Critical Civic Motivation of Marginalized Youth: An Expectancy-Value Approach

Abstract

The present study advances a model of critical civic motivation grounded in expectancy-value theory and highlights diverse manifestations of motivation among marginalized adolescents. The participants were 447 high school youth (85.0% Latinx; 62.9% low-income). Two complementary methodological approaches were employed to examine civic motivation, conceptualized as expectancies (individual and collective), and values (interest and attainment). First, regression analyses found that civic expectancies and values differentially predicted behavioral outcomes of service and activism. Expectancies and values interactively predicted activism, whereas only main effects of individual and collective efficacy and interest value positively predicted service. Second, person-centered analyses yielded a five-cluster solution, with one-third of the participants exhibiting discrepancies between expectancies and values. Distinct patterns in the manifestations of civic motivation components may inform practices that support civic engagement of marginalized youth. Overall, the findings illustrate the utility of a holistic, critical framework that integrates established literatures on political efficacy and interest.