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CHAPTER 7 WORK & LEISURE
Work and leisure activities occupy a significant part of the typical American teen's life. According to the textbook, about 80% of American adolescents would have experienced part-time work before they graduate...and about 40% of the teen's everyday activities are leisure activities! How do work experiences and leisure activities affect adolescents' development? The results of several studies in this area may surprise you, so read on...
1. What socioeconomic factors in American history led to the increase in adolescents' free time, leisure activities, and part-time employment?
2. What are the trends and changes in work patterns among U.S. youth, from pre-industrial revolution, to the present time?
3. What are the differences between teenage part-time employment in the U.S. and in non-industrialized societies? Between the U.S. and other industrialized societies (i.e. Europe)? What factors account for these differences? (hint: there are five)
4. To what extent does the typical adolescent work environment provide opportunities for learning new and useful skills, and interacting with more experienced adults? Justify your answer (refer to the Greenberger and Steinberg study).
5. What is PREMATURE AFFLUENCE? How does a teen become "prematurely affluent", and what are its consequences?
6. According to research, what are the effects of employment on
What accounts for these effects? (NOTE: It is important to know the causal mechanisms--the WHY and HOW--for these effects, not just the effects per se!)
Given these, what are some factors that may make the effects of employment more positive?
7. Which sample of the youth population is at higher risk for UNEMPLOYMENT (i.e. in terms of ethnicity, SES, neighborhood, etc)? Why is youth unemployment a problem? What are the suggestions for combating it?
8. What are the benefits of participating in school extracurricular activities? (note: in contrast to part-time employment...) Why may extracurricular involvement have positive effects?
9. In what ways do extracurricular activities socialize teens into traditional male and female sex roles?
10. Are teenagers' behaviors significantly influenced by MASS MEDIA (music, tv, movies)? Justify your answer. What about teenagers' beliefs and attitudes about sex and violence?
11. What are some of the issues that make it difficult to reliably determine the effects of mass media on teens' behaviors and attitudes? (a hint: the issue of cause and effect)
12. Describe the EXPERIENCE SAMPLING METHOD (ESM). What are some of the important findings that have resulted from research using this method?