Teens About Their Education Teens Age 13-17

¶ … Teens about their Education

teens age 13-17 were questioned about their daily lives.

Do you believe that your parents are supportive of you and your decisions?

Four said yes, six said no.

Do you keep secrets from your parents?

Eight said yes, two said no.

Do you feel that you can be honest with your parents at all times?'

One said yes, nine said no

Do you feel that your classes are helping you to develop intellectually or that they are a waste of time?

Eight said their classes were helpful; two said they were a waste

Are you happy most of the time or sad and depressed?

Four said they were happy; six said they were sad or depressed

Do you feel stress the majority of the time, sometimes, not often, or rarely?

Nine said most of the time, one said sometimes.

Is there anything about your life currently that yourself that you would change either physically or emotionally?

A: Nine said yes; one said no.

Do you behave kindly to your peers all the time, most of the time, some times, rarely, or never?

A: Three said they behave kindly all the time; five said most of the time; one said some times and one said rarely.

9. Do you believe that your relationships with parents and peers are beneficial to you as a person?

A: 10 said yes.

10. Would you like to improve your relationship with your parents?

A: 10 said yes.

11. Do you believe that you are a good person?

A: Nine said yes, one said no.

Analysis:

The teens in the survey were from freshman to senior year, from a multitude of ethnic and financial backgrounds, and different social cliques. The teens that were surveyed were questioned about their relationships both with parents and peers. They were also questioned about their current education and the way it was preparing them for adulthood and how they are themselves coping in this difficult age. This is a sparse seven questions covering the range of issues on these topics. From the information provided by the ten students surveyed, it seems that they are none of them completely happy with their current lives, which would be logical for this period of their lives.

These subjects are young girls and boys who currently attend public high schools. They have all begun developing physically and emotionally, indicating that they have already reached the onset of puberty, as would be expected in youth ages 13-17 (Mersch 2012). The subjects believe that they get along well generally in their community of peers and do not exhibit any instances of having any particular imbalances in their relationships with friends. The students seem to have moderate senses of self-esteem but each indicates an area either physically, emotionally, or intellectually that they would like to change in themselves. Each indicates that there are things about themselves of which they are not happy which they would like to change, often having to do with the perception of others.

Many teenagers in the current historical moment seem to have the need to present a face of stability to their peers and to their surrounding adults (Teenagers 2012). This seems to be indicated in these subjects primarily with regard to their interactions with adults. Most subjects surveyed stated that they are sometimes dishonest with parents and that their relationship with parents needs improvement. The subjects stated that they felt that they had to hide emotions from their parents which indicate that they do not feel that they can be completely honest with them regarding their emotional development. If unchecked, this could continue and become a problem as they continue developing. More of concern is the fact that a great many students admitted to having to be dishonest with their parents or to keeping information away from their parents to some degree. This is emblematic of a larger problem regarding parent-student interrelationships.

From this information, I would explore this avenue further and try to enumerate the quantity and type of deception that students are communicating to their parents. When questioned about this, the majority of students explained that their dishonesty with parents most often had to do with both their schoolwork and grades or with their social interactions with friends, such as where they were going and who they were interacting with. This also gives cause for concern because if students are not being honest about their whereabouts, there is a possibility of endangerment.

The survey is an open one with most questions being answerable by either yes or no. Other questions had multiple-choice answers with limited possibilities. However, there are inherent biases in the survey, namely that although the survey is anonymous there is the possibility that students will not answer honestly because they fear potential repercussions or simply because they do not want to be viewed as deceptive or dishonest. There is also a bias in that those surveyed have at least a passing knowledge with the person conducting the survey. Familiarity with the questioner can lead to students feeling the need to hide their true answers because of fear of judgment by someone they know and a feeling, even if it is unfounded, that their answers will be shared with other adults.