Options
Factors affecting adolescents' relationships with parents and peers
Loading...
Type
Thesis
Author
Ang, Mee-foong
Supervisor
Chang, Agnes Shook Cheong
Abstract
The primary objective of this study was to investigate if there was a shift in adolescents' orientation from their parents to their peers. This study was designed to investigate the adolescents' orientation towards their friends (Boy friends versus Girl friends) and parents (Father versus Mother) and how age and gender interrelate to modify the development of these relationship patterns.
The subjects were 950 students from seven schools. The sample was composed of 473 male and 477 female students. There were 363 students belonging to the 12 to 13 year old age-group, 341 students from the 15 to 16 year old age-group and 246 students from the 18 to 19 year old age-group. The students came from four secondary schools, two Pre-U centres and one junior college. In order to ensure a representative sample, both government and mission secondary schools and Pre-U centres and a junior college were included. The sample also included single-sex and co-educational secondary schools.
The questionnaire constructed by Youniss and Smollar (1985) was adapted and administered to the sample. The instrument consists of four scales :
a) Interaction Patterns Scale ;
b) Conception of Self Scale ;
c) Topics of Conversation Scale ; and
d) Orientation Scale
The data were analysed by means of :
a) Analysis of variance and post-hoc comparisons (Scheffe's method) ;
b) Two-way ANOVA of age and gender.
The level of significance for accepting and rejecting the hypotheses was set at the .01 level.
The results show that :
a) Compared to the 12 to 13 year-old adolescents, the 15 to 16 and the 18 to 19 year-old adolescents showed a shift in their orientation from their parents to their peers in their interaction patterns with their parents and peers. The older adolescents were also more positive about themselves and would talk on more topics with their peers than with their parents.
b) The differences between the male and female adolescents in their interaction patterns with their parents and peers were not distinctive. In terms of their self-conception when they were with their parents and peers and the kinds of topics they talked to their parents and peers, the male and female adolescents did not show distinctive differences.
The students' shift of orientation from their parents to their friends as they grow up has important implications for parents and teachers.
The subjects were 950 students from seven schools. The sample was composed of 473 male and 477 female students. There were 363 students belonging to the 12 to 13 year old age-group, 341 students from the 15 to 16 year old age-group and 246 students from the 18 to 19 year old age-group. The students came from four secondary schools, two Pre-U centres and one junior college. In order to ensure a representative sample, both government and mission secondary schools and Pre-U centres and a junior college were included. The sample also included single-sex and co-educational secondary schools.
The questionnaire constructed by Youniss and Smollar (1985) was adapted and administered to the sample. The instrument consists of four scales :
a) Interaction Patterns Scale ;
b) Conception of Self Scale ;
c) Topics of Conversation Scale ; and
d) Orientation Scale
The data were analysed by means of :
a) Analysis of variance and post-hoc comparisons (Scheffe's method) ;
b) Two-way ANOVA of age and gender.
The level of significance for accepting and rejecting the hypotheses was set at the .01 level.
The results show that :
a) Compared to the 12 to 13 year-old adolescents, the 15 to 16 and the 18 to 19 year-old adolescents showed a shift in their orientation from their parents to their peers in their interaction patterns with their parents and peers. The older adolescents were also more positive about themselves and would talk on more topics with their peers than with their parents.
b) The differences between the male and female adolescents in their interaction patterns with their parents and peers were not distinctive. In terms of their self-conception when they were with their parents and peers and the kinds of topics they talked to their parents and peers, the male and female adolescents did not show distinctive differences.
The students' shift of orientation from their parents to their friends as they grow up has important implications for parents and teachers.
Date Issued
1993
Call Number
HQ796 Ang
Date Submitted
1993