Inside the mind of a teenager.

Thoughts about the future –

POSSIBLE SELVES?

Possible SelvesPossible Selves

All of us think about what the future holds for us no matter how old we are.

We think about who or what we might become at some future time.

Possible Selves

School students think about future careers and relationships.

Young adults tend to concentrate on stabilizing their lives and careers .

Possible Selves

Older people think more about health issues and whether they will be able to achieve their hopes in life.

The Three Possible Futures

From where we find ourselves in the present, we view the future in three main ways…

Expectations

What we expect will happen because of our present

circumstances.

Hopes

What we hope might happen to us in the future.

Fears

What we want to try to avoid at all costs.

Possible Selves

E xp ec ta tion s . H op es . F ears .

M e n ow .Th e p o in t I h ave reach ed so fa r in m y life .

How do you find out about what people are thinking?

How do you enter the mind of a person who has inner, private

thoughts?

You ask the right questions!

I decided to put these questions to teenagers in the middle and late

years of high school.

Research Background

Students in year 10 have a developing capacity for abstract thought.

Many schools offer opportunities for work experience during year 10.

Research Background

Year 10 students choose subjects that prepare them for SACE studies in year 11 and year 12.

These events force students to consider what they could become or what they might be doing with their lives in the future.

My Questions

Do students actually have expectations, hopes and fears?

Do boys think differently from girls on these matters?

My Questions

Are there differences between students in state schools and in private schools?

Are there differences between city students and country students?

My Questions

Who has the greatest influence on what these students think about?

What other factors affect the decisions they make and the thoughts they have?

Doing the Research

The Questionnaires

1. Expected Possible Selves.

We all expect to be around for many years into old age and we expect many things to happen to us in the future - both good and bad. Some of us may have a large number of Expected Possible Selves in mind for the future while others may have only a few.

Think for a minute or two about your future. Write down what you expect to be doing in the future.

It's important that you talk about what you expect, not what you hope. That's the next section in the survey.

The Questionnaires

The most important expected Possible Self.

Please choose your most important expected possible self from your list above and write it again in the space below. This is the most important possible self that you expect to become in the future.

The Questionnaires

In the next section, use the mouse to click the circle below the statement you choose.

1. If you make a big effort, do you think you can make this possible self happen?

I know I can't

Probably not

I don't know

Probably can

I know I can

The Questionnaires

2.How likely is it that this possible self could happen to you?

 Very unlikely

 Not likely

 I don't know

 Likely to happen

 Very likely

The Questionnaires

3. Have you done anything to help you achieve this possible self?    Yes No

4. If you answered yes, describe what you have done to help you achieve this possible self.

The Questionnaires

The same questions were asked for future hopes and for future fears and the data were

collected.

The Questionnaires

I asked questions about their Self-Esteem.

I collected data to see who was Optimistic or Pessimistic in outlook.

The Questionnaires

I collected their thoughts on what Intelligence is.

I found out who was thinking about Leaving School.

The Questionnaires

I found out about their Persistence to stick with difficult tasks.

I determined who they gained most Support from in life.

Data Samples

Expected Possible Selves.

15 year old male. Western S.A.

I expect to have an occpuation in computers and hope to be on large salery. I expect to live in the city or near the riverland. I expect to play sport. I expect to travel the world. I expect to have a family.

Most important: To have a good job and a loving family.

What has been done to achieve this?: Try to learn things about computers. Try hard at school.

Data Samples

Expected Possible Selves.

16 year old male. School 200km north of Adelaide. Architech, Site attendant, builder, Carpenter

Most important: Builder.

What has been done to achieve this?: Worked For Steven Construction in Holidays.

Data Samples

Expected Possible Selves.

15 year old girl. Regional city school north of Adelaide. Married, mother, primary school teacher

Most important: primary school teacher

What has been done to achieve this?: i have done work experience at a primary school teaching year 3-5 students for a week. i hope to return to this school later in the year.

Data Samples

Hoped for Possible Selves.

16 year old girl, Country school 200km north of Adelaide.

Mother, millionair

Most important: Mother

What has been done to achieve this?: had some practise in babysitting

Data Samples

Feared Possible Selves.

16 year old male. Adelaide private school.

die of silfilus, no financial security, depression, bad health,

Most important: bad health

What has been done to avoid this?: regular exercise - running, weights training, eating healthy, playing as much sport as possible

Data Samples

Self-esteem.

Here is a sample question that illustrates how information can be gathered.

1. I feel that I'm a person of worth, at least on an equal plane with others.

Never true Not often true Sometimes true Often true Almost always true

Data Samples

Self-esteem.

Here are other sample questions.

5. I take a positive attitude towards myself.

8. I feel that I can't do anything right.

10. I feel that my life is not very useful.

Never true Not often true Sometimes true Often true Almost always true

Data Samples

Self-esteem – Overall results – Students in S.A.

1. I feel that I'm a person of worth, at least on an equal plane with others.

ESTEEM1

5.04.03.02.01.0

ESTEEM1

Fre

qu

en

cy

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Std. Dev = .93

Mean = 3.9

N = 310.00

Never true

Almost always true

Data Samples

Self-esteem – Overall results – Students in S.A.

5. I take a positive attitude towards myself.

ESTEEM5

5.04.03.02.01.0

ESTEEM5

Fre

qu

en

cy

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Std. Dev = 1.05

Mean = 3.6

N = 308.00

Never trueAlmost always true

Data Samples

Self-esteem – Overall results – Students in S.A.

8. I feel that I can't do anything right.

ESTEEM8

5.04.03.02.01.0

ESTEEM8

Fre

qu

en

cy

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Std. Dev = 1.09

Mean = 2.4

N = 307.00

Never trueAlmost always true

Data Samples

Self-esteem – Overall results – Students in S.A.

10. I feel that my life is not very useful.

ESTEEM10

5.04.03.02.01.0

ESTEEM10F

req

ue

ncy

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Std. Dev = 1.07

Mean = 2.1

N = 305.00

Never true Almost always true

New Research Findings

High self-esteem may seem to be a good thing but consider this…

It had been thought that aggression, crime and violence was associated with low self-esteem.

Recent finding suggest that violence can be the result of threatened egotism – highly favorable views of the SELF that are disputed by some person or circumstance.

This could mean that a person who considers themselves to have high self-esteem, might resort to violence if they perceive a threat to that self esteem.

Overall Self-esteem – Males and Females

ESTEEM

49

47

45

43

41

39

37

35

33

31

29

27

25

23

21

19

16

Co

un

t

16

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

GENDER

1

2

Expectations

E_DOMAIN

543210

Co

un

t

300

200

100

0

SCHOOL

Anglican boys city

State co-ed n suburb

State co-ed reg city

State co-ed n suburb

Anglican co-ed city

State co-ed country

Catholic girls subur

Catholic co-ed subur

Catholic girls city

Lutheran co-ed w sub

State co-ed mid nth

Fears

F_DOMAIN

543210

Co

un

t

100

80

60

40

20

0

SCHOOL

Anglican boys city

State co-ed n sub2

State co-ed n sa

State co-ed n sub

Anglican co-ed city

State co-ed w est sa

Catholic girls nesub

Catholic co-ed e sub

Catholic girls city

Lutheran co-ed w sub

State co-ed mid nth

Conclusion.This is data from students who were in year 10 in 2000.

I waited 2 years and then surveyed as many of the same students again when they were in year 12.

I now have a second round of data to compare with the first.

The analysis of all this data will be written up into a thesis to be presented for examination at the University of South Australia.