Promoting Young People's Participation: Exploring Social Work's Contribution to the Literature

Area of Science:

• Social Work
• Civic Engagement Studies
• Public Policy

Background:

• Social workers are ethically bound to promote vulnerable populations' involvement in decision-making.
• Social justice issues underscore the need for social work leadership in youth civic engagement.
• Existing literature reveals a fragmented approach to researching youth civic participation within social work.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the current landscape of social work literature on youth civic engagement.
• To identify publication trends, research focuses, and terminology used in this field.
• To advocate for increased attention and a more unified approach to youth civic engagement research in social work.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search identifying 113 relevant articles from the past decade.
• Exploratory analysis of publication venues, research themes, and keywords.
• Content analysis of social work journals and author contributions.

Main Results:

• Research on youth civic engagement is published across various social work-related journals.
• A diverse range of research foci and methodologies are employed, but terminology is inconsistent.
• Core social work journals require increased publication of youth civic engagement studies.

Conclusions:

• A cohesive body of social work scholarship on youth civic engagement is needed.
• Recommendations include enhanced scholar collaboration, unified terminology, broader research foci, and rigorous strategy testing.
• Strengthening youth civic engagement aligns with social work's ethical and social justice mandates.