Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach Chapter 10 School Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Chapter Overview history and current state of schooling for adolescents in the United States, other industrialized countries, and developing countries characteristics of effective schools, and the effects of school climate effects of family environments and friends’ influence on adolescent achievement. part-time work and adolescents' academic achievement. cultural, ethnic, gender, and intellectual differences on adolescents' school experiences. factors leading to school dropout and related prevention programs. the emerging adult in college and university. Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

The Rise of Schooling Compulsory education for adolescents is a recent advent in America In other Western countries, a similar trend took place. The “Age of Adolescence” Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Developing Countries Effects of economic development is evident in literacy rates of youth vs. older generations: E.g., Egypt Males 15 – 19 years old 74% can read & write Females 15 – 19 years old 59% can read & write Males 65 + years old 30% can read & write Females 65 + years old 9% can read & write Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Secondary School in America: Changes Mid-20th C Expanding school population; curriculum expands to include family life, arts 1920 Training for work and citizenship; college prep, vocational training 19th C For the wealthy, esp. males; Broad liberal arts 1980s Back to Basics movement Discuss social and political factors that impacted these changes in the school system…E.g., immigration, declining achievement scores in the 1980setc.

Discussion Stop Should high school courses be offered only on academic subjects such as math and English, or should courses in music and physical education also be available? Justify your answer. Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Diversity of American Education Local and state level legislation and funding Results in diversity in curriculum, rules and requirements and resource disparity 1994 – “Goals 2000” est. by federal government toward national educational policy 2001 – “No Child Left Behind Act” passed provided federal funding for national testing, teacher training standards and evaluation Even still, only 5% of school funding is provided by the federal government 77% of Americans support national standards for academic performance (1997) 66% of Americans supported a national curriculum (1997) Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Secondary Education Around the World Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Secondary Education in Industrialized Countries USA, Canada, Japan – Comprehensive High School European Countries: College Preparatory Vocational School Professional School Some European countries have apprenticeship programs What are benefits and drawbacks of these different systems? Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

In Developing Countries… Latin America – public secondary schools overcrowded and underfunded; private schools for wealthy China and Japan – admission to university for highest performing students Arab Countries of North Africa --- secular education system, influence of Islam is strong Sub-Saharan Africa – lowest rates of literacy; enrollment varies across countries India – colonial origins & British model; 50% of adolescents enrolled Gender gap not prevalent; economic gap is. Japan – nearly all graduate high school China – less than 75% attend Girls’ enrollment is rising as marriage age rises Rates of enrollment low for girls Less than 50% attend overall Sharp differences by gender, class and rural-urban residence Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

International Comparison: Grade 8 Achievement Tests Countries that perform the best? Industrialized Western Countries; Japan, S. Korea Lowest ranking of all Industrialized Countries? United States Developing Countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia Lowest performance? Discuss factors associated with these results… Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Effective Schools: Size Matters Large schools Offer diverse courses and extracurricular activities Small schools Less diversity in offerings; students more likely to participate in extracurricular activities Scholars agree: optimum school size for adolescents is?.... Between 500 – 1000 students What size of school did you go to? Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Effective Schools: Size Matters Some research claims direct negative relation between class size and academic performance Other scholars claim that typical variation (between 20 and 40 students) has little affect on achievement Small Class Size preferable for students with academic difficulties, more individual attention Scholars don’t agree: How do your experiences compare? Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Junior High, Middle School or Neither? Plan Explanation 6-3-3 6 years elementary; 3 years junior high; 3 years high school 5-3-4 5 years elementary; 3 years middle school; 4 years high school 8-4 8 years elementary; 4 years high school Discussion Detour: Which system did you attend? What were the benefits? Drawbacks? Which do you think is best? Discuss in terms of research, particularly regarding transitions and adolescence. Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Improving Adolescents’ School Experience (Eccles et al, 1993, 1997) “. . . some of the motivational problems seen at early adolescence may be a consequence of the negative changes in the school environment rather than characteristics of the developmental period per se.” (Eccles et al., 1993, p. 92) Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Transition from Elementary School In comparison to Elementary Schools, Secondary Schools: Place greater emphasis on teacher control and discipline. Provide fewer opportunities for student decision-making, choice, and self-management. Secondary School teachers spend more time controlling and less time teaching. Less personal and positive teacher-student relationships. Students perceive teachers less friendly, less supportive, and less caring. Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Describe your idea of a positive School Climate Includes….the kinds of interactions teachers and students have in the classroom, expectations of standards, methods used in the classroom…. Describe your idea of a positive school climate. What does research say? Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Optimum School Climate Supportive teachers, involved with students, dedicated Firm but fair discipline High expectations for student performance and conduct Higher attendance Higher achievement scores Lower rates of delinquency Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Violence in the School The past decade has seen numerous highly publicized murders in schools Yet, in recent years, there is an overall decline in violence in U.S. schools Widespread perception that U.S. have become more dangerous in the past decade Security practices in schools – e.g., metal detectors Federal funding for violence prevention programs Research on bullying Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Engagement and Achievement Engagement: Being psychologically committed to learning Research indicates that more and more, students are “physically present but psychologically absent” (Steinberg, 1996, p. 67) How do the results in the following slide compare? Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

American High School Students’ School Engagement Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Positive Impacts on Engagement Positive school climate Parents’ high expectations for achievement Parents’ involvement in their adolescent child’s education Parenting style: High demandingness and high responsiveness Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Discussion Stop What makes social class so important in predicting academic achievement? Discuss social, cultural, and political-economic factors. Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Peers, Friends & School In relation to school, the influence of friends is greater than that of parents in some respects: Consistency of class attendance Time spent doing homework Grades Adolescent friends with high achievement and aspirations support and encourage each other in school Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

High Achieving Friends vs. Peers Peer Group Friends If surrounded by high-achieving peer group, adolescents have lower academic self-concept and expectations In schools with lower achievement levels, adolescents have better academic self-concepts and expectations Even low achieving adolescents with high-achieving friends are likely to have higher expectations and aspirations Big Fish in a little pond effect Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Relation Between Work Hours & School Performance Beyond 10 hrs/week, the more adolescents work, the poorer their school performance. Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Discussion Stop Steinberg (1996) asserts that to change American adolescents’ school performance, Americans would have to change their beliefs about what should be required of adolescents. Do you think more should be required of American adolescents in high school? Why or why not? Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Discussion Detour Are you in America or Canada? In either case, see if there is someone from the other country in your class. Compare and contrast aspects of secondary education and the school system in the two countries. Extend the discussion to include students’ perspectives from other countries. Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Ethnic Differences: Achievement Consider the ethnic differences in academic achievement outlined in your chapter What explains these differences? Some differences are intertwined with issues of social class, parenting practices, friends’ influences Systemic prejudice and discrimination Consider these issues in relation to the next slide on dropout rates…. Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Ethnic Differences in High School Dropout Rates Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Discussion Stop Much more research has been conducted on why adolescent girls do less well than adolescent boys in math and science than on why boys generally do worse than girls on virtually every other measure of academic achievement. What hypotheses would you propose to explain why boys generally do worse than girls academically, from grade school through adolescence? Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Gifted Adolescents Traditional criterion = IQ of at least 130 Today, gifted programs recognize special talents (e.g., art, music, creativity, leadership) Four characteristics of giftedness: Precocity Independence Drive for Mastery Excellence in Information Processing Advanced Placement classes include higher level material in specific subjects Issues: Gifted adolescents may become bored and alienated from school or socially isolated Challenges in defining giftedness have implications for gifted education Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Adolescents with Disabilities Disabilities related to school difficulties include speech handicaps, mental retardation, emotional disorders, and learning disabilities About 10% of adolescents in American schools have been diagnosed with learning disability Reading is the most common source of difficulty Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Spotlight: ADHD Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: Problems of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsiveness Classified as learning disability One-half of adolescents with LD have been diagnosed with ADHD Boys four times as likely as girls to be diagnosed with ADHD Nearly 50% of those diagnosed have a sibling or parent with the disorder Critics argue the levels of diagnosis indicate improper diagnosis in many cases Diagnosis often made without full professional evaluation Nearly 90% of children diagnosed are treated with Ritalin or other medication Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Adolescents with Disabilities: Strategies Inclusion Goal is to make the education of the adolescents with disabilities as similar to the experience of other adolescents and to have contact with the full range of students Resource Room and specially trained teacher usually available for extra help or scheduled periods Tracking (Stratified levels) Upper – college preparatory level General – for average students Remedial/special education – for students academically behind their peers Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Discussion Stop Discuss the possible benefits and problems associated with tracking and inclusion. Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

High School Dropout 11% Factors Associated with Dropout? By the year 2000, what percentage of young people had not obtained a high school diploma by age 24? 11% Factors Associated with Dropout? Single-parent family Parents’ education and income Parents who have dropped out Low income – lower school quality Girls – having a child during adolescence Having a Learning Disability Repeating a grade History of school difficulties School Climate Large school Active, aggressive, high-sensation seeking personality Are these individual, social, cultural, systemic factors? Other factors? Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Ethnic Differences in High School Dropout Rates Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Discussion Stop Discuss intervention strategies for high school dropout. What might a successful strategy look like? Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

College Attendance Through the Years Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Characteristics of College Students Recent high school grads that enter college? 60% Female Undergraduate population? 56% Asian Americans who enter college? 66.6% White students? 60% Black students? 55% Latino Students? 33.3% Discuss factors associated with these results… Discuss “retention” in terms of SES Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Discussion Stop Consider the changing trends in areas of study chosen in college and gender differences. Discuss possible reasons for these changes. Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

College Life: Four Subcultures (Trow, 1966) Collegiate Vocational Academic Rebel Do these hold true today? Can you recognize these groups amongst your friends, peers, yourself? Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

College Classroom Experience: Your Experience Considering the factors associated with a satisfying college educational experience outlined in your chapter, reflect on your own experience. Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett. Copyright © 2004 by Pearson Education. All rights reserved.