosocial reasoning) with achievement motivation, agency, and civic engagement for a sample of high school and college-aged adolescents. Results for our new measure of youth purpose reveal construct and concurrent validity using methods of confirmatory factor analysis, cross-validation, and correlation with similar latent variables (i.e., civic engagement). Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Authors

• Lia Falco, The University of Arizona

• Jessica J. Summers, The University of Arizona