Developing a composite indicator to measure civic participatory potential in two Chinese societies

This study examined whether there is evidence in Hong Kong and Taiwan students’ early attitudes to civic participation that suggests they will adopt radical forms of civic participation and whether civic participatory potential of students from these two Chinese societies differed in early adolescence. To achieve these purposes, we used a Rasch measurement approach to construct comparable profiles. In doing so, we adopted conceptual and empirical approaches to construct a composite indicator and then tested validity and reliability of this indicator for the two societies, respectively. Such an approach is based on the assumption that reliable and accurate measurement is essential for theorizing the results of empirical studies. The data from the 2009 International Civics and Citizenship Education Study were also used for comparing the potential participation profiles. The results suggested that the unidimensional profile has good item fit and model fit for both societies, thereby valid and reliable. Preliminary findings suggest that inclination towards radical action can be identified during early adolescence and students from the two Chinese societies differed in civic participatory potential. Taiwanese students appear to be more radical than Hong Kong students while maintaining less positive attitudes to conventional forms of citizenship engagement. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s).