Students' Perceived Needs as Identified by Students: Perceptions and Implications.

This study surveyed the needs of young people and how young people thought their needs could be best met. A second objective of the study was to compare what young people thought adults would say about their needs and how they could be best met. The results of the study showed that young people identified their greatest needs as the "need to be loved", the "need for someone to listen", and the "need for acceptance", and that needs could be best met by having good parents, the church and friends. Young people believed adults would say that their greatest needs were "need for spiritual guidance", "need for leadership", and "need for discipline" and that the needs could be best met by "strong role models", "good problem solving skills", and "good religious training".

It is one thing to survey adults as to the needs of students and quite another to give the students themselves an opportunity to say what they perceive their greatest needs to be. Researchers have written about adolescents (Gainer, 1992, Small and Hug, 1991, Jones, 1994, Ralter, 1995 and Trump and Huff, 1996) concerning needs and ways of coping with those needs. Yet when one listens to the daily news, reads the newspaper, watches television, or visits different schools, the message one gets is that the needs of some young people are not being adequately met. Therefore, the issue of better meeting youths' needs should become an issue of great concern for parents, educators, politicians, citizens, the schools, and the community.

As education moves toward the twenty first century, it faces many challenges. Some plans are being put in place to assist in meeting or combating those challenges. (National Goal for Educators, 1990) Different educational and sociological committees are being formed, different educational and sociological forums are being held, budget and financial issues are being discussed and school restructuring is being advocated. These are perhaps good strategies for addressing some of the needs of American youth, providing current and future needs are being correctly identified. On the other hand, these strategies may not have any significant advantages over the things that are currently being done if we have failed or inappropriately identified the real needs of young people.

Purpose of the Study

The objectives of this study were as following:

1. to determine what students perceived as their greatest needs.

2. to determine what organizations or groups students felt could best help them meet their needs.

3. to compare what students thought adults would identify as important needs of young people with the important needs identified by students.

4. to compare how students thought adults felt the needs of young people could be met with how the students felt their needs could be met.

Methodology

The population for this study consisted of high school students from nine counties throughout the middle and southeastern parts of North Carolina. Counties involved in the study were: Brunswick, Columbus, Cumberland, Hoke, Johnston, Moore, Richmond, Roberson, and Sampson. These counties were chosen because these were the counties where students enrolled in a research course would be doing their administrative internships the following semester.

The procedure used to select subjects was a stratified quota process; in that an effort was made to get a representation of all students in the population. There were a total of 1,066 subjects in the sample with 586 (55%) being female and 480 (45%) being male. The racial breakdown of the sample was 394 (37%) Black (African Americans), 522 (49%) White, 43 (4%) Hispanic, 96 (9%) Native Americans and 11 (1%) other.

The subjects were from grades 9 - 12 and enrolled in English classes in different schools throughout the nine counties. The ages ranged from 14 - 19 years. Two Hundred Seventy Two (272) (25.5%) of the subjects were ninth graders, 280 (26.3%) were tenth graders, 280 (26.3%) were eleventh graders and 234 (21.9%) were twelfth graders.

The descriptive research method was employed in this study and data were collected during the spring of the 1996-1997 school year.

Research Instrument

The research instrument was a ten item questionnaire developed and piloted tested by the researchers. The questionnaire was composed of both closed-ended and open-ended questions. The first six questions were close-ended and dealt with general background information. The next four questions were open-ended and involved identifying and ranking.

The key questions for this research were questions seven through ten and of the open-ended type. The open-ended type questions instructed the respondents to decide upon three items that were important to them, relatively to a particular need or perception and to write in rank order the three items that were identified according to importance, with one (1) being most important, two (2) being the next important and three (3) being the least important of the three identified. The specific questions were as following: Q7. Name the three (3) most important needs you feel young people in your age group have. Write the number one (1) by the need that is most important, the number two (2) by the next most important, and the number three (3) by the next important. Q8. Name the three (3) most important organizations (ex. school, church, etc.) or group of individuals (ex. counselors, parents, etc.) that you feel can best help young people meet their needs. Write the number (1) by the organization or group of individuals that you feel are most important in helping young people, the number two (2) by the next most important and the number three (3) by the next most important. Q9. List what you think adults believe to be the most important needs of young people. Write the number one (1) by the need you think adults believe to be most important, the number two (2) by the next need and the number three (3) by the next need. Q10. List ways you think adults feel that the needs of young people can be best met. Write the number one(1) by the way you feel adults would rate most important, the number two (2) by the next most important and the number (3) by the next important.

Analysis of Data

A total of 1,066 subjects completed questionnaires that were used in the data analysis. Questions 1 - 6 dealt with general information on subjects and schools. Questions 7 - 10 were open-ended questions that asked the respondents to name and put in rank order. The subjects were asked to name the three (3) most important needs you feel young people in your age group have and write the number one (1) by the most important need, the number two (2) by the second most important need and the number three (3) by the need of least important of the three.

Since these needs were open-ended, the researchers took responsibility for grouping needs that appeared to be the same even though wording was slightly different. At least two of the three researchers agreed that a need belonged in a certain category before it was placed in the grouping of needs. In most cases, all three were in agreement. For a need to be kept as important, it must have been selected at least 107 times for all possible choices. According to the groupings, respondents identified ten needs repeatedly and ranked them either one, two or three. The needs identified are listed in Table 1. The need identified and ranked number one the most was "Need to be loved by others." This need was listed number one by respondents 711 times, 497 times number two and 290 times number three. When totaling the need that was listed as either first, second or third choice, "Need to be loved by others" was first with a total of 1,478 times. "Need for someone to listen" was second with a total of 1,412 times and "Need for acceptance from others" was third, with a total of 1,288 times. The ten identified needs when totaling all three choices, ranked from a high of 1,478 to a low of 1,093.

Table 1 Needs Listed As Important By Choice Ranking and Number of Times Selected

                            Number of 1st   Number of 2nd
Identified Needs            Choice Times    Choice Times

Need to be loved
by others                        711             497

Need for someone
to listen                        512             660

Need for acceptance
from others                      408             580

Need for freedom to
make choices                     405             470

Need for a good
education                        398             475

Need for a safe
environment                      390             488

Need for financial
resources                        315             586

Need for support of
friends                          302             450

Need for family member
to trust them                    298             496

Need for good role models        286             512

                            Number of 3rd
Identified Needs            Choice Times    Total

Need to be loved
by others                        270        1,478

Need for someone
to listen                        240        1,412

Need for acceptance
from others                      300        1,288

Need for freedom to
make choices                     380        1,255

Need for a good
education                        360        1,233

Need for a safe
environment                      290        1,168

Need for financial
resources                        196        1,097

Need for support of
friends                          350        1,102

Need for family member
to trust them                    299        1,093

Need for good role models        311        1,109

(*) It was possible for any need to have been identified 1,066 times for each first, second and third choices for a total of 3,198 times.

Subjects were asked to name the three most important organizations (ex. school, church, etc.) or group of individuals (ex. teacher, parents, counselors, etc.) you feel can best help young people meet their needs and rank them in order of importance or most helpful, with one being most important or helpful, two being next and three being least important of the three identified.

When subjects were asked about organizations or groups that were important, the question was open-ended. Again, the researchers took responsibility for putting organizations or groups into the eight categories when the wording was slightly different. Groups like sororities and fraternities and organizations like YMCA and YWCA were categorized as community organizations. Each of the three researchers put the organizations or groups identified into a category and at least two of the researchers must have identified it in the same category before it was placed in that category rather than stand alone. According to the grouping of organizations, respondents identified eight organizations that were repeatedly listed as being important. See Table 2. For an organization to be listed as important, it must have been identified by the three choices combined a minimum of 107 times. In other words, the researchers wanted at least ten percent of the sample to see it as having some importance.

Table 2 Organizations or groups Listed as Important By Choices Ranking and Number of Times Selected

Identified Organizations   Number of 1st   Number of 2nd
or Groups                  Choice Times    Choice Times

School                          511             460
Parents                         508             640
Friends                         398             488
Church                          299             470
Community Organizations         296             501
Counselors                      296             400
Athletics                       253             380
Teachers                        250             496

Identified Organizations   Number of 3rd
or Groups                  Choice Times    Total

School                          202        1,173
Parents                         280        1,428
Friends                         390        1,276
Church                          580        1,349
Community Organizations         260        1,057
Counselors                      310        1,006
Athletics                       288          921
Teachers                        311        1,057

(*) It was possible for any organization to have been named as important 1,066 times for each first, second, and third choices for a total of 3,198 times.

The organization or group identified and ranked number one the most was school with parents a close second. School was listed number one a total of 511 times and parents a total of 508 times. However, when the three choices were combined together, parents totaled 1,428 while school totaled 1,173. When totaling the three choices for all organizations or groups, the range was from 921 - 1,428. Parents were selected 1,428 times, church a total of 1,349 times, friends a total of 1,276 times, school a total of 1,173 times, community organizations a total of 1,057 times, teachers a total of 1,057 times, counselors a total of 1,006 times and athletics a total of 921 times. Subjects were asked to list what they thought adults believed to be the three most important needs of young people and to rank the identified needs as they felt adults would rank them. The researchers classified the needs identified by the respondents into only eight categories as opposed to ten categories before. To be put into a stand along category, the need must have been identified as important at least 107 times total, representing at least ten percent of the respondents.

Subjects listed "need for leadership", first choice the greatest number of times (670) and "need for spiritual guidance" first choice the next number of times, (665). See Table 3 for a listing of all needs and their rankings. The combined choices of ranking ranged 825 - 1,405 with :need for spiritual guidance" totaling 1,405, and a "need for leadership", with 1,385; a "good education" followed with 1,313, "need for character development" was next with 1,264, followed by "need for safe environment" with 1,194, "need for career guidance" with 1,039 and the final need identified was "need for less television watching" with 825.

To be able to make comparisons, respondents were asked to identify how they thought adults felt that the needs of young people could be best met and to rank them as to how they felt adults would rank them in terms of importance. Subjects identified eight ways they felt adults thought young people's needs could be best met and ranked them either one, two or three, according to the way they felt adults would rank them. See Table 4.

The way identified and ranked number one the greatest number of times was "strong role models". "Strong role models" as a way of helping young people was identified 901 first choice times and a total of 2,126 times for all choices combined. "Problem solving skills" received the second highest number of first choices. 880 and a total of 2,093. The combined three choices ranged from a high of 2,126 to a low of 1,048. "Religious teachings" had a combined total of 1,835 times. "Supervised recreation" had a combined total of 1,457 times. "Drug free environment" had a combined total of 1,349 times. "Better communication" had a combined total of 1,291 times. "Monitoring of time" followed with a combined total of 1,245, and "Community organizations" with a total of 1,048.

Summary and Discussion

Based upon the results of this research, there are some evidence to suggest that young people and adults may not agree on what the real needs of young people are. The results of this study show that young people believe that adults feel that young people's needs can be best met by having strong role models, having good problem solving skills, and good religious training. Young people themselves believe that their needs can be best met through parents, the church and friends.

This study also shows that young people identified their greatest needs as the need to be loved', "the need for someone to listen" and "the need for acceptance. In contrast, young people felt that adults would say that the greatest needs of young people are need for spiritual guidance," "need for leadership" and "need for discipline."

Recognizing that this particular research used only the descriptive methodology and limited the subjects to young people, rather than having both young people and adults respond to the questions, the results can only suggest a difference.

On the other hand, the results of this study give educators, especially counselors, many suggestions for working with students and parents. Young people feel that they do not receive the love that is needed and that adults are not listening to them, which cause them to not feel wanted and accepted. If young people are not feeling wanted and accepted, whether at home or in school, could such factors be contributing to many of our social and educational problems? Chaskin and Rauner (1995) and Lipsitz (1995) have both written about youth and caring. Chaskin and Rauner (1995) looked at "caring" as an identifiable factor in young people's environments and their relationships with others and concluded that a sense of caring is a crucial element of programs and institutions that are successful in working with young people. Therefore, neither educators nor researchers can overlook the emotional needs of young people when trying to improve students' performance and social behaviors.

Lipsitz (1995) in her writing stressed that without caring, individual human beings cannot thrive, communities become violent battlegrounds and the American democratic experiment must ultimately fail. Schools are not able and should not be expected to assume the sole responsibility for fostering the humanity of the next generation. If fostering the humanity of our young people are to be accomplished, the proper identification of what younger people needs are, must continue to be explored.

From this research also, one can conclude that young people feel adults value good role models, good problem solving skills, and good religious training, which are extremely important in school success and proper youth development. If adults value such things as these, and adults are the parents, administrators, educators, religious leaders, and community leaders, why are they not doing a better job of meeting youths' needs? Could it be that adults have failed to properly recognize what the actual needs of young people are and as a result, young people and society continue to be the losers. Loda (1995) concluded in his research that successful learning can occur only when the special developmental needs of young adolescents are met and the educational community is vital in the process. He further stated that adolescents' needs will only be appropriately met, if there is an accompanying community response to the needs of youths.

The researchers involved in this research believe strongly that in order for adolescents to succeed in their development, they must have access to supportive adults; they must have good peer relationships; they must have many opportunities to acquire new skills in a safe environment, and they must be guided by reasonable and understood limits of acceptable behaviors.

Maybe this research, though limited in its design to determine cause, will stimulate additional research which will provide additional ways and strategies to help young people reach their greatest potential.

References

Chaskin, R. & Rauner, D. (1995), Youth and caring. Phi Delta Kappan, 76 (9), 667-674.

Gainer, H. (1992), School drop-outs: survey of local programs chapter 2 - nature of local drop-out programs. Washington, D. C. General Accounting Office, Division of Human Resources.

Jones, R. (1994). What do kids want? The Executive Educator, (16) 7, 33-35.

Lipsitz. J. (1995), Why should we care about caring? Phi Delta Kappan, (76) 9, 665-666.

Loda. F. (1995) Meeting the developmental needs of adolescents. NASSP Bulletin,(1), 10-11.

National Goals for Educators (1990), Washington, D. C., U S Department of Education.

Small, S. & Hug, B. (1991), Research based youth programming. Journal of Extensions, 27-30

Trump, K. & Huff, R. (1996), Youth, violence and gangs-school safety: initiatives in urban and suburban school districts. Education in Urban Society, (28) 4.

RELATED ARTICLE: GREAT PROMISE FOR SCHOOL PROBLEMS

American Academy of School Psychology

Dr. David H. Reily, the present President of the American Academy of School Psychology. and Dr. Walt Pryzwansky, past president of that same organization have agreed to be featured in the Summer issue of EDUCATION. They have been invited to address the following two themes:

A School Psychology Diplomate Is Superintendent's Most Promising Source for Positive Change

Role and Promise of American Academy of School Psychology in Our Failing School Programs

Major School Problems

During the past decade when Superintendents sought to remedy school problems as define in "A Nation at Risk" it was clear that school problems had to do with just two things:

1. Human Behavior, and

2. Human Learning

It is true, of course, that it would be nice to have beautiful buildings and classrooms, and the best books and computers in the world, but remember one of four greatest Presidents did most of his learning in a log cabin by the fireside. The American Academy of School Psychology was founded in 1995, and it seeks to guarantee Superintendents with a person that is the most capable staff member possible to deal with behavior and learning problems. I am thinking of a large school district that has one psychologist for each of their elementary schools, not a single one with even a doctoral degree; another extremely large city has many school psychologists, most of them with doctor's degree, but not a single one has a "diplomate" from The American Academy of School Psychology, and when I spoke to the superintendent one day, she had not even heard of The American Academy School Psychology. Her school psychologist were all assigned to special education, where they had little opportunity to deal with major school problems. Since none of them held the "diplomate" there was no guarantee that either one of them was qualified to deal with major school problems.

Russel N. Cassel. Editor for past 30 years, and a Diplomate in School Psychologist since 1974.

William W. Lawrence, Professor of Education, Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, NC. Enid Jones, Assistant Professor of Education, Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, NC. Fredrick Smith, Associate Professor of Education, Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, NC.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to William W. Lawrence, Professor of Education, Fayetteville State University, 1200 Murchinson Road, Fayetteville, NC 28301.