Too Cool For School And Reading? How to Motivate Your Teens to Read

By Taylor Decuir

    Whether you’re a parent or a teacher, getting your teens to read can be a challenge.  Helping them to develop intrinsic reading motivation, the desire or interest to read, is even harder. The good news is that you play a role in this process by encouraging teens to expand their reading beyond predetermined curriculums. This fosters a sense of independence and reading motivation.  

    A study involving 1781 rural eighth and ninth graders explored the relationship between reading attitudes and reading behaviors. Participants completed a survey measuring time spent reading for school, entertainment, or information. Time spent reading increased, but the personal significance of reading decreased for students. Cantrell et al. (2018) discovered that the perception of reading as unimportant has lifelong effects on the educational or career choices students make. However, you can encourage students to explore their interests through reading. This may help establish relevant, personal connections that spark reading motivation. 
 
    A study of sixty ninth-graders explored how teachers can help motivate students while enhancing performance. Before a standardized test, teachers gave positive feedback to one group of students in the hopes that praise would increase motivation, performance on a standardized test, and reading comprehension. However, the results did not establish a link between praise and motivation since “feedback did not specifically target interest” (Wolters et al., 2017). Both groups demonstrated similar performance and reading comprehension levels. While praise and support build trust between students and teachers, feedback alone does not stimulate internal motivation.

    One of the best ways teachers can help foster reading motivation in students is by incorporating more student-based activities in the classroom (Neugebauer and Gilmour, 2020). This helps to personalize the reading experience while ensuring teens have the autonomy they need to find excitement in reading. For example, teachers can use small groups, one-on-one instruction with students, or encourage students to swap books. 

    One study looked at the role teachers play that can boost motivation in middle schoolers during a time when students’ academic motivation declines and reading becomes a chore. One hundred and sixty-one urban middle students with lower reading scores participated in a study that measured autonomy, competence, positive teacher feedback, and student collaboration. Neugebauer and Gilmour (2020) found that reading motivations varied depending on the environment. 

    The type of reading material also influenced students’ attitudes and reading motivation. For example,  students showed less reading motivation when given textbooks or worksheets. Instead, students preferred “texts that allow[ed] them to make self-to text connections including connected with characters and ideas and cultivating their personal interest” (Neugebauer and Gilmour, 2020). While eighty percent of teachers rely on textbooks, students’ preference should be factored into curriculum selections, and teens should be encouraged to choose to content that they can see themselves in. 

    All three studies reveal gaps in literacy that school is supposed to be addressing. Traditional classroom lectures and textbooks, while important, aren’t enough. In order for our teens to feel motivated to read, they need options that make them want to read.  

References

Cantrell, S. C., Rintamaa, M., Anderman, E. M., & Anderman, L. H. (2018). Rural adolescents’ reading motivation, achievement and behavior across transition to high school. Journal of Educational Research, 111(4), 417–428. https:/doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2017.1284737

Neugebauer, S. R. & Gilmour, A.F. (2020). The ups and downs of reading across content areas: The association between instruction and fluctuations in reading motivation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 112(2), 344-363. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000373

Piko, K. (2021). Vector illustration of a girl and boy reading a book on an abstract geometric background in a trendy style. [Photograph]. Shutterstock. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/vector-illustration-girl-boy-reading-book-1421434031

Wolters, C. A., Barnes, M. A., Kulesz, P. A., York, M., & Francis, D. J. (2017). Examining a motivational treatment and its impact on adolescents’ reading comprehension and fluency. Journal of Educational Research, 110(1), 98–109. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2015.1048503

     

So… You Want to Talk About Cyberbullying

By: Catherine Blanchard

            Navigating adolescence is hard enough, but in today’s current climate, newer generations are having to learn how to navigate their interpersonal relationships in-person as well as online. Interacting with others online can be especially difficult because normal social cues or expectations can be lost over online communication. Moreover, these problems that exist in normal adolescent communication, namely bullying, also carry over into online communication, which in turn presents a whole host of new and difficult issues. By detailing and exploring current research done specifically studying adolescents’ encounters with cyberbully, I hope to demystify cyberbullying as a whole and provide some practical information that can aid parents in handling this subject with their children.

            Cyberbullying, as defined by researcher McLoughlin, is similar to any other bullying that might occur in the halls or classrooms of a school. It is malicious, targeted, and not a one-time occurrence. The difference, however, is that cyberbullying takes place online whether via social media, texts, email, or any other form of online communication (2019). In a study conducted by McLoughlin, students at 8 different schools ranging from12-17 in South Australia participated in a survey which, among other things, sought to measure the negative social states and social connectedness associated with cyberbullying. Their results concluded that victims of cyberbullying were “a particularly vulnerable group, experiencing higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress than those who have never been involved in cyberbullying as a victim or bully” (2019). Thus, cyberbullying has real effects on adolescent’s mental health which should be considered when handling issues with cyberbullying.

            As for those who engage in acts that express aggression over the internet, research suggests that they are not free from negative effects as well (Washington et al., 2018). In a study conducted in China observing 494 students predominately of the middle-class socioeconomic background, students were asked to complete self-report assessments of a number of things including cyber aggression, optimism about peers, and loneliness. By having students also fill out popularity nomination surveys, researchers were also able to observe whether certain students had a good standing amongst their classmates. The results of this study found that “the more children engaged in cyber aggression, the lonelier they felt, the less optimistic they were about current and future peer engagements, and the fewer classroom mutual friends they had” (Washington et al., 2018). From this research, we can gather that those who participate in cyber bullying also are negatively affected by their actions.

            Lastly, its interesting to note how cyberbullying can greatly vary from traditional bullying. One of the aspects of cyberbullying is that, because it is online, there is a level of anonymity. This, according to Wachs is called “Toxic Online Disinhibition” which refers specifically to the phenomenon where toxic behavior is more likely to occur in online communication because of the lack of face-to-face interaction (2019). Luckily, having this knowledge can help schools and parents implement educational programs for the adolescents in their care that can help them better understand communication over the internet and aid them in practicing safe and respectful internet etiquette.

References

McLoughlin, L. T., Spears, B. A., Taddeo, C. M., & Hermens, D. F. (2019). Remaining connected in the face of cyberbullying: Why social connectedness is important for mental health. Psychology in the Schools, 56(6), 945–958. https://doi-org.ezproxy.franu.edu/10.1002/pits.22232

Wachs, S., Wright, M. F., & Vazsonyi, A. T. (2019). Understanding the overlap between cyberbullying and cyberhate perpetration: Moderating effects of toxic online disinhibition. Criminal Behaviour & Mental Health, 29(3), 179–188. https://doi-org.ezproxy.franu.edu/10.1002/cbm.2116

Washington, R., Cohen, R., Berlin, K. S., Hsueh, Y., & Zhou, Z. (2018). The relation of cyber aggression to peer social competence in the classroom for children in China. Social Development, 27(4), 715–731. https://doi-org.ezproxy.franu.edu/10.1111/sode.12314

The Napoleon Dynamite in All of Us

By: Hunter Doiron

The movie Napoleon Dynamite shows the difficult social life of Napoleon, a socially awkward character. His high school life consists of bullies, making up socially desirable stories, and an attempt to form a social group.

His social awkwardness leads to him being bullied. One scene shows him unknowingly being bullied as he answers questions from more popular guys laughing at his made-up responses. Baier et al. (2019) looked at how bullying affects the mental health of victims because they recognized the different ways bullying occurs that can all still be harmful. 10,638 students participated in their cross-sectional study at a German high school where they were surveyed on different ways they experienced bullying (physical or psychological, from classmates or teachers, cyberbullying, etc.). Their results showed psychological bullying was the most harmful form of bullying on an adolescent’s mental health. Even though the bullies were not physically harassing Napoleon, this study shows how their sarcasm can hurt Napoleon’s mental health.

There is another scene where Napoleon claims he is the best person he knows at drawing. A different study looked at how adolescents responding in socially desirable ways correlates with their narcissism. They defined social desirability as leading to what they call “self-deceptive enhancement” (Barry et al., 2017). Napoleon’s false stories play into enhancing how he views himself and how he thinks others see him. From the 161 adolescents who answered questionnaires to gage their socially desirable responses along with narcissism, the researchers found there was not a correlation between narcissism and socially desirable responses. Despite no evidence why there was a lack of correlation, they suggested that narcissistic adolescents may not feel compelled to portray themselves positively to others as they already see themselves highly. For Napoleon, his socially desirable stories are not a result of his narcissism but rather some other motive.

Napoleon’s true motive may be to find his social identity according to another group of researchers. They said social identity refers to a social group offering “meaning and belonging” (Koni et al., 2019). Two separate studies were done which consisted of 136 and then 91 adolescents broken into small groups on a sailing voyage where they learned to interact with new people in each study. The researchers were interested to see if new social groups could still promote a healthy sense of social identity which they found to be true in both studies. Napoleon finds two new friends, Pedro and Deb, and he still responds in socially desirable manners with them. It seems that Napoleon’s responses are his attempt to strengthen his social identity in his new social group.

Napoleon Dynamite is typically seen as a comical movie with no plot, but it shows the struggles that so many adolescents go through: bullying, making up desirable stories, and forming new social groups. We can all relate to Napoleon in some way which should encourage us to better empathize with adolescents and attempt to help them as they work through the same struggles we all went through.

References

Baier, D., Hong, J. S., Kliem, S., & Bergmann, M. C. (2019). Consequences of Bullying on

Adolescents’ Mental Health in Germany: Comparing Face-to-Face Bullying and           Cyberbullying. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 28(9), 2347–2357. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1181-6

Barry, C. T., Lui, J. H. L., & Anderson, A. C. (2017). Adolescent Narcissism, Aggression, and

Prosocial Behavior: The Relevance of Socially Desirable Responding. Journal of Personality Assessment, 99(1), 46–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2016.1193812

Koni, E., Moradi, S., Arahanga-Doyle, H., Neha, T., Hayhurst, J. G., Boyes, M., Cruwys, T.,

Hunter, J. A., & Scarf, D. (2019). Promoting resilience in adolescents: A new social identity benefits those who need it most. PLoS ONE, 14(01), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210521

For Image:

Fabrizio, Doug. “Napoleon Dynamite: The Film With All The Great Skills.” RadioWest,              radiowest.kuer.org/post/napoleon-dynamite-film-all-great-skills.

Perception isn’t just an Illusion

 By: Catherine Blanchard

Adolescence is a time of growth and self-discovery, but often this can be stifled by mental health problems and substance abuse. In a recent study, researchers found that adolescent’s perception of their socioeconomic ranking among their peers could predict their future mental health and substance use. In this longitudinal study, researchers observed how adolescents: viewed their own social status as compared to others, answered personal questions relating to mental health, and participated in different substance use (Russell & Odgers 2020). Overall, it was found that adolescent’s own perception of their state of life could predict these future problems.

References

Russell, M. A., & Odgers, C. L. (2020). Adolescents’ Subjective Social Status Predicts Day‐to‐Day Mental Health and Future Substance Use. Journal of Research on Adolescence (Wiley-Blackwell), 30, 532–544. doi-org.ezproxy.franu.edu/10.1111/jora.12496

Image: https://www.talkspace.com/blog/5-ways-improve-body-image-confidence-mental-health/

Educational Expectations Improve Achievement

 By: Hunter Doiron

When I was in high school, I was expected to go to college by others and myself. A recent study in Sweden looked at how adolescent and parent expectations could benefit the educational attainment for the adolescent. Educational attainment means looking at what level of schooling the adolescent is expected to complete. They surveyed students and parents asking them how far they expected the adolescent to go in their education. They found that higher expectations meant higher educational achievement for the adolescent. As this study shows, healthy and achievable expectations can encourage adolescents in their pursuit for achievement.

References

Almroth, M., László, K. D., Kosidou, K., & Galanti, M. R. (2020). Individual and familial

factors predict formation and improvement of adolescents’ academic expectations: A longitudinal study in Sweden. PloS One, 15(2), e0229505. https://doi-org.ezproxy.franu.edu/10.1371/journal.pone.0229505

Steinberg, Laurence D. Adolescence. McGraw-Hill Education, 2020.

For Image:

“My Kid Is Going to College - A Guide for Parents.” FamilyApp, 15 Oct. 2020, familyapp.com/guide-                parents-college/.

The Future Is Bright (Mostly): How Anxiety Shapes Teens' Perceptions About Their Futures

 By Taylor Decuir  

    Most teens imagine bright futures; however, for teens with anxiety, this is harder. Ramsgaard et al. (2019) investigated the differences in how anxious teens versus teens without anxiety describe their past, future, and cultural expectations. One hundred and sixty-nine teens were instructed to write about their past, future, and how these events were shaped by cultural expectations of life experiences. While anxious teens still envisioned bright futures, when compared to peers, their narratives contained fewer details of positive social support. Their narratives also reflected the limitations and struggles of their current lives, suggesting that they believed anxiety would predict their quality of life.

References

Beaumont, M. (2018). [Teen girl contemplating future] [Photograph]. Milton Accountant. http://www.miltonaccountant.com/ 4-tips -achieving -positive-money-mindset/

Ramsgaard, S., Bohn, A., & Thastrum, M. (2019). Past and future life stories in adolescents with anxiety disorder: Comparison with community controls. Memory, 27(7), 998-1010. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2019.159566