Understanding the Developmental Processes of How Emerging Adults Become Contributing Citizens

Abstract

The purpose of this Master’s thesis was to examine emerging adults’ perceptions and experiences of contribution. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen emerging adults (n= 10 female, n= 5 male) between the ages of 18 to 24 (M= 22.8, SD= 1.61). Participants were recruited through purposive (n= 7) and snowball (n= 8) sampling, where key informants (e.g., program directors, managers) from well-established community organizations helped in the referral of eligible participants. The findings revealed six major themes: (a) contribution is multifaceted, (b) multiple motivations for contributing, (c) social agents play a critical role, (d) early exposure is an important factor, (e) sport can play a key role in becoming a contributing citizen, and (f) contribution fosters the development of assets. Overall, the results from this Master’s thesis illustrate various factors that play a role in youth becoming contributing citizens as an emerging adult. Furthermore, the findings can enhance both research and applied work within the field of positive youth development, particularly related to the 5 C’s model proposed by Lerner. Keywords: positive youth development, contribution, community, motivation, social agents, sport, developmental assets