Hope in Civic Action: To Be Optimistic and Non-Prejudicial.
The present study explored perceptions of hope for social change through civic engagement. Psychology majors, active in campus clubs and organizations (n= 52; M age = 19 years old) completed survey measures predicting hopeful (agency and pathways) tendencies by positive personality qualities, such as positive perceptions of life, being nonjudgmental, and helpfulness. Results indicated that for students engaged in activities, aspects of hope are best related and predicted by non-prejudicial beliefs toward others, and a general sense of optimism was not a significant predictor. Implications of these results for promoting student civic action are discussed along with limitations and future research directions. n = 102 words ********** Numerous studies found that community service shapes individuals' characteristics (e.g., Boss, 1994; Conrad, 1991; Moely, 2002; Lundy, 2007). For instance, higher sense of responsibility and better moral reasoning are skills attained by students who partake in service-learning programs for a satisfactory number of hours (Moely, Mercer, Ilustre, Miron, & McFarland, 2002). Obtaining benefits from engaging in community-based activities prompted states across the USA to enact public education laws implementing community service opportunities for primary and secondary grade levels (Conrad & Hedin, 1991). We believe it is vital to identify characteristics that seem important toward promoting civic action or engagement. A clearer understanding of such personality characteristics among students who volunteer might be beneficial in steering other young individuals towards community service. Previous research found that some conditions, such as genetics, lifestyle choices, and extracurricular activities, increase likelihood in volunteerism and long-term participation in service learning (see Nolin, Chaney, Chapman & Chandler, 1997). By understanding such factors it may be possible to predict someone who would have a greater propensity towards volunteering. For example, based on demographic factors a female college student from a minority group, with a private school background who lives and works on campus, majors in education, and has pledged to a sorority has greater odds at being involved in community service than someone without those set of circumstances and genetic makeup (Cruce & Moore III, 2007). While several static demographic variables may be known, few psychological tendencies have been explored. For instance, intelligence was measured to determine its impact on volunteerism by high school and college students. ACT and SAT scores were predictive of service involvement, and results found that students with high standardized scores were more likely to partake in community service than students not involved (Cruce & Moore III, 2007). Despite the growing educational literature on the effectiveness of service learning programs, little is known on the personality characteristics of students who may be better-suited for such civic engagement. The present study identified one trait, hope, as a possible predictor of engagement in civic action. We conceptualized hope according to Snyder's well known model of one's motivation (or agency) combined with thought-out strategies (defined as pathways: see Snyder, Harris, Anderson, Holleran, Irving, Sigmon, Yoshinobu & Gibb, 1991) toward meeting life's challenges and tasks. We assessed whether hope tendencies by persons engaged in campus activities may be predicted by their perceptions of optimism, non-prejudicial beliefs, and civic engagement (i.e., coming in with an attitude of confidence for positive change). We believe the overall ideal characteristics for community service for students are being non-prejudiced toward others and optimistic about life (Boss, 1994; Moely, Mercer, S. H., Ilustre, V., Miron, D., & McFarland, M.,2002). Previous research found that community volunteers reported openness towards people of other cultures and a less frequent likelihood of judging them; that is, being non-prejudicial (Moely et al. …