Implications of the Personal Perceptions of Incarcerated Adolescents Concerning Their Own Communicative Competence

Abstract

This article examines the views of incarcerated and nonincarcerated female adolescents about their performance in and knowledge of communication. Forty-six participants, who ranged in age from 15 to 17 years and were of similar socioeconomic status, were surveyed on two 20-item questionnaires about pragmatic practices that govern conversational interactions. Overall, the results indicated similar findings for the two groups on pragmatic practices. The views of the incarcerated teenagers suggested they did not perceive themselves as having problems with their own performance concerning conversational behaviors. No statistically significant differences between the groups were found on knowledge of the rules governing conversational practices according to societal dictates. Implications for dynamic assessment and intervention are discussed, and service delivery models, metapragmatics, and the role of communication are addressed. In addition, topics in which incarcerated adolescents choose to engage are discussed for the purpose of planning intervention programs.