ABSTRACT
The study examined the
influence of youth culture on the social orientation of adolescents in
University of Lagos, Akoka Lagos.
The descriptive research
survey was employed to assess the opinions of the respondents. A total of 120
(one hundred and twenty) students were sampled for this study.
Four null hypotheses were
formulated and tested using the t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at 0.05
level of significance.
At the end of the
analyses, the following conclusions were reached: Hypothesis one found that
there is a significant influence of perceived youth culture on social
orientation of undergraduates at University of Lagos; Hypothesis two found that
there is a significant gender impact in youth culture on social orientation of
adolescents in schools; Hypothesis three found that there is a significant
class difference in perceived youth cultural impact on social orientation of
undergraduates and finally finally, hypothesis four found that there is a
significant effect of perceived youth cultural impact on social orientation of
undergraduates living in the hostels and those who do not live in the hostels.
Based on the conclusions
arrived at, at the end of this study, the following recommendations were made
as possible solutions to the problem of perceived low social orientation of
youths in the school and outside of it:
Youths should exhibit
proper attitude to their cultural heritage. They should also understand that
for them to be able to uphold good or higher social orientation, they would do
well to possess high or healthy self-concept which is a positive way of how an
individual sees himself/herself. It is recommended that youths should possess
high and healthy self-concept in order to do well in life.
Both male and female
students should inculcate their cultural values and norms that are required in
the society. They should not try to uphold those norms and values that are
inimical to the cultural heritage in a normal and decent society. Male and
female youths of the society should know that they are the leaders of tomorrow,
and as such, they should keep to the cultures and behaviours that are accepted
in their community, rather than behaving unseemingly and irrationally, which is
not a healthy attribute of a good society. Male and female youths should
socialize correctly, doing it with decorum and maturity. They should shun acts
and behaviours that can make them to be seen as delinquents and indisciplined
in the society.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgements iv
Abstract v
Table of contents vii
CHAPTER ONE 1
1.0 Introduction 1
1.1 Theoretical Background 4
1.2 Statement of the Problem 11
1.3 Purpose of Study 12
1.4 Research Questions 13
1.5 Research Hypotheses 13
1.6 Significance of Study 14
1.7 Delimitation of the Study 15
1.8 Definition of Terms 15
CHAPTER TWO: Literature Review 17
Concept and Nature of
Culture 18
Characteristics of
Culture 22
Concept of Youth
Culture 25
Concept of and Nature of
Social Behaviour and Social Interaction 29
Peer Group as an Agent of
Socialization 33
Gender and Cultural
Differentiation Among Youths 38
Social Orientation:
Problems Behaviour and Motivation
Towards Interpersonal
Problem Solving Among Adolescents 42
Adolescent in the School
Environment: Relationship with Peers,
School Authority and
Others 46
Common Mistakes in the
Management of Adolescents 49
CHAPTER THREE: Research Methodology 53
3.0 Introduction 53
3.1 Research Design 53
3.2 Population of the Study 53
Sampling Technique 53
Sample Size 54
3.5 Instrumentation 54
3.6 Validity of Instrument 55
3.7 Reliability of Instrument 55
3.8 Procedure for Data Collection 56
3.9 Data Analysis Method 57
CHAPTER FOUR: Data Analysis, Hypothesis Testing and
Interpretation of Results 58
Introduction 58
Hypothesis Testing and Interpretation of Results 58
4.3 Summary of Findings 63
CHAPTER FIVE: Discussion of Findings, Summary of the
Study, Conclusion, Recommendations and Suggestions for Further Studies 65
Introduction 65
Discussion of Findings 65
Summary of the Study 70
Conclusions 71
Recommendations 72
References 75
Appendix 80
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
The study of every unit
of social organization must eventually lead to an analysis of the interaction
of its elements. According to Rummer (1996) social interactions are the acts,
actions, or practices of two or more people mutually oriented towards each
other’s selves, that is, any behaviour that tries to affect or take account of
each other’s subjective experiences or intentions. This means that the parties
to the social interaction must be aware of each other, have each other’s self
in mind as in the case of the adolescents of the youths culture group under
study.
Generally, the
adolescents in our institutions of learning interacts and are influenced by
various aspects of life such as dressing – same clothing styles, same hair-do,
diet, friends, sexual behaviour, use of same slang expression, entertainment
and attitude towards authority figures and academic pursuits. The youth may be
single sex, mixed group of young people who are usually bound together by same
emotion such as a group is commonly found within a school, youth club, church
or mosque.
In each case the
adolescent encounters his mates and social interactions ensue immediately.
Members of the youth culture, have strong feelings of friendship for one
another and help provide opportunity to develop social skill that will help the
youth make social, emotional and personal adjustment.
Moreover, social
interaction requires mutual orientation. Therefore, peer acceptance is very
fundamental and crucial at this stage as attested to by Osarenren (2005). She
said, adolescents who are liked and accepted (star) by their peers are more
likely to be psychologically healthier and self confident than those rejected
(isolate) by their peers. This is in agreement with Nwadinigwe (2004) who opines
that when the adolescent is not able to relate well, he becomes withdrawn,
feels rejected, depressed and frustrated. He further added that his level of
concentration in school, motivation to learn and performance in subjects
invariably becomes negatively affected.
When this type of
situation arises, Osarenren (2005) asserts that it is worthwhile for an older
adult, preferably an understanding elder, counsellor, parent or teacher to
intervene. The interaction may lead to the beginning of a more constructive
interpersonal relationship for a rejected adolescent. But, Sokan and Akinade
(1994) opined that the generation gap syndrome often causes conflicts between
parents/adult differences, there is bound to be incongruence in views, beliefs
and even attitudes.
According to Anusiem
(1987), some observers pointed out that youth of today are more rebellious,
more troubled emotionally more promiscuous sexually, less idealistic, more
critical of values and standards of the adult culture (hence the so-called
generation gap), more disengaged from these values than in order times. These
observers also cite demonstrations and strikes, riots in university campuses
and other institutions of higher learning, so-called lack of respect for
constituted authorities, increased use of drugs, confrontation with police and
law enforcement agents, increase rate of pregnancy among school girls,
drop-outs from schools and so on and emphasize that we are in troubled times.
It is against this
background that Siann and Ugwuegbu, in Anusiem (1987) argue that where society
places excessive demands on adolescents, where it supplies no clear
expectations of the future, and where society is changing so rapidly that the
adolescent has no one to model himself on, adolescence may on occasion be a period
of storm and stress’, not because adolescents are by nature emotionally
unstable but because too much is being demanded of them.
On this note, the need to
understand and appreciate the youths as they relates with themselves is
pertinent even as they undergo ‘The crisis period’ according to Osarenren
(2005) which are exhibited in different forms of worries and concern such as
identity formation, development of moral and values and quest for independence
amongst others. Hence, the youth often times relating and depending on his
peers who are facing similar problems and who are therefore sympathetic.
Hurlock (1993), views
socialization as a process of learning to conform to group standards, mores,
and customs. It is a learning process which renders a person able to
participate satisfactorily in a social group or society. Therefore, social
orientation explores how comfortable the youth is when dealing with a lot of
people on a regular basis.
Hence, to Nwadinigwe
(2004) when an individual receives proper socialization, he adjusts easily in
the society. This study is therefore interested in investigating how the
perceived youth culture influences the social orientation of undergraduates in
University of Lagos.
1.1 Theoretical Background
Several theories explain
what influences social orientation of youths in our institutions of learning
and the society at large. Some of these theories will offer the theoretical
basis of this study.
They include: consensus,
conflict and interactionist theories of youth culture and symbolic interaction
and social influence theories as related to the youths social orientation.
The symbolic-interaction
theory by Mead (1990) assumes that social interaction can best be understood by
studying humans, because people evidently possess the ability to think, reason
and plan, which is not possessed by other animals. Thus, the theory calls
attention to cognitive processes and therefore has a psychological base. The
approach is likewise very sociological in that one of its major concerns is to
understand the cooperative dimensions of human social behaviour, which was the
essence of society.
The theory further
suggests that people mentally explore the possible reactions of others to
specific behaviours and uses this information to decide how to act toward other
people. However, the self is a central concept here. People can interact with
themselves just as they do, with others. This explains why we have the ‘crowd’
and ‘gang’ amongst the youth whose function according to Nwachukwu (1993) is
its provision of a group identity for the individual adolescents – the ‘we’
feeling which separates him/her from the parents of the family.
Social influence theory –
The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) according to Aaron (1994) proposes that
human behaviour is influenced by two factors:
attitudes towards the
behaviour
the influence of social
environment and general subjective norms on the behaviour.
Social norms are
determined by examples that significant others set for us and by the attitudes
they convey to us.
However, according to
Lewin in Turner (1991), group decision studies once showed how difficult it is
to change individuals behaviour in isolation from the norms they share as group
members. He further said that we develop attitudes toward behaviour and
understand social, norms through learning.
Social influence or
interaction between people who are related to each other psychologically as
members of positive reference groups or culture gives rise to shared social
norms in relevant areas.
Early studies in youth
culture were mainly produced by functionalist sociologists, and focus on youth
as a single form of culture. In explaining the development of the culture, they
utilized the concept of anomie. Parsons (1994) argued that as we move from one
pattern of behaviour to another (from the family to work, for example) the
concept of ‘anomie’ comes into play. He further added that though the family
group is the primary unit of socialization in the society, the behaviour learnt
within the family group is unlikely to be considered appropriate in other
social groups (such as education or work). This is because the values and norms
we learn during childhood within the family are not totally appropriate to the
norms we need to display in later life in other institutions. And this brings
about an “anomic situation” – feelings of unhappiness, isolation, loneliness
and uncertainties.
Hence, to avoid to some
extent the anomic situation, there is good evidence that youth in the process
of interacting, from and conform to social norms and goals of the group
(Turner, 1991).
Conflict (Marxist-type)
theories of youth culture generally see human behaviour in terms of the various
ways in which the structure of people’s relationships broadly conditions the
way they behave, writers in this perspective tend to focus on the complex
nature of individual/social group responses to the social environment in which
they live (Adamson, 2000).
The theory propounded by
Allium (2001), tend to focus attention on categories such as social classes
(upper, middle and lower working class) and possibly more importantly
class-fractions rather than “Youth as a whole”.
In this respect an
individuals position in a system of social stratification affects, how they
experience the social world and the benefits they develop about the nature of
the social world and their relative prospects.
It could be seen from the
above that Marxist perspectives on youth sub-cultures develop around the need
to explain how and why different social groups (abbeit predominantly male and
working class groups) respond to the structural pressures that surround them
(Almond, 1997).
To achieve this
theoretical explanation, two levels of analysis are frequently used
firstly, a macro level
that seeks to understand the social structural pressures (economic, political
and ideological) that surround and act on our choices of behaviour.
secondly, a micro level
that seeks to understand the various ways that different groups respond to
these pressures.
In analysing this second
level, Mc Robbie and Garber (1995) writing about female teenage subcultures
attempted to explain why these female subcultures are expressed differently to
male subcultures. The behaviour of teenage girls in society is more closely
controlled by parents. Also young girls are far more likely than young boys to
attract negative labelling for their behaviour.
On the issue of class by
Marxist, it should be noted herein, that youths in the undergraduate level are
seen identifying with those who are popular academically or materially. To
this, Eaton (1990) in a study found that student who were popular with their
peers tended to be more successful in school work than those who were rejected
by them. He also discovered that there was a stronger relationship between
achievement in school and peer acceptance, than between achievement in other
school activities and peer acceptance.
However, Coleman (1991)
in an earlier study had results that were not consistent with Eaton’s. The
former found that boys valued athletic status while girls valued popularity and
leadership in extra class activities more than scholastic achievement.
Hence, like class, gender
is not simply a social category but relative and relational: women and men as
social groups are defined in terms of each other.
Lastly, the
Interactionist Theory of Youth Culture. One of the most significant concepts in
interactionist approach and analyses of deviance is that in order for behaviour
to be seen as deviant, there must be some form of publicly-stated response.
Cohen (1994) argues that
what is significant about youth subcultures is not that they are either
functionally necessary or indicative of attempts by powerless youths to resist
‘hegemony’. Rather his basic argument is that youth subculture are effectively
created, maintained and killed off by the mass media. He further argues that
sociological attempts to explain youth cultures or subcultures in terms of
structural pressures forcing a reaction amongst misconceived, since such
attempts fail to recognise that youth cultures are not social groupings that
arise “spontaneously” as a reaction to social forces.
The crucial variable
involved here is that of the mass media as a form of social reaction. The media
in effect, provide an ideological framework which gives meaning to the
behaviour of people that prior to the labelling process, may not have had any
coherent meaning like the popularisation of a spectacular subculture such as
the Hippy movement in the 1960’s. This was also confirmed in Cohen’s (1994)
classic study where he illustrated the idea of media involvement in the
manufacture of spectacular youth subcultures in numerous ways, the most
striking being his analysis of the relationship between “mods” and “rockern”.
These two groups, he argues came to see themselves as being implacably and
violently opposed through numerous media references to their opposition. This
could be likened to the present ‘Area Boys’ or ‘OPC’ in Nigeria today.
However, it was noted by
Ross Farelly (internet) that modern electronic media allow children and youth
to live in a socially isolated, individualised world which is entirely a
creation of the youth culture itself.
Statement of the Problem
There are many problems
associated with the youths who are found both in the post primary schools and tertiary
institutions. The problems ranges from indecent dressing, emulating negative
peer attitude, cheating, disobedience, promiscuity, drug abuse, use and
addiction etc.
According to Onyeuke
(2002) adolescents in tertiary institutions adopt some cultures that are
inimical to the ones acceptable in the society or community. Belonging to
secret cults, challenging the laid down rules and regulations of the school
authority, smoking and general indisciplinary behaviour, characterize the
youths at school. According to him, this is as a result of borrowed culture by
the youths. A situation where the adolescent discards the cultural values and
norms with which he/she was brought up and cleaves to another culture and
negative ways of behaviour due to the negative influence of peer pressure and
all in the name of ‘civilization’.
The negative attitude of
youths is a problem because if it is not checked by the relevant authorities at
home in school and the society at large, it could pose a great danger in the
immediate society and the future generation.
Purpose of Study
The major reason for this
study is to investigate the influence of perceived youth culture on the social
orientation of undergraduates.
Specifically the study
intends to find out whether the youth culture
influences their social orientation.
Gender in the perceived
youth culture influences social orientation.
Class/status of students
in the perceived youth culture influences their social orientation.
Environment of students
affects their social orientation.
Research Questions
The study will be guided
by the following research questions:
To what extent does the
perceived youth culture influences social orientation of adolescents.
To what extent does the
sex of students in the perceived youth culture affects their social
orientation.
To what extent does the
class difference of students in the perceived youth culture affects their
social orientation.
To what extent does the
environment of the youth influences their social orientation.
Research Hypotheses
There is no significant
influence of perceived youth culture on social orientation of undergraduates.
There is no significant
gender impact in the perceived youth culture on the social orientation of
undergraduates.
There is no significant
class difference of the perceived youth culture on social orientation of
undergraduates.
There is no significant
effect of the perceived youth culture on the social orientation of
undergraduates living in the hostel and those who are not.
Significance of Study
The study would be of
general importance to the researcher in that it would help to indeed confirm if
the perceived youth culture of undergraduates of University of Lagos influences
their social orientation. Also it will make parents to find ways of
strengthening their families to avoid family instability which most times drive
the young adult to the youth culture.
Furthermore, the study
will enable the Government to become aware of some of the issues emanating from
the youths and their social orientation and then develop policies that will
possibly,
Promote education of
cultural diversity by reviving, textbooks, reshaping curricular and
intercultural teacher training, music and so on.
Ensure the education of
language – declaring indigenous languages as official national languages as
declared in New Zealand (where Maori was declared the official language –
UNESCO, 2002). This is to restore the indigenous cultures.
In all, this study is of
importance to school personnel such as psychologists, guidance counsellors and
a host of others associated with the total growth of the students.
Delimitation of the Study
The study is limited to
the influence of perceived youth culture on social orientation of
under-graduates in University of Lagos.
It investigated the
characteristics of the youth culture which includes unconventional dress
pattern, rejection of traditional attitude towards work and study, uses of
slangs and mass media which invariably influences the social orientation of the
youths.
Definition of Terms
Youth: The condition of
being young. The period of life from puberty to the attainment of full growth,
adolescence.
Culture: The sum total of
ways of living built up by a group of people and transmitted from one
generation to another.
Youth Culture: Generally
refers to the ways adolescents and teenagers differentiate themselves from the
parent culture of their community.
Social: This is living or
disposed to live, in companionship with others in a community, rather than in
isolation.
Orientation: This is an
adaptive service. The ability to locate oneself in one’s environment.
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