Terry Bowles

Adolescent Help‐seeking for Major and Minor Problems

Abstract One thousand and twenty-two secondary school aged adolescents identified a major and a minor problem that they experienced in the previous 6 months. The adolescents indicated if they had sought help for their problems, and, if so, from whom. They also indicated how intimate, serious, and stigmatising the problems were as well as the degree to which they were responsible for the cause of the problems. Most problems were in the domains of family, interpersonal relationships, education, and health. Approximately one third of the respondents reported both their major and their minor problem from within the same domain. The majority of adolescents sought help from the nonprofessional help sources of parents and friends. It was possible to identify consistent help-seekers, occasional help-seekers, and the help-avoiders. Neither the type of problem nor the school year level differentiated between the groups. Females were more likely than males to seek help on both occasions.

The Effect of Family Structure and Family Functioning on Adolescents' Perceptions of Intimate Time Spent with Parents, Siblings, and Peers

In previous research, family structure variables have been operationalized as family size, birth order, sibling spacing, and sibling density. These structure variables have been linked to parental strictness, reasonableness, and supportiveness [J. S. Kidwell (1981), “Number of Siblings, Sibling Spacing, and Birth Order: Their Effects on Perceived Parent–Adolescent Relationships,” Journal of Marriage and the Family, Vol. 43, pp. 315–333]. Other research has drawn attention to the link between the amount of time adolescents spend with parents and peers and the influence of family relations variables—intensity, duration, and frequency of conflicts. [R. Montemayor (1982), “The Relationship Between Parent–Adolescent Conflict and the Amount of Time Adolescents Spend Alone and with Parents and Peers,” Child Development, Vol. 53, pp. 1512–1519]. More recent research has related family structure (family size, sibling spacing, and gender) effects to the amount of time adolescents spend with parents, a measure of relationship quality, and a set of measures of discipline [R. A. Richardson et al. (1986), “Parent–Child Relationships in Early Adolescence: Effects of Family Structure,” Journal of Marriage and the Family, Vol. 48, pp. 805–811]. To date, the questions asked by researchers have not simultaneously explored whether it is the family relations or the family structure variables that contribute most powerfully to the amount of time that female and male adolescents spend with family members and peers. In this research adolescents were asked to report the amount of time they spend with their mother, father, siblings, and peers, and to respond to a questionnaire that has three factors that define family functioning: Parenting Style (democratic decision making), Intimacy, and Conflict [P. Noller et al. (1992), “Parent and Adolescent Perceptions of Family Functioning: A Comparison of Clinic and Nonclinic Family, Journal of Adolescence, Vol. 15, pp. 101–115]. The analyses revealed that complex and interpretable family structure and family functioning factors differentially influence whether males and females spend time with family members and peers.

The relationship of time orientation with perceived academic performance and preparation for assessment in adolescents

The purpose of this study was to operationalise a model of time orientation and investigate the variability of its factors based on preparation for assessment and perceived academic performance. Responses from 113 male adolescents (mean age = 16.46 years) and 115 female adolescents (mean age = 16.42 years) to items operationalising an expanded model of the contextual approach to adolescent orientation to the future were analysed using principal component analysis. The results rendered five factors including a past orientation, three present orientation factors (task focus, positive social support, and negative social support), and a future orientation. A series of two‐way ANOVAs showed an association of present and future time orientation with academic achievement. Results also showed that students’ approaches to learning varied mainly as a function of present positive social support and task focus. Students who prepared well for assessment had the highest future time orientation. This research highlights the importance of an elevated present and future time orientation to academic achievement and appropriate preparation for assessment tasks.

The pattern of dialogue in compliance seeking situations when conflict is possible:A preliminary study involving adolescents and adults

Abstract Patterns of communication are commonly referred to in the language and communication literature particularly with adult samples. In this research 50 female and 30 male adolescents and adults participated in in-depth, structured interviews about their patterns of communication. Research typically defines such patterns in reference to the dominant style of the individual or group. Implied in the attribution of a dominant style is the idea that dominance is associated with recurrence. The recurrent patterns of communication have not been investigated in relation to the focus of the communication and the sex of the respondent. In the present research respondents were interviewed about the iterative process involved in their communication with other adolescents and adults. It was expected that a recurrent, sequential pattern of the focus of communication factors would emerge. Six naturally emerging factors emerged from the data, the most frequent being on task, conceding and succeeding. These categories were used in an ordered manner at various times in the dialogues described. Findings also showed patterned similarities and differences in the communication of males and females when they were communicating with adolescents and adults. Importantly, the interview format of this research provided insight into the use of confusion as a strategy in communication.

Changing and coping, and the stimulus to change from an adolescent perspective: A replication of adult research

The aims of this research is to replicate an adult study, investigate adolescents perceptions of changing and coping, and compare the stimuli to cope with the stimuli to change. Previous findings from the adult research showed that changing and coping were considered conceptually similar. By contrast, the stimuli that prompt change were not associated with the stimuli that prompted coping. In this research structured interviews with 29 female and 32 male adolescents were analysed to investigate perceptions of coping and change. The results show that for the adolescents change was positive. Coping was considered more passive than was the experience of changing. In comparison with adults the adolescents considered change and coping to be less positive and less activity related. Adolescents made more references to developmental causes of change while adults referred more to self-motivated change. There was no association between what the adolescents reported as stimuli to change and the stimuli to cope.

Perceptions of the Teaching Behaviours of Academics and Facilitating Student Learning: A Qualitative Study of Tertiary Students’ Instructional Metacognitive Knowledge

Abstract Two key assumptions fundamental to theories and research that explain the learning of tertiary students is that students readily know and can articulate which behaviours of academics positively influence their learning. In this study open-ended questions were used to elicit responses from 200 students, one group enrolled in psychology as a major, and another group studying psychology units as an elective. Results showed that there was no difference in the perceptions of students as a function of their major in psychology. Clear and professional delivery of material was most frequently identified as best practice for academics. Students knew this because it was most frequently associated with student understanding and performance. The teaching approach of academics and the aids to learning used by academics were nominated most frequently as staff activities that enhanced student learning. Students knew this was effective because it enhanced understanding and performance and because of the provision of information from staff. It was suggested that academics could be more effective and students would learn more effectively if lectures and tutorials were delivered more carefully and facilities and aids were improved. For each question, between 12% to 40% of respondents did not know how to appropriately respond. The discussion focused on the meaning of the no responses, the identified factors of instructional metacognitive knowledge, the areas that academics might improve, and the necessity for instructional metacognitive knowledge to accompany information transferred in lectures and tutorials.