Year: 2012
Type: article
Abstract: In adolescence, Sense of Community (SoC) grows thanks to positive experiences with peers and\nsignificant adults in different settings (e.g., neighbourhoods, schools) and contributes to the development\nof personal and social identity and to positive developmental outcomes. In order to study SoC during this\ndevelopmental period, it is important to develop instruments that adequately capture adolescents’ feelings\nand experiences within the community.\nThis paper describes the process of construction of an instrument to measure Sense of community\namong adolescents. A series of qualitative and quantitative studies lead to the identification of five\ndimensions of SoC, consistent with McMillan & Chavis (1986) model, that are relevant for this age group:\nsense of belonging, support and emotional connection with the community, support and emotional\nconnection with peers, satisfaction of needs and opportunities for involvement, opportunities for influence.\nThe scale, both in its complete (36 items) and short (20 items) version, demonstrated good psychometric\nproperties, and positively correlates with perceived social support and well being. SoC referred to the\nhometown decreases across the adolescent years. Results of research conducted using this instrument\nindicated the important role of SoC in enhancing social participation during adolescence, and its\ncontributing role in increasing social well being.
Institution: University of Naples Federico II
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7061832151