1."Sports, Youth and Character: A Critical Survey"
Principal Investigator: Robert Fullinwider, University of Maryland

2. "The Role of Adolescent Extracurricular Activities in Adult Political Engagement"
Principal Investigator: Mary K. Kirlin, California State University Sacramento

3. "Student Engagement: An Investigation of State Student Associations and Their Ability to Engage Students"
Principal Investigator: Emily Francis, Student Empowerment Training Project

For information on how the Kids Voting USA curriculum and other socializing factors exert an enduring influence on student civic engagement see the K-12 Civic Education page.

Project Summary
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This paper looks at the effects of participation on youth from age 4 to 18. While Fullinwider finds conflicting analyses and a dearth of reliable, data-driven research on the role sports play in character development, studies do point to some links between sports and positive outcomes like higher levels of college attendance, fewer drop-outs, and more parental involvement.

Download the press release here . A CIRCLE Fact Sheet on this topic can be found here.

CIRCLE Working Paper 02: The Role of Adolescent Extracurricular Activities in Adult Political Engagement
Principal Investigator: Mary K. Kirlin, California State University Sacramento

Project Summary
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Each year, many American adolescents participate in extracurricular
activities such as student government, sports teams, school
newspapers, hobby clubs, vocational clubs, or debate teams. In
February of 2003, CIRCLE released a literature review conducted
by Mary Kirlin addressing the relationship between adolescent
participation in these extracurricular activities and adult political
engagement.

Dr. Kirlin, of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, searched thirty years worth of relevant research in political science, psychology, education and sociology and determined that the volume of directly relevant research was fairly underdeveloped. The review contains approximately thirty studies considered potentially relevant to the question.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE RELEVANT LITERATURE

The literature Dr. Kirlin identified concludes that there is a relationship between adolescent extracurricular activities and adult political and civic activities such as voting and volunteering. In fact, two studies suggest causation attributing between 17 and 19 percent of the direct effect of adult political participation to adolescent extracurricular activity.

Another consistent finding is that different types of organizations generate different behavioral impacts. Research has found that adults who were involved in instrumental organizations (those with a collective goal beyond individual participation such as student government, school newspapers, and debate teams) were more involved in political activities as adults than those involved in expressive activities (such as athletics, band and orchestra, and hobby clubs).

A further important finding is that adolescents from both high
and low socio-economic status (SES) families who take part in
extracurricular activities participate in adult civic and political
life at similar rates. Finally, studies utilizing a developmental
approach to political socialization are providing the richest insight
into the relationship between adolescent extracurricular participation
and adult political engagement.

QUESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

Despite the consistent and positive findings that have emerged
over the past thirty years, there are still many questions about
the role of adolescent extracurricular activities in adult political
engagement. For example, why does the relationship between
adolescent and adult activities exist? Is there direct causation or
is there another casual factor that has yet to be considered? Why
do adolescents join organizations in the first place? Additional
longitudinal research in this area, especially by inter-disciplinary
teams, has the potential to help practitioners better prepare the
next generation of citizens for civic and political life.

"Student Engagement: An Investigation of State Student Associations and Their Ability to Engage Students"
Principal Investigator: Emily Francis, Student Empowerment Training Project

This report examines the contributions State Students Associations (SSAs)-- networks of college and university student governments--have made to the field of youth civic engagement. In addition, the report identifies characteristics of highly successful associations, and provides recommended ways that SSAs may be used to engage more students in future years.

A companion report, "Guide to State Student Associations" catalogues and describes the SSAs that are currently in orperation as well as provides contact information for key staff. Both reports received funding from CIRCLE and were written by the Student Empowerment Training Project.