A survey of the problems of normal 15‐year‐olds

Abstract

The problems experienced by “normal” adolescents are described and some indication given of the range and seriousness of problems from the adolescent viewpoint. Seven hundred and seventy‐five 15‐year‐olds from comprehensive schools in the North of England completed two questionnaires and a sub‐sample of these adolescents were interviewed in detail about their problem experiences, who they confided in and what they thought could be done about problems.The most common worries for the adolescents were concerned with Employment, Self‐Confidence and Adequacy and the Academic aspects of School. Least mentioned problems were in the areas of Material Deprivation, Physical Inadequacy and Home. The latter problems however affect a minority of adolescents (10–30 per cent) and appeared more difficult for them to solve. Peer acceptance was an area of worry which affected a considerable number, but problems regarding authority and control, etc. were less prevalent.

Preparing Adolescents for Selection Interviews: The Impact of a Training Intervention on Levels of Worry and Locus of Control

“…Specifically, the young people in the study were often worried about what to do at the start of an interview (36%), preparing for an interview (32%), asking the right questions at interviews (32%) and answering questions well at interviews (31%). This lends support to an earlier finding by Porteous (1979), that students were often more worried about the prospect of attending an interview than they were about getting a job.…”

“…This instrument has been extensively fieldtested within the adolescent population and the high content validity of the scale is demonstrated by the fact that 89% of 15-year olds indicated that it covered all of their worries (Millar & Gallagher, 1996). In addition, the survey method has been found to elicit higher levels of self-disclosure than interviews when the information sought is of a sensitive nature (Porteous, 1979). The 'Things I Worry About' Scale is particularly suitable for use with low-achievers as it does not require a high level of articulation.…”

“…Researchers have advocated an adolescent-centred approach to guidance provision for some time, in which the self-perceived needs and concerns of young people would form the basis of social and life skills curricula. Thus, Porteous (1979;1985) recognised the impact of cultural phenomena on adolescent problems and argued that professionals could not be exclusively relied upon to inform guidance programmes, since their backgrounds differed socially and culturally from those of their clients. Poole (1984, p. 452) derived support for this approach from an adolescent sample who expressed the view that 'curricula should be oriented more towards their perceived needs and should be more relevant to their future as members of the work force and society in general.'…”

Teenagers and their health.

“…4 The first of these propositions does seem to be borne out in the present study, with only 1% considering themselves to be in poor health. This, however, did not include the 72 children who were away on the day the questionnaires were given, possibly because of illness.…”

Community Perspectives on Gender, Participation and Culture in Zambian Literacy Programmes

“…Leary (1983) suggests that the existing data on gender differences in shyness are inconsistent and inconclusive. For example, on one hand Bronson (1966) had argued that it is more appropriate for girls to be seen as shy while on the other Porteus (1979) found that boys reported that shyness was more of a problem to them man to the girls. In my interviews more male teachers and male participants perceived shyness as an inhibition to male participation, particularly in the initial stage of their social encounters.…”