Nj report 2012 an assessment of the emotional assets v5 c
1. The Student Stressors and
Assets Survey:
An Assessment of the Developmental Assets™ of Students in
the Bernards Township School District
Prepared for
Bernards Township Board of Health
September 2012
Prepared by:
Kirk Harlow, Dr.P.H.
President, DecisionStat
Coordinator, Graduate Programs in Health and Public Administration
Midwestern State University
3410 Taft Blvd.
Wichita Falls, TX 76308
decisionstat@earthlink.net
940-397-4745
2. Acknowledgement
This project was funded through a Drug Free Communities Support Program Grant # 2 SP12261-
03 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the US Department of Health
and Human Services. Additional research support was provided to Dr. Kirk Harlow through Midwestern
State University, Wichita Falls, TX.
Page 2 of 45
3. Table of Contents
Acknowledgement .......................................................................................................................... 2
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 4
Survey Design and Distribution .................................................................................................. 4
Results and Conclusions ............................................................................................................. 5
Implications of the Results.........................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 9
Survey Design and Procedures ....................................................................................................... 9
Survey Design ............................................................................................................................. 9
Survey Distribution ................................................................................................................... 10
Survey Results .............................................................................................................................. 10
Student Characteristics.............................................................................................................. 11
Developmental Assets ................................................................................................................... 14
Support ...................................................................................................................................... 15
Parental support .................................................................................................................... 15
School Support ...................................................................................................................... 17
Other Support ........................................................................................................................ 18
Sources of Support ................................................................................................................ 18
Boundaries and Expectations .................................................................................................... 20
Constructive Use of Time ......................................................................................................... 20
Commitment to Learning .......................................................................................................... 22
Positive Identity ........................................................................................................................ 23
Social Competencies ................................................................................................................. 25
Positive Values.......................................................................................................................... 28
Empowerment ........................................................................................................................... 29
Risk and Behavioral Problems ...................................................................................................... 30
Behavioral problems ............................................................................................................. 30
Alcohol and Drugs ................................................................................................................ 31
Student Cheating and Bullying ..................................................................................................... 35
Cheating ................................................................................................................................ 35
Bullying................................................................................................................................. 36
Relationships ................................................................................................................................. 37
Differences between the 2005 and 2012 Surveys ......................................................................... 39
Support .................................................................................................................................. 39
Boundaries and expectations................................................................................................. 40
Constructive use of time ....................................................................................................... 40
Commitment to learning ....................................................................................................... 41
Positive Identity .................................................................................................................... 41
Social competence ................................................................................................................ 42
Positive values ...................................................................................................................... 42
Empowerment ....................................................................................................................... 42
Summary of Comparisons..................................................................................................... 42
Summary and Conclusions ........................................................................................................... 42
Implications of the Results........................................................................................................ 44
Page 3 of 45
5. survey items, but were advised that they could leave a question blank if they did not want to answer it.
All questionnaires were anonymous and sent to DecisionStat for entry and tabulation.
The response rates by gender and grade are presented in Table 1. There were 1035 completed
surveys, resulting in an overall response rate of 56%. As Table 1 shows, there are some notable
differences in response rates when looked at by gender and grade. In particular, the response rate was
quite low for 8th graders. There were some difficulties with survey distribution for this grade because the
survey was distributed at the end of the school year.
Table 1. Response Rates by Grade and Gender
Grade Males Females Total
6th 56% 62% 59%
8th 31% 33% 32%
10th 77% 84% 80%
12th 48% 63% 56%
Total 53% 60% 56%
Results and Conclusions
Overall, most of the students surveyed reported high levels of Developmental Assets. This
suggests that most students had in place factors that contribute to reducing risk behaviors. Three
summary tables designed to provide an overview of the survey results are presented below. These tables
provide the results of selected survey items that represent each of the Developmental Asset categories.
While the summary tables do not include the results of all the survey items, the general results presented
are consistent with those discussed in detail in the report.
The mean scores for seven of the eight Developmental Asset categories are presented in Table 2.
Because the Developmental Asset category, Constructive Use of Time, was measured in terms of
participation in activities, the results are presented separately in Table 3.
Table 2 indicates high mean scores across the Developmental Asset categories; results consistent
with the more detailed frequency scores noted in the report. As Table 3 shows, about three-fourths of the
students indicated participation in some athletic or intramural activity, and most students considered the
participation at least worthwhile.
Table 2. Summary Mean Scores for Seven Developmental Asset Categories by Grade
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Asset Categories Mean Count Mean Count Mean Count Mean Count Mean Count
Support summary 4.1 264 3.8 153 3.7 364 3.9 257 3.9 1038
Boundaries
3.8 264 3.7 153 3.6 364 3.4 257 3.6 1038
summary
Commitment to
4.1 264 4.0 153 4.0 364 4.1 257 4.0 1038
learning summary
Positive identity
4.1 264 3.8 153 3.4 364 3.6 257 3.7 1038
summary
Social competency
3.7 264 3.8 153 3.7 364 3.7 257 3.7 1038
summary
Positive values
4.0 264 3.7 153 3.7 364 3.7 257 3.8 1038
summary
Empowerment
3.2 264 2.8 153 3.0 364 3.0 257 3.0 1038
summary
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6. Table 3. Participation in Athletics/Intramural Sports
Have you participated in Athletics/Intramural sports?
Yes No
Grade in School
Row N % Count Row N % Count
6th 76.9% 90 23.1% 27
8th 80.2% 85 19.8% 21
10th 80.7% 292 19.3% 70
12th 74.9% 191 25.1% 64
Total 78.3% 658 21.7% 182
If yes, how worthwhile do you think your participation was?
Not worthwhile Somewhat worthwhile Very worthwhile
Grade in School Row N % Count Row N % Count Row N % Count
6th 3.4% 3 22.7% 20 73.9% 65
8th 12.0% 11 32.6% 30 55.4% 51
10th 9.5% 28 29.7% 88 60.8% 180
12th 7.3% 14 33.0% 63 59.7% 114
Total 8.4% 56 30.1% 201 61.5% 410
A number of questions were asked regarding inappropriate behavior including stealing, physical
fighting, skipping class, going to the principal’s office, alcohol use, and drug use. These questions were a
subset of the asset category, Positive Values. The two areas with the highest proportions of student
involvement were use of alcohol and drugs. These results are summarized in Table 4. As the table
shows, the quantity of use of both alcohol and drugs increases with grade level. By 12th grade, nearly one
fourth of the respondents indicated getting drunk more than five times in the past three months. Slightly
less than one fourth of the 12th graders indicated using drugs six times in the past year.
Table 4. Use of Alcohol and Drugs by Grade
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Count Column Count Column Count Column N Count Column Count Column
N% N% % N% N%
In the past 3 months, have you drunk beer, wine, or
“hard” liquor, not counting religious occasions?
Never 160 93.6% 105 82.0% 143 39.5% 50 19.8% 458 50.1%
1 or 2 times 9 5.3% 15 11.7% 101 27.9% 52 20.6% 177 19.4%
3 or 4 times 1 0.6% 4 3.1% 52 14.4% 47 18.6% 104 11.4%
5 or more times 1 0.6% 4 3.1% 66 18.2% 104 41.1% 175 19.1%
In the past 3 months, how many times have you
gotten drunk?
Never 165 98.8% 116 92.1% 224 62.2% 102 40.0% 607 66.9%
1 or 2 times 0 0.0% 5 4.0% 68 18.9% 52 20.4% 125 13.8%
3 or 4 times 0 0.0% 2 1.6% 38 10.6% 40 15.7% 80 8.8%
5 or more times 2 1.2% 3 2.4% 30 8.3% 61 23.9% 96 10.6%
In the past year, how often used a drug other
than alcohol to get high?
Never 113 98.3% 96 91.4% 267 74.2% 138 53.9% 614 73.4%
1 or 2 times 2 1.7% 4 3.8% 29 8.1% 36 14.1% 71 8.5%
3 or 4 times 0 0.0% 1 1.0% 15 4.2% 15 5.9% 31 3.7%
5 or 6 times 0 0.0% 1 1.0% 6 1.7% 8 3.1% 15 1.8%
More than 6 times 0 0.0% 3 2.9% 43 11.9% 59 23.0% 105 12.6%
Page 6 of 45
7. In general, the findings are quite positive. The findings suggest that the students surveyed have
high levels of Developmental Assets in place. In addition, analysis of the relationship between the
Developmental Asset categories and alcohol and drug use indicates that many of the Developmental
Assets are protective; that is, the presence of an asset is associated with lower involvement in
inappropriate behaviors. Thus, strengthening the Developmental Assets of students should contribute to
the prevention of risk behaviors.
The Developmental Asset categories are very broad constructs. The summary tables do not fully
reflect some of the variation within the developmental asset categories. In addition, even though the
overall scores are positive, noteworthy proportions of students had low scores in some categories. The
list that follows is a summary of the key findings.
There is a cause for concern about alcohol use. The results indicated higher alcohol use
among students in athletics compared to others. A similar result was found in the 2005
survey. There also was an indication that some students are riding in cars in which they
perceive the driver as being drunk. Considering all the results related to alcohol use, it
appears there may be social norms that support the inappropriate use of alcohol.
While parental support was high, about one-fourth of all students indicated feeling too
much pressure from parents to do well. Students who felt too much pressure also indicated
feeling less support from parents.
About half of the students indicated getting support from teachers, but only 30% of all
students indicated feeling that teachers cared about them.
Students indicated feeling that school rules were clear, but not necessarily family rules. In
addition, it appeared that punishment for breaking family rules was not consistent. An
inverse relationship between the clarity of family rules and involvement in risk behavior
such as alcohol or drug use was found.
Students indicated knowing how to set limits, but they also indicated acting without
thinking. Thus, even though they were high on the Social Competence category, there is
the potential for impulsive behavior to override self-regulatory behavior.
By 10th grade over 25% of the students indicated cheating on a test two or more times in the
past year. About two-thirds of 10th and 12th graders indicated copying homework two or
more times in the past year.
Implications of the Results
The results of the survey indicated that most students possess high levels of the Development
Assets. In general, there was little change from the results of the 2005 survey. This is a positive result,
since it indicates that the high Developmental Asset levels have continued. There are, however, some
areas that merit further consideration.
Similar to the results of the 2005 survey, there was significant use of alcohol among
students, especially athletes. This suggests that a concerted effort may be needed to address
the risk associated with alcohol use among these students. The results indicate that some of
the underlying factors may be related to social norms, so efforts may be needed to change
the norms among students.
The evidence that some students are riding in cars in which the driver is drunk suggests the
need for increased efforts to prevent driving while drunk. It may not be possible to prevent
drinking among young people, but communicating about designated drivers, approaches for
Page 7 of 45
8. taking the keys of a potential drunk driver, and arrangements with local taxi companies are
among the possible responses to the issue.
There were clear, positive relationships between the Developmental Assets and lower
involvement in risk behaviors. While many students have high scores for the assets,
exploring measures that may strengthen the assets for at-risk students should be considered.
Cheating in school has become a national problem, and the survey’s results indicate the
problem is also present in these students. It may be useful to explore approaches to reduce
cheating.
There was an identified relationship between thrill seeking and impulse control, and high-
risk behavior. While students indicated being able to say “no,” they also indicated that
impulses could reduce resistance. Developing programs that focus not only on resistance,
but impulse control, may be worthwhile. In addition, targeting high-risk students such as
those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder may be of value.
The results of the survey, in an appropriate format, should be made available not only to
adults in the community, but also the students. Sharing the results is empowering, and an
opportunity to open discussion about the issues examined in the survey. The results may
also be applicable in a number of classes as illustrations of concepts. Dissemination of the
results can be a useful approach for strengthening student and community engagement in
the school. In addition, sharing the results can be helpful in opening up discussions about
some of the social norms that may contribute to problem areas.
Full Report Continued on Next Page
Page 8 of 45
9. The Student Stressors and Assets Survey:
An Assessment of the Developmental Assets™ of Students in
the Bernards Township School District
Prepared by Kirk Harlow, Dr.P.H.
September 2012
Introduction
A survey of 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students in Bernards Township, NJ School District was
conducted in Spring 2012. The results of the survey are presented in this report. The survey was similar
to a survey of student in the School District conducted in Spring 2005. It was designed to examine the
Developmental Assets of students. Developmental Assets are factors, that if present, may help prevent or
protect against high-risk behavior such as drug abuse or delinquency. The eight categories of
Developmental Assets are briefly listed below.3
1. Support—support from family, school, and community;
2. Constructive use of time—enriching activities in which young people can participate;
3. Boundaries and expectation—clear expectations and limits;
4. Commitment to learning—lifelong commitment to learning and education;
5. Positive identity—Sense of purpose and worth;
6. Social competencies—Skills equipping young people to make effective choices;
7. Positive values—guiding values for choices; and
8. Empowerment—valuing of young people by the community.
In addition to gathering information on Developmental Assets, information on a number of risk
behaviors was collected. The purpose of this information was to provide, both information on the
prevalence of high-risk behavior, and to provide the ability to examine if the presence of Developmental
Assets was associated with levels of high-risk behavior. Several other categories of information were also
collected: including student demographics, bullying experiences, potential adult confidants, participation
in extra-curricular activities, and student engagement in cheating.
The results of the survey are presented in the remainder of this report. A discussion of the survey
design and distribution procedures is presented in the next section. This is followed by a presentation of
the results of the survey. The Results section is divided into several subsections including results on the
characteristics of student respondents, the assessment of the Developmental Assets of students, the
examination of the relationship of the Developmental Assets to risk behavior, and a comparison of the
current survey results to those from 2005. The report is concluded with comments on the implications of
the results.
Survey Design and Procedures
Survey Design
The design of the 2005 survey was a collaborative effort involving staff of the Bernards
Township Health Department, staff from the Bernards Township School District, and Kirk Harlow,
3
See the Search Institute, http://www.search-institute.org/content/40-developmental-assets-adolescents-ages-12-18
Page 9 of 45
11. Student Characteristics
An overview of the characteristics of the students completing the survey is presented in this
section to provide a profile of the respondent population. Additional discussion of the relationship of the
demographic factors to other factors examined in the survey is provided later in the report.
The gender breakdown of the student respondents is presented in Figure 1. There were slightly
more female respondents (52.7%) than male respondents (47.3%). The breakdown of student respondents
by grade in school is presented in Figure 2. As noted above, the number of respondents is markedly
lower for the 8th grade than the other grades.
A further breakdown of the respondents by their grade in school and gender is presented in
Figure 3. While the overall respondent population had slightly more females than males, the gender mix
varied somewhat among the different grade levels. In particular, the difference in proportions for males
and females was distinctly greater for respondents in the 12th grade than in the other grades. In other
words, much of the overall difference in gender proportions is attributable to the respondents in the 12th
grade.
Figure 1 Figure 2
Student Gender Current Grade in School
Figure 3
Current Grade in School by Gender
Page 11 of 45
12. The age distribution of students presented in Figure 4 is consistent with ages expected for the
grades surveyed and the proportions of respondents by grade level. Nearly one quarter of the respondents
were age 16, and nearly half of the respondents were 16 or older. Just over a quarter of the respondents
were age 12 or younger.
As shown in Figure 5, about three-fourths of the students responding indicated White as their
ethnicity, and a sizable number of students (18.4 %) indicated Asian or Pacific Islander. Only a small
number of students noted African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, or other. These results
are consistent with the ethnic composition of the population in the school district.6
Figure 4 Figure 5
Current Age of Students Ethnic Composition of Students
The majority of students (84%) indicated living with both parents (See Figure 6). This is a
markedly higher proportion than the 61% reported by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.7 Figure 7 indicates
that most of the student respondents have lived in the community over 5 years, and over two-thirds have
lived in the community over 10 years. Taken together, these two figures indicate a very stable living
situation for most of the student respondents.
6
The 2010 Census for Bernards Township indicated 78% White/Non-Hispanic and 14% Asian, and 8% other
groups. U.S. Bureau of the Census. Census 2010. Table DP-1. Profile of General Demographic Characteristics:
2010, Bernards Township, Somerset County, NJ. Please note that the definitions of racial and ethnic categories are
complex. U.S. census data is reported using a number of different definitions, so the results may vary slightly
depending on the definition used.
7
Source: United States Census Bureau, 2010 Census of the Population, Table QT-P12.
Page 12 of 45
13. Figure 6 Figure 7
Current Living Situation Time Lived in Community
The class letter grades reported by the students are presented in Figure 8. Three-fourths of the
students indicated receiving at least As and Bs. Less than four percent of the students indicated grades of
C or lower. By traditional standards, the performance of most students is above average.
Figure 8 Figure 9
School Grades What is Your Allowance?
The availability of discretionary money is one factor that may contribute to substance abuse,
since resources are available for making purchases. As shown in Figure 9 above, about two-thirds of the
students indicated they received money as needed rather than an allowance. The results in Table 6 reveal
some variations among the grades, but “get money as needed” is still the most likely response. In
addition, only about 13% of the respondents indicated having a job (See Figure 10). Since most students
do not receive a fixed sum of money, it is difficult to determine to what extent discretionary money is
available. That said, the young person who is so inclined certainly is able to divert money from one
purpose to another.
Page 13 of 45
14. Table 6. Amount of Allowance by Grade in School
What is your allowance?
$5.01 to $10.01 to $15.01 to $20.01 to More than Get money as
$5.00 or less $10.00 15.00 20.00 $25.00 $25.00 needed
Count Row N Count Row N Count Row N Count Row N Count Row N Count Row N Count Row N
% % % % % % %
6th 57 21.7% 26 9.9% 10 3.8% 5 1.9% 0 0.0% 3 1.1% 162 61.6%
8th 27 17.8% 8 5.3% 2 1.3% 5 3.3% 1 0.7% 1 0.7% 108 71.1%
Grade in
10th 36 10.0% 19 5.3% 14 3.9% 13 3.6% 10 2.8% 12 3.3% 257 71.2%
School
12th 37 14.4% 11 4.3% 8 3.1% 12 4.7% 7 2.7% 13 5.1% 169 65.8%
Total 157 15.2% 64 6.2% 34 3.3% 35 3.4% 18 1.7% 29 2.8% 696 67.4%
Figure 10
Do You Currently Have a Job?
The student respondents mirror the school district's students, because they are predominantly
White, have lived in the community most of their school-aged lives, live with both parents, and tend to
have grades that are above average. There were slightly more female than male respondents, especially
among those in the 12th grade. The largest segment of respondents were age 16 and over, followed by
those 12 and under.
Developmental Assets
One aim of the survey was to assess to what extent the students in the school district had as a set
of attributes that may contribute to the prevention of high-risk behavior. The Search Institute developed
one framework for assessing these attributes that includes eight Developmental Asset categories and 40
corresponding Developmental Assets. Research has suggested that these assets may be protective factors
and play a part in preventing inappropriate and high-risk behaviors among youth.8
8
For more information, please see the Search Institute website: http://www.search-institute.org/content/what-are-
developmental-assets.
Page 14 of 45
15. The eight categories of Developmental Assets are listed briefly below.9 The results of the survey
are presented in separate sections for each asset category.
1. Support—support from family, school, and community;
2. Constructive use of time—enriching activities in which young people can participate;
3. Boundaries and expectation—clear expectations and limits;
4. Commitment to learning—lifelong commitment to learning and education;
5. Positive identity—Sense of purpose and worth;
6. Social competencies—Skills equipping young people to make effective choices;
7. Positive values—guiding values for choices; and
8. Empowerment—valuing of young people by the community.
Support
The first major category of Developmental Assets identified by the Search Institute is Support.
Research suggests that the presence of support from parents and others is one of the most important
factors in the prevention of high-risk behavior. The results of the survey items related to support are
presented in this section of the report.
Parental support
One part of the general category of support is parental support. Students were asked two
questions regarding their parents’ involvement with and interest in their school work. As can be seen in
Table 7, about three-fourths of the 6th graders indicated that parents help with homework at least
sometimes, but this declined to about 27% for 12th graders. About 70% of the students indicated that their
parents spoke with them about school either “Often” or “Very often” in the 6th grade, declining to about
49% for 12th graders. These two questions suggest quite high parental support and involvement, although,
as might be expected, parental support declined as the grade levels increased.
Table 7. Frequency of Parental School Involvement by Grade Level
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column
N% N% N% N% N%
How often do Very often 33 12.8% 5 3.4% 7 1.9% 4 1.6% 49 4.8%
parents help Often 60 23.3% 24 16.4% 28 7.8% 19 7.4% 131 12.8%
you with Sometimes 100 38.9% 46 31.5% 121 33.5% 47 18.3% 314 30.8%
homework? Seldom 55 21.4% 50 34.2% 134 37.1% 96 37.4% 335 32.8%
Never 9 3.5% 21 14.4% 71 19.7% 91 35.4% 192 18.8%
How often do Very often 86 33.7% 46 31.1% 86 23.8% 42 16.3% 260 25.4%
parents talk Often 99 38.8% 45 30.4% 115 31.8% 83 32.3% 342 33.5%
to you about Sometimes 52 20.4% 34 23.0% 103 28.5% 83 32.3% 272 26.6%
what you are Seldom 14 5.5% 18 12.2% 40 11.0% 34 13.2% 106 10.4%
doing in
Never 4 1.6% 5 3.4% 18 5.0% 15 5.8% 42 4.1%
school?
9
Search Institute. Asset categories. http://www.search-institute.org/developmental-assets/lists
Page 15 of 45
16. Parental support was assessed further using three additional survey items; “My parents give me
help and support when I need it,” “My parents push me to do the best that I can,” and “My parents put too
much pressure on me to do well.” The first two items reflect slightly different forms of parental support.
The third item was included to assess the extent students may feel too much pressure from parents, even if
they also receive help and support.
As shown in Table 8, about 87% of the total students indicated they “Agreed” or “Strongly
agreed” with the statement, “My parents give me help and support when I need it.” In addition, only
3.1% indicated that they “Disagree” or “Strongly disagree” with the statement. The results were very
similar for the statement, “My parents push me to do the best that I can,” with about 84% agreeing or
strongly agreeing with the statement.
Table 8. Parental Support-related Survey Items by Grade Level
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column
N% N% N% N% N%
My parents Strongly 1 0.4% 5 3.3% 5 1.4% 6 2.3% 17 1.6%
give me help disagree
and support Disagree 5 1.9% 7 4.6% 18 5.0% 6 2.3% 36 3.5%
when I need it Neutral 11 4.2% 24 15.9% 45 12.5% 25 9.7% 105 10.2%
Agree 88 33.5% 48 31.8% 155 42.9% 120 46.7% 411 39.8%
Strongly 158 60.1% 67 44.4% 138 38.2% 100 38.9% 463 44.9%
agree
My parents Strongly 3 1.2% 3 2.0% 4 1.1% 4 1.6% 14 1.4%
push me to do disagree
the best that I Disagree 3 1.2% 4 2.7% 11 3.0% 7 2.7% 25 2.4%
can Neutral 14 5.4% 16 10.8% 49 13.5% 36 14.1% 115 11.2%
Agree 65 25.0% 45 30.4% 160 44.1% 121 47.3% 391 38.1%
Strongly 175 67.3% 80 54.1% 139 38.3% 88 34.4% 482 46.9%
agree
My parents Strongly 50 20.2% 19 13.0% 21 5.8% 25 9.8% 115 11.4%
put too much disagree
pressure on Disagree 74 29.8% 33 22.6% 111 30.7% 87 34.3% 305 30.2%
me to do well Neutral 66 26.6% 43 29.5% 106 29.3% 82 32.3% 297 29.4%
Agree 41 16.5% 28 19.2% 81 22.4% 43 16.9% 193 19.1%
Strongly 17 6.9% 23 15.8% 43 11.9% 17 6.7% 100 9.9%
agree
Table 8 also reveals some differences among the grade levels on the two items related to parental
support. In general, the perceived level of parental support tended to be inversely related to grade level.
Like the results in Table 7, this is indicative of a natural transition toward more independence among
older students. Even though there was a decline in perceived support as grade level increased, the overall
level of support remained high for all four grade groups.
Looking further at Table 8, 29% of the students indicated “Agree” or “Strongly agree” with the
statement, “My parents put too much pressure on me to do well.” In addition, only 42% of the students
indicated some level of disagreement with the statement. These results suggest a sizable proportion of
students are feeling a high level of pressure.
Overall, the results of the survey suggest that parental support is quite high in the student
population. Most students indicated that their parents helped with homework and talked with them about
school. Over 80% of the students indicated getting support from parents, and about the same number also
Page 16 of 45
17. indicated that parents push them to do their best. A somewhat less positive result was that 29% of
students indicated getting too much pressure from parents. An analysis of the support items indicated an
inverse correlation (Tau b = -.233, p < .01)10 between the two items, suggesting that students feeling too
much pressure from parents also may feel less supported by parents.
School Support
There were a number of questions that examined support in school, and the results for these items
are presented in Table 9. About 49% of the total number of students indicated, “Strongly agree” or
“Agree” with the statement, “I get lot of encouragement at school,” and 56% noted “Strongly agree” or
“Agree” with the statement, “Teachers at school push me to do the best I can.” There was, however, quite
a lot of variation in the results for the two questions from grade-to-grade. The question on encouragement
did not have a clear pattern, suggesting that the ratings are specific to the respondents in a particular
grade. The results for the second question, “Teachers at school push me to do the best I can,” are
somewhat higher for 6th and 8th graders than 10th and 12th graders.
Students’ views of the level of caring of teachers were a bit more tepid than those for the other
two questions. Only 31% noted “Agree” or “Strongly agree” with respect to the statement, “My teachers
really care about me.” The difference in results may suggest that students make a distinction between
encouragement to perform and caring.
Table 9. School Support by Grade Level
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column
N% N% N% N% N%
I get a lot of Strongly 11 4.2% 8 5.3% 14 3.9% 6 2.3% 39 3.8%
encouragement disagree
at school Disagree 12 4.6% 11 7.2% 49 13.5% 21 8.2% 93 9.0%
Neutral 93 35.4% 59 38.8% 151 41.7% 96 37.4% 399 38.6%
Agree 102 38.8% 56 36.8% 121 33.4% 117 45.5% 396 38.3%
Strongly 45 17.1% 18 11.8% 27 7.5% 17 6.6% 107 10.3%
agree
Teachers at Strongly 5 1.9% 7 4.7% 15 4.1% 7 2.7% 34 3.3%
school push me disagree
to do the best I Disagree 11 4.2% 5 3.3% 56 15.4% 26 10.1% 98 9.5%
can Neutral 68 26.0% 49 32.7% 118 32.5% 83 32.3% 318 30.8%
Agree 112 42.7% 62 41.3% 151 41.6% 117 45.5% 442 42.8%
Strongly 66 25.2% 27 18.0% 23 6.3% 24 9.3% 140 13.6%
agree
My teachers Strongly 17 7.4% 14 10.0% 54 15.0% 18 7.1% 103 10.4%
really care about disagree
me Disagree 36 15.7% 16 11.4% 84 23.3% 56 22.0% 192 19.5%
Neutral 81 35.2% 56 40.0% 143 39.6% 102 40.0% 382 38.7%
Agree 65 28.3% 37 26.4% 70 19.4% 69 27.1% 241 24.4%
Strongly 31 13.5% 17 12.1% 10 2.8% 10 3.9% 68 6.9%
agree
10
Tau b is a measure of correlation used for the type of data in these survey items.
Page 17 of 45
18. Other Support
The third area of support examined through the questionnaire was support in addition to parents
and school (See Table 10). Over two-thirds of the students in all four grade levels indicated, “There is
always someone to turn to.” More than half of the 6th and 8th graders and slightly less than half of the 10th
and 12th graders indicated, “There are a lot of people who care about them in their neighborhood.” In
addition, about three-fourths of the students in each grade level noted that they could make friends easily.
Table 10. Other Support Factors by Grade Level
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column
N% N% N% N% N%
There is always Strongly 3 1.2% 5 3.4% 16 4.4% 7 2.7% 31 3.1%
someone I can disagree
turn to if I Disagree 9 3.7% 12 8.3% 31 8.6% 22 8.6% 74 7.4%
need help Neutral 35 14.5% 28 19.3% 64 17.7% 35 13.7% 162 16.1%
Agree 80 33.1% 46 31.7% 144 39.8% 117 45.9% 387 38.5%
Strongly 115 47.5% 54 37.2% 107 29.6% 74 29.0% 350 34.9%
agree
There are a lot Strongly 14 5.5% 9 6.0% 22 6.1% 21 8.2% 66 6.4%
of people who disagree
care about me Disagree 31 12.1% 17 11.4% 61 16.8% 48 18.8% 157 15.3%
in my Neutral 71 27.7% 43 28.9% 106 29.2% 83 32.4% 303 29.6%
neighborhood Agree 77 30.1% 50 33.6% 137 37.7% 80 31.2% 344 33.6%
Strongly 63 24.6% 30 20.1% 37 10.2% 24 9.4% 154 15.0%
agree
I make friends Strongly 9 3.7% 11 7.6% 4 1.1% 7 2.7% 31 3.1%
easily disagree
Disagree 12 4.9% 4 2.8% 26 7.2% 20 7.8% 62 6.2%
Neutral 46 18.8% 27 18.8% 55 15.2% 40 15.7% 168 16.7%
Agree 98 40.0% 61 42.4% 192 53.0% 128 50.2% 479 47.6%
Strongly 80 32.7% 41 28.5% 85 23.5% 60 23.5% 266 26.4%
agree
Sources of Support
A final set of support questions examined potential student confidants other than parents.
Table 11 indicates that students were most likely to confide in a close relative or friend with about 84% of
the students indicating “Somewhat likely” or “Very likely.” Confiding in a teacher, guidance/other
school counselor, or coach were the next most likely choices, although a close relative or friend was more
likely. In addition, there was a general tendency for students in 6th and 8th grade to indicate a willingness
to confide in others than those in 10th and 12th grade.
Page 18 of 45
19. Table 11. Confidant Type by Grade Level
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Column N Column N Column N Column N Column N
Count % Count % Count % Count % Count %
Confide in Not likely at 78 30.4% 61 41.8% 197 54.3% 122 47.5% 458 44.8%
teacher all
Somewhat 133 51.8% 68 46.6% 143 39.4% 119 46.3% 463 45.3%
likely
Very likely 46 17.9% 17 11.6% 23 6.3% 16 6.2% 102 10.0%
Confide in a Not likely at 113 44.0% 67 45.6% 197 54.3% 147 57.4% 524 51.2%
coach all
Somewhat 117 45.5% 57 38.8% 117 32.2% 80 31.2% 371 36.3%
likely
Very likely 27 10.5% 23 15.6% 49 13.5% 29 11.3% 128 12.5%
Confide in a close Not likely at 23 8.9% 23 15.6% 70 19.3% 43 16.9% 159 15.6%
relative/family all
friend Somewhat 77 30.0% 55 37.4% 126 34.7% 96 37.6% 354 34.6%
likely
Very likely 157 61.1% 69 46.9% 167 46.0% 116 45.5% 509 49.8%
Confide in Not likely at 71 27.6% 83 56.8% 170 46.8% 114 44.5% 438 42.9%
guidance/other all
school counselor Somewhat 101 39.3% 48 32.9% 149 41.0% 97 37.9% 395 38.6%
likely
Very likely 85 33.1% 15 10.3% 44 12.1% 45 17.6% 189 18.5%
Confide in Not likely at 119 46.5% 103 71.0% 248 68.3% 175 68.6% 645 63.3%
student assistance all
counselor Somewhat 107 41.8% 32 22.1% 95 26.2% 63 24.7% 297 29.1%
likely
Very likely 30 11.7% 10 6.9% 20 5.5% 17 6.7% 77 7.6%
Confide in school Not likely at 156 60.9% 119 81.5% 307 84.8% 224 87.2% 806 78.9%
nurse all
Somewhat 85 33.2% 23 15.8% 50 13.8% 27 10.5% 185 18.1%
likely
Very likely 15 5.9% 4 2.7% 5 1.4% 6 2.3% 30 2.9%
Confide in Not likely at 115 45.3% 98 67.1% 223 61.4% 136 53.1% 572 56.1%
doctor, nurse, or all
other health Somewhat 99 39.0% 37 25.3% 101 27.8% 84 32.8% 321 31.5%
professional likely
Very likely 40 15.7% 11 7.5% 39 10.7% 36 14.1% 126 12.4%
Confide in an Not likely at 144 56.7% 96 65.8% 258 71.1% 178 69.5% 676 66.3%
adult in your all
neighborhood Somewhat 96 37.8% 40 27.4% 89 24.5% 63 24.6% 288 28.3%
likely
Very likely 14 5.5% 10 6.8% 16 4.4% 15 5.9% 55 5.4%
In summary, the results of the survey on the Developmental Asset category of Support suggest
that the students responding to the survey perceived themselves as having support from parents, the
school, and others. Although the results were mostly positive, several areas could be strengthened. First,
the results indicated that a sizable proportion of students indicated feeling too much pressure from
parents. In addition, less than half of the students indicated feeling encouragement in school. It is
possible that these issues are offset by other support factors, but the young person for whom other sources
of support are not present may be at higher risk for problem behaviors.
Page 19 of 45
20. Boundaries and Expectations
A second major category of Developmental Assets identified by the Search Institute is
Boundaries and Expectations. This category is comprised of Developmental Assets related to rules and
expectations.
Three items on school and family rules are presented in Table 12. Less than half of the students
indicated any level of agreement with the statement, “If I break one of my family rules, I usually get
punished.” About two-thirds of all the student respondents indicated some level of agreement with the
statement that the school has clear rules, compared with only 57% indicating the family had clear rules.
The results suggest that there is more ambiguity regarding rules in students’ home settings than in the
school setting, although the majority of students indicated clear rules in both settings.
Table 12. Family and School Rules by Grade
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Count Column N Count Column N Count Column N Count Column N Count Column N
% % % % %
If I break one of Strongly 13 5.0% 13 8.7% 16 4.4% 18 7.0% 60 5.8%
my family rules, Idisagree
usually get Disagree 21 8.0% 20 13.3% 59 16.3% 56 21.8% 156 15.1%
punished Neutral 86 32.8% 37 24.7% 103 28.5% 79 30.7% 305 29.6%
Agree 98 37.4% 49 32.7% 128 35.4% 73 28.4% 348 33.8%
Strongly 44 16.8% 31 20.7% 56 15.5% 31 12.1% 162 15.7%
agree
My school has Strongly 5 1.9% 5 3.3% 10 2.8% 8 3.1% 28 2.7%
clear rules about disagree
what students can Disagree 5 1.9% 12 7.9% 40 11.0% 22 8.6% 79 7.6%
and cannot do Neutral 34 12.9% 21 13.9% 79 21.8% 42 16.3% 176 17.0%
Agree 114 43.3% 57 37.7% 172 47.4% 142 55.3% 485 46.9%
Strongly 105 39.9% 56 37.1% 62 17.1% 43 16.7% 266 25.7%
agree
My family has Strongly 4 1.5% 6 4.0% 12 3.3% 8 3.1% 30 2.9%
clear rules about disagree
what I can and Disagree 19 7.3% 15 10.0% 44 12.1% 49 19.1% 127 12.3%
cannot do Neutral 70 26.9% 41 27.3% 90 24.8% 81 31.5% 282 27.4%
Agree 93 35.8% 49 32.7% 151 41.6% 81 31.5% 374 36.3%
Strongly 74 28.5% 39 26.0% 66 18.2% 38 14.8% 217 21.1%
agree
Constructive Use of Time
A third category of Developmental Assets is Constructive Use of Time. Constructive Use of
Time is the extent the student participates in activities that may provide developmental value such as
lessons or extracurricular activities. The underlying premise of this category is that participation in
positive activities will prevent or reduce the likelihood of participating in high-risk activities.
As shown in Table 13, over three-fourths of all the students combined indicated participating in
some sort of sports activity two or more hours per week. Participation in sports, however, was somewhat
different among the grade levels. Of note is the relatively large number of 12th graders (27.7%) who
indicated no participation in sports.
Participation in other activities was less frequent. Less than half indicated any participation in
school clubs or organizations, and only slightly more than half indicated participation in clubs and
activities outside of school. This was generally the case regardless of grade level.
Page 20 of 45
21. Table 13. Participation in Activities by Grade Level
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Count Column N Count Column N Count Column N Count Column N Count Column N
% % % % %
Playing in 0 hours 19 7.3% 24 16.2% 60 16.5% 106 41.2% 209 20.4%
sports/helping 1 hour 22 8.5% 6 4.1% 20 5.5% 13 5.1% 61 5.9%
with sports 2 hours 40 15.4% 12 8.1% 29 8.0% 19 7.4% 100 9.7%
teams at 3-5 hours 68 26.3% 30 20.3% 69 19.0% 37 14.4% 204 19.9%
school or in 6-10 hours 79 30.5% 41 27.7% 76 20.9% 32 12.5% 228 22.2%
community 11 or more hours 31 12.0% 35 23.6% 109 30.0% 50 19.5% 225 21.9%
In clubs or 0 hours 151 58.3% 85 57.4% 167 46.1% 115 44.9% 518 50.5%
organizations 1 hour 48 18.5% 24 16.2% 87 24.0% 45 17.6% 204 19.9%
at school 2 hours 33 12.7% 14 9.5% 49 13.5% 44 17.2% 140 13.7%
3-5 hours 19 7.3% 14 9.5% 27 7.5% 32 12.5% 92 9.0%
6-10 hours 7 2.7% 8 5.4% 16 4.4% 8 3.1% 39 3.8%
11 or more hours 1 0.4% 3 2.0% 16 4.4% 12 4.7% 32 3.1%
In clubs or 0 hours 128 50.0% 67 45.3% 154 42.5% 105 41.5% 454 44.6%
organizations 1 hour 54 21.1% 23 15.5% 60 16.6% 28 11.1% 165 16.2%
outside of 2 hours 41 16.0% 27 18.2% 60 16.6% 45 17.8% 173 17.0%
school 3-5 hours 20 7.8% 23 15.5% 58 16.0% 42 16.6% 143 14.0%
6-10 hours 5 2.0% 3 2.0% 20 5.5% 21 8.3% 49 4.8%
11 or more hours 8 3.1% 5 3.4% 10 2.8% 12 4.7% 35 3.4%
Additional information was gathered on participation in a athletics or intramural sports (See
Table 14). As the table indicates, at least three-fourths of the students in all four grades indicated
participating in athletics or intramural sports. In addition, most of the participants indicated that it was
“Somewhat worthwhile” or “Very worthwhile.”
Table 14. Participation in Athletics/Intramural Sports
Have you participated in Athletics/Intramural sports?
Yes No
Grade in School
Row N % Count Row N % Count
6th 76.9% 90 23.1% 27
8th 80.2% 85 19.8% 21
10th 80.7% 292 19.3% 70
12th 74.9% 191 25.1% 64
Total 78.3% 658 21.7% 182
If yes, how worthwhile do you think your participation was?
Not worthwhile Somewhat worthwhile Very worthwhile
Grade in School Row N % Count Row N % Count Row N % Count
6th 3.4% 3 22.7% 20 73.9% 65
8th 12.0% 11 32.6% 30 55.4% 51
10th 9.5% 28 29.7% 88 60.8% 180
12th 7.3% 14 33.0% 63 59.7% 114
Total 8.4% 56 30.1% 201 61.5% 410
The results for Constructive Use of Time are quite positive. The student respondents indicated
active involvement in a variety of activities in and outside of school.
Page 21 of 45
22. Commitment to Learning
A fourth category of Developmental Assets examined through the questionnaire was
Commitment to Learning. This construct encompasses achievement motivation and engagement in
learning-related activities.
The three items related to Commitment to Learning are presented in Table 15. Over 80% of the
students in all four grades indicated either “Strongly disagree” or “Disagree” with the statement, “I don’t
care how well I do in school.” For the statement, “I will do well if I work hard,” over 80% of students in
all four grades indicated “Strongly agree” or “Agree.”
The third item in Table 15, “I usually expect to succeed in things I do,” also was positive,
although somewhat less so than the other two items. In this case, about 60% of the students in the four
grades indicated positive responses. Less than 10% of the students in each grade level indicated
disagreement with the statement. Although the ratings are lower than the other two items, they may
reflect a desirable realistic expectation of success.
Taken together, these items suggest high levels of achievement motivation among the student
respondents. In other words, there is a desire to do well, there is the belief that hard work will lead to
positive results, and there is a realistic expectation of success.
Table 15. Commitment to School and Work Effort
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column N Count Column N
N% N% N% % %
I don't care Strongly 192 73.3% 92 61.3% 229 63.1% 147 57.2% 660 64.0%
how well I do disagree
in school Disagree 47 17.9% 33 22.0% 95 26.2% 75 29.2% 250 24.2%
Neutral 12 4.6% 18 12.0% 26 7.2% 20 7.8% 76 7.4%
Agree 7 2.7% 4 2.7% 8 2.2% 11 4.3% 30 2.9%
Strongly 4 1.5% 3 2.0% 5 1.4% 4 1.6% 16 1.6%
agree
I will do well Strongly 2 0.8% 5 3.4% 4 1.1% 3 1.2% 14 1.4%
if I work hard disagree
Disagree 8 3.3% 4 2.8% 12 3.3% 9 3.5% 33 3.3%
Neutral 17 6.9% 12 8.3% 37 10.2% 18 7.1% 84 8.3%
Agree 66 26.9% 50 34.5% 145 39.9% 90 35.3% 351 34.8%
Strongly 152 62.0% 74 51.0% 165 45.5% 135 52.9% 526 52.2%
agree
I usually Strongly 1 0.4% 4 2.8% 9 2.5% 4 1.6% 18 1.8%
expect to disagree
succeed in Disagree 20 8.4% 7 4.9% 25 6.9% 19 7.5% 71 7.1%
things I do Neutral 76 32.1% 40 28.2% 97 26.9% 53 20.8% 266 26.7%
Agree 87 36.7% 53 37.3% 153 42.4% 131 51.4% 424 42.6%
Strongly 53 22.4% 38 26.8% 77 21.3% 48 18.8% 216 21.7%
agree
Page 22 of 45
23. Two additional items were included on the survey to assess commitment to learning (See Table
16). The two items examine the importance students place on performing well. Over 80% of the students
in all four grades noted it was either “Quite important” or “Extremely important” to get good grades and
to do at least one thing well.
Table 16. Importance of Grades and Activities
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column
N% N% N% N% N%
How import to get Not important 3 1.4% 6 4.3% 5 1.4% 8 3.1% 22 2.3%
good grades? Somewhat
7 3.2% 4 2.9% 19 5.3% 15 5.9% 45 4.6%
important
Not sure 12 5.6% 7 5.0% 14 3.9% 22 8.6% 55 5.7%
Quite important 56 25.9% 56 40.3% 123 34.1% 119 46.7% 354 36.5%
Extremely
138 63.9% 66 47.5% 200 55.4% 91 35.7% 495 51.0%
important
How important to Not important 5 2.3% 7 5.0% 6 1.7% 15 5.9% 33 3.4%
be good at least Somewhat
one thing? 11 5.1% 7 5.0% 32 8.8% 30 11.8% 80 8.2%
important
Not sure 35 16.2% 12 8.6% 40 11.0% 43 16.9% 130 13.4%
Quite important 61 28.2% 60 43.2% 131 36.2% 93 36.5% 345 35.5%
Extremely
104 48.1% 53 38.1% 153 42.3% 74 29.0% 384 39.5%
important
Overall, the results on the survey items examining Commitment to Learning were consistently
positive. Student responses suggest that the majority of students are motivated and perceive hard work as
leading to success. They also view success outcomes, including good grades and doing at least one thing
well, as important.
Positive Identity
Positive Identity is the degree to which the student has high self-esteem and a sense of purpose in
life. While a number of the survey items presented under the other Developmental Asset categories may
also apply here, the items discussed in this section relate specifically to emotional well being.
The first item in Table 17, “I feel good about myself,” is a typical measure of self-esteem. About
three-fourths of the students in 6th, 8th, and 12th grade indicated they “Agree” or “Strongly agree” with the
statement. Students in 10th grade were slightly less positive, with about 60% noting “Agree” or “Strongly
agree” with the item. Just as importantly, less than 15% of the students in any of the grade levels
indicated “Disagree” or “Strongly disagree” with the statement.
Table 17. Self Esteem and Emotional Wellbeing
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column
N% N% N% N% N%
I feel good Strongly disagree 5 1.9% 5 3.4% 16 4.4% 11 4.3% 37 3.6%
about myself Disagree 9 3.4% 4 2.7% 30 8.3% 15 5.9% 58 5.6%
Neutral 33 12.6% 25 16.8% 92 25.3% 47 18.4% 197 19.1%
Agree 96 36.8% 64 43.0% 168 46.3% 124 48.4% 452 43.9%
Strongly agree 118 45.2% 51 34.2% 57 15.7% 59 23.0% 285 27.7%
Page 23 of 45
24. Table 17. Self Esteem and Emotional Wellbeing
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column
N% N% N% N% N%
I feel sad a Strongly disagree 115 44.2% 49 32.9% 92 25.4% 56 22.0% 312 30.4%
lot of the Disagree 76 29.2% 49 32.9% 122 33.7% 111 43.5% 358 34.9%
time Neutral 47 18.1% 35 23.5% 84 23.2% 51 20.0% 217 21.2%
Agree 12 4.6% 9 6.0% 48 13.3% 26 10.2% 95 9.3%
Strongly agree 10 3.8% 7 4.7% 16 4.4% 11 4.3% 44 4.3%
I often feel Strongly disagree 110 44.2% 39 26.7% 68 18.8% 43 16.9% 260 25.7%
lonely Disagree 66 26.5% 40 27.4% 106 29.3% 93 36.5% 305 30.1%
Neutral 41 16.5% 34 23.3% 81 22.4% 66 25.9% 222 21.9%
Agree 23 9.2% 19 13.0% 76 21.0% 39 15.3% 157 15.5%
Strongly agree 9 3.6% 14 9.6% 31 8.6% 14 5.5% 68 6.7%
I don't have Strongly disagree 19 7.6% 12 8.2% 5 1.4% 19 7.5% 55 5.4%
enough time Disagree 53 21.2% 14 9.6% 36 9.9% 37 14.5% 140 13.8%
to do Neutral 86 34.4% 32 21.9% 71 19.6% 39 15.3% 228 22.5%
everything I Agree 65 26.0% 51 34.9% 130 35.8% 103 40.4% 349 34.4%
need to do Strongly agree 27 10.8% 37 25.3% 121 33.3% 57 22.4% 242 23.9%
The next two items in Table 17, “I feel sad a lot of the time” and “I often feel lonely,” are items
commonly used to assess the degree to which someone may be experiencing some level of depression. In
these two items, the proportion of students who “Agree” or “Strongly agree” is the group who may have
some risk of emotional difficulty.
The proportion of students who indicated “Agree” or “Strongly agree” with the statement, “I feel
sad a lot of the time,” was quite low for all for grade levels, although it did reach 17.7% for 10 th graders.
The proportion of students who noted “Agree” or “Strongly agree” with the statement, “I often feel
lonely,” was somewhat higher and reached 29% for 10th graders. 11
The last item in Table 17, “I don't have enough time to do everything I need to do,” was included
as an indicator of the stress level students may be feeling. As can be seen in the table, the proportion of
students indicating “Agree” or “Strongly agree” with this item jumps from 37% among 6th graders to 60%
or greater among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders.
Further statistical analyses indicated a statistically significant correlation (Tau-b = .227, p < .01)
between the item, “I don't have enough time to do everything I need to do” and “My parents put too much
pressure on me to do well.” These two items also correlated with the item, “I feel sad a lot of the time”
(Tau-b = .234 and .156 respectively, p < .01). In other words, for a small segment of students, there is a
relationship between the perception of stress and pressure and the perceived level of sadness.
Two additional questions were asked as indicators of self-esteem, satisfaction with current weight
and the importance of being popular. Table 18 provides the breakdown of the ratings by grade and
gender. The table reveals some important differences both by gender and grade. As can be seen, both
genders have fairly positive views of their weight in 6th and 8th grades, but there is a decline in the
satisfaction with weight in the 10th and 12th grades. This is especially true for female students, who have
11
2011 data for New Jersey indicated 26% of adolescents surveyed indicated they felt sad or hopeless almost every
day for 2 or more weeks in a row so that they stopped doing some usual activities during the 12 months before the
survey. By this standard, the proportion are on the low side of what would be expected. Source: National Center
for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division for Adolescent and School Health.
Page 24 of 45
25. statistically significant lower levels of satisfaction with their weight than male students in both grades
(Chi-square = 60.06 for 10th grade, 34.21 for 12th grade, p < .01).
Table 18. Level of Satisfaction with Weight
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Column Column Column Column Column
Count N % Count N % Count N % Count N % Count N %
Male Strongly disagree 1 0.8% 5 6.9% 9 4.9% 8 7.4% 23 4.8%
Disagree 9 7.6% 9 12.5% 23 12.6% 10 9.3% 51 10.6%
I am satisfied Neutral 22 18.5% 14 19.4% 25 13.7% 11 10.2% 72 15.0%
with my current Agree 42 35.3% 19 26.4% 63 34.6% 43 39.8% 167 34.7%
weight Strongly agree 45 37.8% 25 34.7% 62 34.1% 36 33.3% 168 34.9%
Female Strongly disagree 4 3.1% 6 7.8% 26 14.4% 24 16.3% 60 11.2%
Disagree 14 10.7% 20 26.0% 54 30.0% 41 27.9% 129 24.1%
I am satisfied Neutral 24 18.3% 19 24.7% 42 23.3% 24 16.3% 109 20.4%
with my current Agree 33 25.2% 14 18.2% 45 25.0% 42 28.6% 134 25.0%
weight
Strongly agree 56 42.7% 18 23.4% 13 7.2% 16 10.9% 103 19.3%
The results of the ratings of the importance of being popular are presented in Table 19. As
shown, there is no clear pattern to the results. Roughly, a quarter of the students in all four grade levels
indicated popularity was not important. However, nearly an equal proportion indicated popularity was
either “Quite important” or “Extremely important.”
Table 19. Importance of Popularity by Grade Level
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column
N% N% N% N% N%
How important to Not important 79 36.4% 34 24.5% 93 25.7% 79 31.0% 285 29.3%
be popular? Somewhat
36 16.6% 27 19.4% 92 25.4% 63 24.7% 218 22.4%
important
Not sure 57 26.3% 40 28.8% 80 22.1% 64 25.1% 241 24.8%
Quite important 34 15.7% 24 17.3% 85 23.5% 40 15.7% 183 18.8%
Extremely
11 5.1% 14 10.1% 12 3.3% 9 3.5% 46 4.7%
important
In summary, a majority of student respondents suggest a high degree of Positive Identity. Most
of the students reported positive self-esteem, and did not report issues of loneliness or sadness. In
addition, most students did not give much importance to popularity, an indirect indication of self-
confidence. Although the results suggest most students have a high degree of Positive Identity, the results
also reveal a segment of students who are having some emotional difficulties, including dissatisfaction
with weight among female students.
Social Competencies
Social competencies are the skills required to effectively make positive choices, resist negative
influences, and build healthy relationships.
One set of questions was included to examine the extent to which students thought of themselves
as able to think through their actions and resist pressure from other students. The results, in Table 20,
suggest that most students tended to see themselves as having personal limits. Nearly 84% of the 6th
graders responded that taking someone up on a dangerous dare was either “Not at all like me” or “A little
Page 25 of 45
26. like me.” This dropped to about 60% for 8th, 9th, and 10th graders. Between70% and 80% of students in
all four grades indicated knowing when to say “No” to something wrong or dangerous was either, “Quite
like me” or “Very much like me.”
As the table shows, however, the results on the survey item, “I think through the possible good
and bad choices before decisions were less positive. About 30% of 6th graders, 19% of 8th graders, 22%
of 10th graders, and 20% of 12th graders indicated “Not at all like me” or “A little like me” to the item.
This suggest a small, but meaningful, segment of students may not be using problem solving skills
effectively.
Table 20. Indicators of Resistance by Grade Level
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column
N% N% N% N% N%
I will take Not at all like 74 56.9% 53 50.0% 108 29.8% 104 40.8% 339 39.7%
someone up on a me
dare even if it's A little like 35 26.9% 13 12.3% 112 30.9% 61 23.9% 221 25.9%
dangerous or me
wrong Somewhat 16 12.3% 24 22.6% 84 23.2% 53 20.8% 177 20.8%
like me
Quite like me 3 2.3% 12 11.3% 39 10.8% 25 9.8% 79 9.3%
Very much 2 1.5% 4 3.8% 19 5.2% 12 4.7% 37 4.3%
like me
I know how to say Not at all like 9 7.2% 11 10.5% 6 1.7% 12 4.7% 38 4.5%
"no" when me
someone wants A little like 4 3.2% 6 5.7% 25 6.9% 16 6.3% 51 6.0%
me to do thing I me
know are Somewhat 10 8.0% 13 12.4% 60 16.6% 22 8.7% 105 12.4%
wrong/dangerous like me
Quite like me 25 20.0% 28 26.7% 141 39.1% 109 42.9% 303 35.9%
Very much 77 61.6% 47 44.8% 129 35.7% 95 37.4% 348 41.2%
like me
I think through Not at all like 17 13.4% 5 4.7% 19 5.2% 13 5.1% 54 6.4%
the possible good me
and bad choices A little like 21 16.5% 16 15.1% 59 16.3% 38 14.9% 134 15.8%
before decisions me
Somewhat 33 26.0% 21 19.8% 113 31.2% 67 26.3% 234 27.5%
like me
Quite like me 35 27.6% 34 32.1% 123 34.0% 92 36.1% 284 33.4%
Very much 21 16.5% 30 28.3% 48 13.3% 45 17.6% 144 16.9%
like me
Table 21 presents two additional questions related to students’ resistance to inappropriate
behavior. The first, “I am not interested in anything unless it is exciting,” is one way of examining
students’ interest in thrill seeking. There was quite a bit of variation from grade-to-grade, with about 26%
of 6th graders, 41% of 8th graders, 34% of 10th graders, and 28% of 12th graders indicating “Agree” or
“Strongly agree” for the item. The responses to the item, “I often act without stopping to think,” were
similar, ranging from 25% to 34% of students indicating “Agree” or “Strongly agree.” On the other end
of both scales, less the 10% of the respondents indicated “Strongly disagree” to either item. In short, as
might be expected of a group of young people, a considerable segment acknowledges some likelihood of
acting on impulse.
Page 26 of 45
27. Table 21. Impulsivity-Related Items
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column
N% N% N% N% N%
I am not Strongly disagree 33 12.7% 12 8.0% 9 2.5% 17 6.6% 71 6.9%
interested in Disagree 81 31.2% 25 16.7% 103 28.5% 79 30.7% 288 28.0%
anything Neutral 78 30.0% 51 34.0% 126 34.8% 88 34.2% 343 33.3%
unless it is Agree 36 13.8% 37 24.7% 85 23.5% 48 18.7% 206 20.0%
exciting Strongly agree 32 12.3% 25 16.7% 39 10.8% 25 9.7% 121 11.8%
I often act Strongly disagree 15 6.4% 7 4.9% 14 3.9% 20 7.8% 56 5.6%
without Disagree 59 25.0% 33 23.2% 105 28.9% 74 29.0% 271 27.2%
stopping to Neutral 104 44.1% 53 37.3% 130 35.8% 85 33.3% 372 37.3%
think Agree 34 14.4% 32 22.5% 87 24.0% 57 22.4% 210 21.1%
Strongly agree 24 10.2% 17 12.0% 27 7.4% 19 7.5% 87 8.7%
A second set of questions focused on students’ perceptions of their relationship to other people
(See Table 22). Between 75% and 80% of the students in the four grade levels noted that the statement,
“I care about other people’s feelings,” was either “Quite like me” or “Very much like me.” In addition,
about 80% of the students in the four grades responded that helping other people was either “Quite
important” or “Extremely important.”
The students’ views towards getting to know people of different races varied quite a bit among
the different grades. Over 60% of the 6th graders responded that it was “Quite important” or “Extremely
important” to get to know people of different ethnic groups. The responses for the other grades were
somewhat lower; 49% for 6th grade, 42% for 10th, and 50% for 12th.
Table 22. Relationships to Other People
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column Count Column
N% N% N% N% N%
I care about Not at all like me 2 1.5% 4 3.7% 6 1.7% 9 3.5% 21 2.5%
other A little like me 5 3.8% 1 0.9% 19 5.2% 12 4.7% 37 4.3%
people's Somewhat like me 13 10.0% 14 13.1% 61 16.9% 30 11.8% 118 13.8%
feelings Quite like me 54 41.5% 43 40.2% 176 48.6% 118 46.3% 391 45.8%
Very much like me 56 43.1% 45 42.1% 100 27.6% 86 33.7% 287 33.6%
How Not important 4 1.8% 2 1.4% 8 2.2% 9 3.5% 23 2.3%
important to Somewhat 6 2.7% 10 7.2% 36 9.9% 17 6.7% 69 7.0%
help other important
people? Not sure 18 8.0% 10 7.2% 26 7.2% 15 5.9% 69 7.0%
Quite important 121 53.5% 73 52.9% 213 58.8% 134 52.5% 541 55.1%
Extremely 77 34.1% 43 31.2% 79 21.8% 80 31.4% 279 28.4%
important
How Not important 9 4.1% 9 6.5% 38 10.5% 23 9.0% 79 8.1%
important to Somewhat 17 7.7% 17 12.2% 65 18.0% 39 15.3% 138 14.1%
get to know important
people of Not sure 59 26.7% 45 32.4% 108 29.8% 66 25.9% 278 28.5%
different Quite important 91 41.2% 38 27.3% 120 33.1% 95 37.3% 344 35.2%
ethnic
Extremely 45 20.4% 30 21.6% 31 8.6% 32 12.5% 138 14.1%
groups?
important
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