A Framework of Participation in Community Organizations

This article presents an organizing framework of participation in community organizations which uses an interdisciplinary perspective and attempts to provide a map of the major dimensions that characterize the complex phenomenon of participation. The major elements of the framework include: 1. environmental, ecological, and social characteristics of the community, 2. individual differences, 3. parameters of participation, 4. mediators, and 5. the effects of participation. Some potential uses of the framework are suggested.