ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

On this occasion, I am highly obliged to acknowledge our principal Prof. Dr. Kusum
Yadav, and Prof. Tomba Singh sir for giving me an opportunity to work on such a
valuable, educational project in the subject of ‘Foundation of Educational Psychology’.

I would like to thank to director and principal of The RH Kapadia High School Thaltej,
Ahmedabad and the faculties of RH Patel English Medium B. Ed College, for the
learning experience provided to me. I thank our respected project guide Prof. Dr. Kusum
Yadav mam and Prof. Tomba Singh sir who guided me throughout the preparation of
project on Observation of adolescents (Characteristic/Problems/Suggestion) and
giving me an opportunity to work on this project.
 INTRODUCTION

The Origin of the word Adolescence is from the Latin verb 'adolescere', which means,
"to grow up." It can be defined as the transitional stage of development between
childhood and full adulthood, representing the period of time during which a person is
biologically adult but emotionally not at full maturity. It represents the period of time
during which a juvenile matures into adulthood.

Major physiologic, cognitive, and behavioral changes take place during this period.
During the period of adolescence, biological development and psychosocial
development overlap. A person's body undergoes dramatic changes. Variation in the
substance and timing of these relations promotes diversity in adolescence and
represents sources of risk or protective factors across this life period.

Behavioral risks involve drug, alcohol, and substance use and abuse; unsafe sex,
teenage pregnancy, and teenage parenting; school underachievement, failure, and
dropout; and delinquency, crime, and violence. Poverty among youth exacerbates these
risks.

OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT

1. To Know what is adolescence and their development

2. To know what are various stages of adolescence.

3. To understand the problems of adolescence.

4. To give some suggestion to the problems of adolescence.

 DETAILED REPORT

Adolescence is the phase of transition from being a child to an adult. Just before
adulthood, adolescents or teenagers can become perplexing creatures for their parents.
It seems that there is no right way to understand them, respond to them or even
approach them. Everything that a parent does seems to go wrong. Teenage or
adolescence generally extends from 12 to 19 years of age and can be broadly
categorized into three stages - early adolescence (12 to 14 years), middle adolescence
(14 to 17 years) and late adolescence (17 to 19 years).

Development during Adolescence

1. Physical Development:

Adolescent years are not just marked by growth in height, but involve a whole lot of
other physical changes such as development of bones, muscles, and organs in the
teenager. A prominent change is the onset of puberty, in both males and females. It
marks sexual maturation of the child. While for girls, her first menstruation is the sign of
puberty, for guys it is the appearance of the first few whiskers. Testosterone in males
and estradiol in females play a significant role in pubertal development.

2. Cognitive Development:

The cognitive development takes a fast pace during the adolescence. Teenagers
accumulate general knowledge and start applying the learned concepts to new tasks.
Interest in learning life skills, such as cooking, fixing things, driving and so on, from
adults at home and else where is also seen during these years. In terms of school, there
is a great transition for the budding adult. From being in the top-notch position in the
junior school, kids become the youngest, smallest and least powerful in middle or high
school. A sense of ego and personal uniqueness also creeps in the youngster, who
starts thinking that no one can really understand them.
3. Social Development:

In terms of social development, there is a constant friction of adolescent with their

parents, siblings and relatives. While parents fail to give personal space to their young
adult, the teenager, on the other hand, find that his/her parent are too interfering and do
not understand him/her at all. During adolescence, teens spend much of their time with
their friends. Peer pressure is also one of the important elements during this age.
Groups and crowds become more heterogeneous and heterosexual and dating
becomes very important.

COMMON CHARACTERISTIC OF ADOLESCENT

1. Intellectual Developmental Characteristics:

Intellectual development refers to the increased ability of people to understand and
reason. In young adolescents, intellectual development is not as visible as physical
development, but it is just as intense. They also develop an improved ability to think
about the future, anticipate needs, and develop personal goals.

2. Moral/Ethical Developmental Characteristics:

Moral/ethical development is associated with a person's growing ability to make
principled choices. Young adolescents tend to be idealistic and possess a strong sense
of fairness in human relations

3. Emotional/Psychological Developmental Characteristics:

During early adolescence, emotional and psychological development is characterized
by the quest for independence and identity formation. It is a time when young
adolescents seek their own sense of individuality and uniqueness. They are searching
for an adult identity as well as adult acceptance, while striving to maintain peer
approval.
4. Social Developmental Characteristics:
Social development refers to a person's capacity for more mature interactions with
individuals and groups. Young adolescents have a strong need to belong to a group,
with peer approval becoming more important as adult approval decreases in
importance. This need often results in fierce loyalty to peer groups “Friendships, positive
peer relationships, and social interactions can boost young adolescents' self-esteem."

Some More Characteristics….

1) Accelerated physical growth and development of reproductive organs.

2) Changes in the functioning of neuroendocrine system.
3) Frequent changes in mood and emotional turbulence due to the increased production
of hormones.
4) Development of moral reasoning regardless of their culture and religious background.

PROBLEMS AND DISORDERS

Adolescence is a critical stage in the life of a human. During this stage numerous
problems occur. Some important problems are given

1. Drug and Alcohol Abuse - Lack of love and attention from parents and bad
company are the prime reasons, for teenagers falling into the grips of drug and
alcohol abuse.

2. Juvenile Behavior - Immature and socially unacceptable behavior are visible

during this age. Right from, acting violently to status offenses such as running
away from home, to criminal acts such as burglary, is often a part of adolescent
and need to be treated.

3. Depression and Suicide - Adolescents are most susceptible to suicide and

depression. The basic factors that trigger the mental state of the youngster
include high stress, loss of a boyfriend or girlfriend, poor grades, an unwanted
pregnancy, or earlier experiences such as family instability and unhappiness
4. Eating Disorders - It is mostly of two types - anorexia nervosa and bulimia.
While in the first case, the teenager pursues thinness through starvation, the
second involves a binge-and-purge sequence.

5. Coping up with Peer Pressure-Peer pressure is not always bad. Not all teens
have similar cultural values and moral systems. Mostly, being with friends only
reinforce family values in teens as they learn to form relationships, share and get
involved with people their own age and learn to live as an individual and not as a
child who depends on his parents for everything.

6. Dating Teens- When kids ask for the permission for dating for the first time and
many times after that, it is an emotional challenge for parents. They are worried
sick for the safety of their child going out alone with a friend, concerned about the
changing times and what kids might do in their absence

7. Early Adolescents- The most difficult phase of life is early adolescence. It is a

phase when the kid is not yet mature but he is no longer a kid. Peers insist that
they have grown enough to be self independent while parents still not provide
ample freedom. This is the time when even studies are getting more difficult and
physical changes are a constant source of irritation.

8. Late Adolescents- Late adolescents finally come quite close to adulthood to

have a firm identity and more stable interests. Soon-to-be-adults and already
adult kids attain greater emotional stability finally and have a more developed
sense of humor. They are able to keep a little patience when there is a delay in
gratification of their desires

9. Middle Adolescents- Middle adolescent is the phase, when a child is on the

road of transformation. There are a whole lot of changes that occur, be it,
physically, mentally, cognitively or sexually. While most of the girls cross their
puberty stage, boys are still on the road of maturing physically.
10. Understanding Puberty- The toddler years of your child when his favorite word
was ‘No’ and he used to resist everything, rebel and cry to exercise his will seem
easier when your children enter puberty. Children usually enter the stages of
puberty between the ages of 9 to 16 years old, which is characterized by great
physical, hormonal and emotional changes

11. Teen Marriage- Teen marriage was not a big issue in the old times. Life
expectancy was shorter then and most of our economy was depended on
agriculture and farming. People were less educated and large number of children
was considered a boon as it meant more hands to work and greater prosperity.
But times have changed now.

12. Teen Pregnancy- Rising number of teenage pregnancy is often quoted as an

example, to prove that our society is going downhill. Young pregnant teens can
be seen passing their time at food joints and hanging out with their friends, while
being casual about their unplanned pregnancy.

13. Teens & Parental Authority- Physical changes, hormonal changes and
constantly changing moods and thought processes of a teenaged child can be
quite scary. The way teens seem to rebel and try to find faults with everything
their parents do such as their values, political thoughts, and lifestyle

14. Development of acne- Acne is developed on both sexes mainly on face. It is

caused due to the clogged pores of the skin. It is a side effect due to the influx of
sex hormones. Presence of acne in the face increases self-consciousness.

15. Hypochondria and anxiety- Hypochondria is a psychosomatic disorder of

undue concern about health. Both hypochondria and anxiety develops in late
developers (late developers are those who attains adolescence late).

16. Errors in social behavior- Adolescence shows social discomfort, exhibitionism

and aggressive self-assertion. They show alternative periods of loneliness
(withdrawal from the social surroundings) and gregarious (tendency to be with
social surroundings).
Problems of Adolescents and suggestion to overcome their undesirable behavior

1. Communication Devices Rule Their Lives

It's ironic that teenage forms of communication like instant messaging, texting, and
talking on cell phones make them less communicative, at least with the people they live
with. In today's world, though, forbidding all use of electronic devices is not only
unrealistic, but unkind. "Being networked with their friends is critical to most teens," .

Strategy:
Look at the big picture; if your child is functioning well in school, doing his chores at
home and not completely retreating from family life, it's probably best to "lay off." It's
also OK to set reasonable limits, such as no "texting" or cell phone calls during dinner.
Some parents prefer not to let teens have computers in their rooms, since it makes it
harder to supervise computer usage, and this is perfectly reasonable. Many experts
also suggest establishing a rule that the computer has to be off at least one hour before
bedtime, as a way to ensure that teens get more sleep.

One good way to limit how many minutes your teen spends talking on his cell and
texting: Require him to pay his own cell phone bills. And do your best to monitor what
your child does when he's online, particularly if he or she is using networking sites like
MySpace and Facebook. You still own the home and computer -- so check into parental
Internet controls and software to monitor use of any questionable web sites.

2. Staying Out Too Late

It's 10:30 p.m. and you told your daughter to be home by 10 p.m. Why does she ignore
your curfew again and again?
"Part of what teens do is test limits," explains Goldman. "But the fact is that they actually
want limits, so parents need to keep setting them."
Strategy:
Do some research before insisting that your child respect your curfew because it's
possible that yours is unreasonable. Call a few of your kids' friends' parents and find out
when they expect their kids home. As per my view giving kids a 10-minute grace period,
and if they defy that, to set consequences -- such as no going out at night for a week.

If it seems like your child is staying out late because she's up to no good, or doesn't feel
happy at home, then you need to talk with her and figure out what might be going on.
However, if your curfew is in line with what's typical in your teen's crowd, then it's time to
set consequences and then enforce them if your teen continues to break your rules.
When you make a rule, you have to mean it. You can't bluff teenagers -- they will always
call you on it.

3. Alcohol and Drug Use during Adolescence

The community is the first social contact that youth have beyond the family, and can, in
fact, serve as support to youth who have limited family support and supervision. It is
therefore vital that community attachment and connection to social life are created for
and provided to youth. This connection to the community contributes to self-
actualization and provides feedback as to what is acceptable and constructive behavior.

Strategy:
By providing a clear linkage to the community and giving youth a voice in decisions
made at the community level, youth will be less likely to perceive them as disconnected
from local life. Such conditions can dramatically shape decisions to experiment, use,
and abuse various substance.

Strong family support and communication, consistent parental discipline, parental

monitoring of children's whereabouts and, strong limits set on underage drinking and
illicit drug use will curb this situation.
Some more strategic solution for adolescent problems:

1. Sometimes parents feel so hurt by their teens' treatment that they respond by
returning the rejection -- which is a mistake. "Teenagers know that they still need their
parents even if they can't admit it,". "The roller-coaster they put you on is also the one
they're feeling internally." As the parent, you need to stay calm and try to weather this
teenage rebellion phase, which usually passes by the time a child is 16 or 17.

2. On the other hand, if you know that your child has taken up with a group of
troubled teens who skip school and do drugs, a talk is in order. "Without putting him on
the defensive, tell your child you're concerned about who he's hanging out with and that
you're worried he's doing drugs,". While you can't forbid your child to hang around with
certain kids, you can intervene and try to nip dangerous behaviors in the bud. Don't be
afraid to ask for professional help about hanging out with a crowd engaged in negative
behavior. Counseling or family therapy can help.

3. Teachers need to consider the varying intellectual developmental differences of

young adolescents when planning learning experiences. To address this diversity,
teachers need to provide a wide variety of educational approaches and materials that
are appropriate for their students' varied cognitive abilities.

4. Young adolescents need teachers who understand and know how they think.
Teachers need to plan curricula around real-world and supply authentic educational
activities (e.g., experimentation, analysis and synthesis of data) that are meaningful for
young adolescents.

5. To foster intellectual development, these youth need to interact directly with their
world—through discourse with peers and adults and hands-on experience. Further,
schools need to recognize young adolescents' changing interests and ensure that they
have opportunities for exploration throughout their educational program. Teachers can
also provide forums for this age group to explore the reasons for school, home, and
societal rules. Serving as adult role models, teachers help young adolescents to
connect intellectual and moral reasoning by teaching through example.

6. Parents should contact Adolescent Counseling Services as Adolescents enter

counseling for a wide variety of reasons.

7. Teachers need to recognize and capitalize on the relationship between young

adolescents' intellectual development and their moral reasoning. They need to plan
instructional experiences that foster higher order thinking skills and higher levels of
moral reasoning. For example, teachers can include assignments that guide students to
articulate their thoughts and feelings in writing.

8. Young adolescents need opportunities to examine options of behavior as well as

the consequences of these options. In the same vein, teachers need to plan
experiences for this age group to contemplate moral/ethical dilemmas and consider
possible responses. This can help students to develop values, resolve problems, and
set their own standards of behavior.

9. Schools and teachers need to support young adolescents' quest for identity
formation through curricular experiences, organization structures, instructional
approaches, and opportunities for exploration. Advisory programs, in particular, can
ensure that every young adolescent is known well by at least one adult and foster
positive relationship among peers.

10. Young adolescents need opportunities to form relationships with adults who
understand them and who are willing to support their development. Educational as well
as advisory programs and practices can promote an atmosphere of friendliness,
concern, and group cohesiveness. Moreover, teachers can acknowledge the
importance of friendships and help students to understand that shifting allegiances are
normal. Teachers can explain to young adolescents how self-esteem affects nearly all
aspects of their development and provide experiences that build students' self-esteem.
11. Young adolescents need environments that are free from harsh criticism,
humiliation, and sarcasm. With regard to emotional development, young adolescents
need opportunities that allow them to play out their emotions as well as promote self-
assessment. Teachers can provide educational experiences such as role-playing,
drama, and reading that permit young adolescents to understand that their problems are
not unique

CONCLUSION

At the end of this project I say that the young adolescents deserve educational
experiences and schools that are organized to address their unique physical,
intellectual, emotional/psychological, moral/ethical, and social developmental
characteristics and needs. Practitioners, parents, and others who work with young
adolescents need to be aware of any changes—subtle or obvious—in developmental
characteristics. Such changes may give adults insights into the challenges facing young
adolescents and elucidate possible reasons for shifts in young adolescents' ability and
behavior.

The developmental needs of young adolescents influence the educational environment

and organizational structure of the middle school. This desire to be "developmentally
appropriate" was what set the middle school apart from its predecessor, the junior high.
While educators and policymakers have attempted to implement restructuring and
reform initiatives to provide young adolescents with more developmentally appropriate
learning experiences and environments, much work remains.

References:
1. Text book-Essentials of Educational Psychology by: Dr. Kusum Yadav, Mr.
Tomba Singh, Chapter-4.
2. www.childrensdefense.org
3. www.strugllingteens.com
4. www.wipedia.com