Inside the mind of a teenager.

1. Inside the mind of a teenager. Thoughts about the future – POSSIBLE SELVES?

2. Possible Selves • All of us think about what the future holds for us no matter how old we are. • We think about who or what we might become at some future time.

3. Possible Selves • School students think about future careers and relationships. • Young adults tend to concentrate on stabilizing their lives and careers .

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

5. The Three Possible Futures From where we find ourselves in the present, we view the future in three main ways…

6. Expectations What we expect will happen because of our present circumstances.

7. Hopes What we hope might happen to us in the future.

8. Fears What we want to try to avoid at all costs.

9. Possible Selves

10. How do you find out about what people are thinking? How do you enter the mind of a person who has inner, private thoughts?

11. You ask the right questions! I decided to put these questions to teenagers in the middle and late years of high school.

12. Research Background • Students in year 10 have a developing capacity for abstract thought. • Many schools offer opportunities for work experience during year 10.

13. Research Background • Year 10 students choose subjects that prepare them for SACE studies in year 11 and year 12. • These events force students to consider what they could become or what they might be doing with their lives in the future.

14. My Questions • Do students actually have expectations, hopes and fears? • Do boys think differently from girls on these matters?

15. My Questions • Are there differences between students in state schools and in private schools? • Are there differences between city students and country students?

16. My Questions • Who has the greatest influence on what these students think about? • What other factors affect the decisions they make and the thoughts they have?

17. Doing the Research

18. The Questionnaires 1. Expected Possible Selves. We all expect to be around for many years into old age and we expect many things to happen to us in the future - both good and bad. Some of us may have a large number of Expected Possible Selves in mind for the future while others may have only a few. Think for a minute or two about your future. Write down what you expect to be doing in the future. It's important that you talk about what you expect, not what you hope. That's the next section in the survey.

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

20. The Questionnaires In the next section, use the mouse to click the circle below the statement you choose. 1. If you make a big effort, do you think you can make this possible self happen? I know I can't Probably not I don't know Probably can I know I can

21. The Questionnaires 2.How likely is it that this possible self could happen to you? Very unlikely Not likely I don't know Likely to happen Very likely

22. The Questionnaires 3. Have you done anything to help you achieve this possible self?    Yes No 4. If you answered yes, describe what you have done to help you achieve this possible self.

23. The Questionnaires The same questions were asked for future hopes and for future fears and the data were collected.

24. The Questionnaires • I asked questions about their Self-Esteem. • I collected data to see who was Optimistic or Pessimistic in outlook.

25. The Questionnaires • I collected their thoughts on what Intelligence is. • I found out who was thinking about Leaving School.

26. The Questionnaires • I found out about their Persistence to stick with difficult tasks. • I determined who they gained most Support from in life.

27. Data Samples Expected Possible Selves. 15 year old male. Western S.A. I expect to have an occpuation in computers and hope to be on large salery. I expect to live in the city or near the riverland. I expect to play sport. I expect to travel the world.I expect to have a family. Most important:To have a good job and a loving family. What has been done to achieve this?:Try to learn things about computers. Try hard at school.

28. Data Samples Expected Possible Selves. 16 year old male. School 200km north of Adelaide.Architech, Site attendant, builder, Carpenter Most important:Builder. What has been done to achieve this?:Worked For Steven Construction in Holidays.

29. Data Samples Expected Possible Selves. 15 year old girl. Regional city school north of Adelaide.Married, mother, primary school teacher Most important:primary school teacher What has been done to achieve this?:i have done work experience at a primary school teaching year 3-5 students for a week. i hope to return to this school later in the year.

30. Data Samples Hoped for Possible Selves. 16 year old girl, Country school 200km north of Adelaide. Mother, millionair Most important:Mother What has been done to achieve this?:had some practise in babysitting

31. Data Samples Feared Possible Selves. 16 year old male.Adelaide private school. die of silfilus, no financial security, depression, bad health, Most important:bad health What has been done to avoid this?:regular exercise - running, weights training, eating healthy, playing as much sport as possible

32. Data Samples Self-esteem. Here is a sample question that illustrates how information can be gathered. 1. I feel that I'm a person of worth, at least on an equal plane with others. Never trueNot often trueSometimes trueOften trueAlmost always true

33. Data Samples Self-esteem. Here are other sample questions. 5. I take a positive attitude towards myself. 8. I feel that I can't do anything right. 10. I feel that my life is not very useful. Never trueNot often trueSometimes trueOften trueAlmost always true

34. Data Samples Self-esteem – Overall results – Students in S.A. 1. I feel that I'm a person of worth, at least on an equal plane with others. Almost always true Never true

35. Data Samples Self-esteem – Overall results – Students in S.A. 5. I take a positive attitude towards myself. Almost always true Never true

36. Data Samples Self-esteem – Overall results – Students in S.A. 8. I feel that I can't do anything right. Almost always true Never true

37. Data Samples Self-esteem – Overall results – Students in S.A. 10. I feel that my life is not very useful. Almost always true Never true

38. New Research Findings High self-esteem may seem to be a good thing but consider this… It had been thought that aggression, crime and violence was associated with low self-esteem. Recent finding suggest that violence can be the result of threatened egotism – highly favorable views of the SELF that are disputed by some person or circumstance. This could mean that a person who considers themselves to have high self-esteem, might resort to violence if they perceive a threat to that self esteem.

39. Overall Self-esteem – Males and Females

40. Expectations

41. Fears

42. Conclusion. This is data from students who were in year 10 in 2000. I waited 2 years and then surveyed as many of the same students again when they were in year 12. I now have a second round of data to compare with the first. The analysis of all this data will be written up into a thesis to be presented for examination at the University of South Australia.