Category: High School

How would you feel if you were controlled by people or a certain group? Would you do something that you don’t want, like smoking, drugs, and drinking alcohol? Let me inform you that you are damaging yourself as an individual, and making others control you as if you are a game or a puppet by causing you to do things that can damage or mischief you on the long-term.

As high school student, I am presented to such things consistently. Peer pressure fundamentally start as a test. Bad friends will request that you deal drugs or smoke, with a trade of join their group, or else you can’t be a piece of the gathering. Once in a while, they let you know that when you drink liquor, you feel a glad sensation, and have a relaxing moment. Yet, is this all obvious? Will you have a progressively pleasant time in the event that you feel a cheerful sensation, while when you can utilize your brain?

Unfortunately, many seniors fall for this trap. They fear that they will be lonely and separated from everyone else if they dismiss their bad peers’ offer. Others may think that they are going to die or fail because of their frail social position. Accordingly, they go on and acknowledge this offer and turn into someone else, and they lose or shroud their actual character. Peer pressure happens all over the place and whenever, however particularly during high school time.

Luckily, for every disease there is a cure, and peer pressure can be cured by following these solutions. To start with, focus on how you feel. In the event that something doesn’t feel right, then quite directly. Second, Plan ahead, consider how you will react in various circumstances, you can say or do what you need. Likewise, talk with an individual who is pressuring, let the person know about your true feelings and tell him to stop Most importantly, have unique or hidden communicating system with your parents or guardians. Something you can say or send as a test message to your parents that tells them you have to escape from a certain situation. Furthermore, give a reason. You can easily say ‘no’ without expecting to apologize or give a clarification, yet it might make it simpler to say “no” if you already have a valid excuse.

Finally, Peer pressure is an ongoing problem with high school students. If you are feeling pressurized always follow one of the solutions given. Ultimately, safety is the number one priority, and going away from peer pressure is one important step in the process.

Abstract

The emergence of m-learning has been a promising technology for students. But the teachers’ perception is equally important for the technology to be implemented. There is shortage of time in the classroom to practice the work taught by teachers. It requires a connection with the teachers. Teachers cannot be present everywhere. M- learning plays the role of a virtual classroom. This paper deals with the teachers’ perceptions of m-learning in high school. Teachers perform various activities with the help of m-learning in order to ease their jobs, such as tracking progress of students, providing materials, managing online classes and check the exams and assignments. This research includes literature review on m-learning and a case study on Indonesian school using Quipper school as a platform for enhancing English skills. In this study, Qualitative research method has been followed to conduct the research interviewing three teachers reviews on Quipper school as an extended learning platform and 16 articles research on teachers’ perceptions on mobile learning in high school. The results show that teachers have been practicing mobile learning in order to ease their jobs and resolve the problems faced by traditional learning and there has been increasing trend of m-learning among teachers and students.

Introduction

Learning is the process of studying built by teachers in order to improve the thinking ability of students to be creative and discover new things as an enhancement to the study as a scholar. Learning is also defined as the understanding between teacher and a learner and adapting the teachings accordingly. The objective of learning through students can be seen by their achievement and positive changes in the behavior. High school education starts during adolescence. Students at high school use to face problems studying various subjects such as mathematics which make it challenging for teachers to make high school students understand.

Technology has played a big role in every field including education, businesses, health, agriculture and almost every sector. Education is now in the reach of every age human without any space restrictions as well and this could never have been possible without technology. However, the use of technology is the second option as a source of learning as there is not maximal use by teachers and students. This is because teachers are still familiar with the previous method of learning. Mobile devices are not just for communicating but it has become really a broad concept. M-learning or Mobile Learning is “learning across multiple contexts, through social and content interactions, using personal electronic devices”. (Crompton, Burke, 2018). M-learning has a significant role to play in education sector. M-learning is the most flexible way of learning. Every person carries a mobile device making M-learning affordable for every student.

The main focus of this research is to focus on teachers in the classrooms, their perceptions, their use of technology, their perceptions of benefits of m-learning for students. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of mobile learning in high schools from the teacher’s point of view.

Literature review

Students who were born between 1995 and 2015 is categorized under generation Z (Agustina & Cahyono, 2017). They are the fluent users of gadgets and mobile devices. They are digital natives and rely on gadgets. They use their mobile devices not only for communication but playing games, listening music, surfing browser, shopping, studying, doing assignments and even chatting. It has become a part of their life and is almost impossible to forbid them from using mobile even in the classrooms.

1.1 Mobile Learning

The use of Information and communication technology has transformed the education sector grouping together e-learning system and m-learning where e-learning is learning by combination of electronic devices and digital media; and m-learning as a form of learning that comprises mobile communication technology and devices. The high advancement in mobile technology, its affordable price, compact size, ease of accessibility and easy rate of usage as compared to computer devices is increasingly popularizing m-learning shaping learning sector in the new context accessible whenever and wherever (Kurniawati & Priyanto, 2018).

M-learning is a branch of e-learning that is used to connect teachers and students by the use of mobile devices such as smart phones, tablets etc. The main benefit of m-learning is that it can establish a connection between student and teacher anywhere in this world. They need not to be present on the same location. (Andre, 2018).

My review of research showed that teachers are moving towards technology such as PowerPoint, Videos, Blogs, Electronic dictionary and many educational apps. Teachers approach to teaching has been changed due to evolution of technology and now m-learning.

Quinn 2000 stated m-learning as: ‘The intersection of mobile computing and e-learning: accessible resources wherever you are, strong search capabilities, rich interaction, powerful support for effective learning, and performance-based assessment. E-Learning independent of location in time or space ‘.

M-learning provides imparted access to the learning process. It is an advanced way to access learning content using mobile devices. It is revolutionizing education system. There are many educational apps that have made easier for the teachers and trainers to make students familiar with the concepts. (Webdesign, n.d.).

Mobile learning sets a network between teacher and student through both synchronous or asynchronous communication techniques. Teachers can upload the lectures anywhere making it easy to access for the students. (Asabere, 2013)

1.2 Teachers’ perception of m-learning in high school.

Quipper or Quipper school is a web based online application developed by Quipper ltd. positioned in London. Quipper has been widely used in many countries including Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Mexico, United Kingdom, India, Russia and Turkey. Quipper school Indonesia is an online platform for teachers and students allowing teachers to conduct online classes and tracking progress of students. Quipper has become a medium of learning English as a foreign language. Quipper has two parts: LINK for teachers and LEARN for students.

Quipper school link is for teachers to track students record and manage online classes. Teachers can do the following while using Quipper school link:

• Send assignments and conduct online exams.
• Teachers can upload or make changes in the online study material.
• Check exams online and upload results.
• LINK allows teachers to manage their classes either personally or in a group.

Teachers have access to ‘overview’, ‘assignments’, ‘curriculum’, ‘message’ and ‘manage’ menus. This has helped teaching system to get familiar with the language and is being widely used.

Lot of research has been conducted showing different views on teacher’s perceptions of m-learning in high schools. Mobile learning gives global and continuous access to teachers and students to vast information. (Kukulska-Hulme et al., 2009; Seppälä & Alamäki, 2003). The features on m-learning provide options for individual, combined, situated and informal learning approach without any space restrictions. (Cheon et al., 2012). Mobile devices were already popular for its tools providing portability and mobility but now emergence of geospatial technologies, camera features, broad searching potential and context awareness has made it versatile providing learning experience without any restrictions and access to information with authenticity supporting inquiry-based learning (Martin & Ertzberger, 2013). (Savery (2002) stated that the teachers were more likely to use technology such as email, videos and overhead projectors.

For teachers who were less familiar with m-learning and technology found m-learning less beneficial and less likely used technologies in the class room (Cope & Ward, 2002). Teachers can record lectures through their mobile device and upload even if they are not able to conduct classes.

The literature suggests that mobile learning with the help of its technologies have changed the pedagogical role of teachers. Teachers can access mobiles anywhere providing extended teaching options. The technology will not create student centered learning environment but it depends on teachers’ perceptions of m-learning in schools.

Research Methodologies

Educational research synthesis illustrates the important points from the above literature and propose conclusions or build theories for further research and practice (Minner, Levy & Century, 2010). In this study, descriptive qualitative design has been used to analyze the teachers’ perceptions of m-learning in high schools. Qualitative research basically focuses on data which is not in the form of numbers. It is a naturalistic approach following research that focuses on sensible data, interpret on the basis of views of different people (Mcleod, 2019).

This research has been conducted on various views and subjected three teachers of senior high school at Mojokerto city under province East Java, Indonesia in context with Quipper school. Each teacher taught in different grade. Mr. Ary taught grade X11 students, Ms. Merry taught X1 grade students and Ms. Terry taught X grade students as shown below. These teachers have been into the teaching profession since many years.

An instrument, interview guide has been used in the process of this research. An interview guide is a semi-structured approach following not a fixed pattern of interview questions (Agustina & Cahyono, 2017). Several steps have been followed in this study together with data reduction, data display, data verification and conclusion. Students data was also collected in order to cross check the teachers’ perceptions. Interview helped to achieve the objective (Agustina & Cahyono, 2017).

This research also included many articles from different databases such Wiley online library, Google scholar, Sage publication using keywords ‘Teachers perceptions on m-learning’ , ‘m-learning in high schools’ and followed several journals related to the topic of research and qualitative data was collected and coded according to the requirement (teachers in high school, m-learning, use of technology) and type (empirical, theoretical, case description, editorial, policy) (Baran, 2014).

Out of 40 articles 16 were selected related to required material and on the basis of that research was conducted.

Results and Findings

The results concluded were presented on the basis of teachers’ perceptions on m-learning using Quipper school.

1) The teachers were interviewed with different questions such as whether they used mobiles (Quipper school) in teaching, to manage classes and prepare their lectures or not. It was also tried to find that what role did m-learning play in their jobs, whether it eased their jobs, helped save time or not. Were they comfortable using Quipper school or not? The following responses were captured through the investigation.

• When question was asked about Quipper school that whether it should be applied in English learning, Mr Ary, Ms. Merry and Ms. Terry, three of them replied positive. As Mr. Ary is senior teacher in the school, he found Quipper school really beneficial and recommended others to use it. He said that if he was absent due to some reason, he relied on Quipper school. He assigned students exercises along with deadline using Quipper school from his mobile device.

  Ms. Merry replied saying that she often integrated technology in classroom. She has used Quipper school several times after class on mobile. She also recommended students to practice English at home using Quipper on their mobile devices.

  Ms Terry used Quipper to perform post learnin g activity. After teaching she asked students to practice the material at home when there was shortage of time in the class. She also asked students to practice the comprehension and grammar related material before their mid-term exams or final exams.

• When they were asked about selecting material using quipper school, all the three gave positive response. All of three chose not too difficult material. It was just chosen for the practice of work at home due to lack of time in school and to have a better understanding of lesson taught in classroom.
• Overall the interview answers gave positive response to m-learning. It showed the m-learning is really promising and reduced their workload and made their job easier. Its flexibility is a really positive aspect promising bright future.

2) Other results were on the basis of articles published between year 2000 to 2019. These years were the main years when researchers noticed increasing interest for mobile technologies in education. All the researchers and teachers educators showed an intensified interest in using mobile-learning with the growing popularity of gadgets and mobile devices.

Many countries have been taking interest into researching for m-learning in education sector increasing publication trends.

In the 16 articles, different methodologies have been used to research in this review with different case studies and different subjects. Out of 40 articles, I found 16 articles reliable and trustworthy. Out of 40 articles, some were conducted with preschool teachers, some with primary teachers, little with high school teachers and few with higher education. Some of the articles focused on applications of mobile technology. Correspondingly, mobile devices had a majority in terms of usage followed by PDA, tablets, iPads, handheld pcs and laptops. The large number of articles justified the teachers’ positive views on m-learning in high school (Baran, 2014).

Discussion

On the basis of research conducted, it has been analyzed that m-learning can be used in high school from the teachers’ point of view. Due to less time allocated in the classroom, teachers cannot cover the whole syllabus and there is less time for students to practice and understand the concepts. At this stage, the evolution of m-learning has a bright future as it provides extended and distance learning options. Based on findings, m-learning can support mastery of skills. Quipper school is a really helpful learning platform as an example to m-learning. Teachers choose the materials according to the level of proficiency of students.

Teachers should be familiar to all the features of the mobile apps or technologies and capable of handling problems related to the applications. M-learning cannot replace traditional learning but can be collaborated with learning activities to enhance the learning is the teachers’ perceptions.

Conclusion

This article has examined the teachers’ point of view on m-learning in high schools. One case study has also been discussed in order to justify the concept. M-learning is capable of assisting with mobility and portability providing flexible learning environment. Teachers can provide material anywhere anytime to the students, check assignments, grade them, track progress and manage materials online on the basis of students’ proficiency. It proves to be a good experience for improvement of handling learning issues of students from teachers’ perspective. It may be an obstacle for non-digital natives but the gaining popularity of mobile devices promises a bright future and can be implemented along with traditional learning ( Agustina & Cahyono, 2017).

References

1. Abu-Al-Aish, A., & Love, S. (2013). Factors influencing students’ acceptance of m-learning: An investigation in higher education. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 14(5). https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v14i5.1631
2. Agustina, Eliasanti & Cahyono, Bambang. (2017). Perceptions of Indonesian Teachers and Students on the Use of Quipper School as an Online Platform for Extended EFL Learning. Journal of Language Teaching and Research. 8. 794. 10.17507/jltr.0804.20.
3. Andre. (2018, August 19). What is m learning and how can it help your business? Retrieved September 28, 2019, from Microlearning Blog. https://www.edapp.com/blog/m-learning.
4. Asabere, N. Y. (2013). Benefits and Challenges of Mobile Learning Implementation: Story of Developing Nations. International Journal of Computer Applications, 73(1), 23–27. doi: 10.5120/12706-9504.
5. Baran, E. (2014). A Review of Research on Mobile Learning in Teacher Education. Educational Technology & Society, 17 (4), 17–32
6. Cheon, J., Lee, S., Crooks, S. M., & Song, J. (2012). An investigation of mobile learning readiness in higher education based on the theory of planned behavior. Computers & Education, 59(3), 1054–1064.
7. Cope, C. & Ward, P. (2002). Integrating learning technology into classrooms: the importance of teachers’ perceptions. Educational Technology & Society, 5(1), 67-74.
8. Kukulska-Hulme, A., Sharples, M., Milrad, M., Arnedillo-Sánchez, I., & Vavoula, G. (2009). Innovation in mobile learning: A European perspective. International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning, 1(1), 13–35.
9. Kurniawati, L. and Priyanto (2018). The Effect of Mobile Learning on Senior High School (SMA): Case Study at Public Senior High School (SMA Negeri) in Yogyakarta. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1140, p.012017.
10. Martin, F., & Ertzberger, J. (2013). Here and now mobile learning: An experimental study on the use of mobile technology. Computers & Education, 68(1), 76–85.
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12. Minner, D. D., Levy, A. J., & Century, J. (2010). Inquiry-based science instruction—what is it and does it matter? Results from a research synthesis year 1984 to 2002. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 47(4), 474–496.
13. Mohamed, S., Chebbi, M., & Behera, S. K. (2016). Pervasive Mobile Learning System in the New Millennium. American Journal of Educational Research, 4(18), 1257-1264.
14. Mundy, M., Kupczynski, L. and Kee, R. (2012). Teacher’s Perceptions of Technology Use in the Schools. SAGE Open, 2(1), p.215824401244081.
15. Quinn, C. (2000). M-learning: Mobile, Wireless and In-Your-Pocket Learning. Line Zine.
16. Webdesign, I. (n.d.). What is Mobile Learning (M-Learning)? Advantages & Disadvantages: Easy LMS. Retrieved from https://www.easy-lms.com/knowledge-center/lms-knowledge-center/mobile-learning/item10388.

In Jenifer Lauren-Hall’s experiment on the effects on beginning to learn a foreign language earlier in life, the Japanese college students that began studying English as early as three years to twelve using only minimal effort did better on the tests than those who started later (Lauren-Hall). The study also found that the younger the students started studying English, the more advantage they had on the grammar test (Lauren-Hall). Although in the study, the students who put in more effort did better even if they started later, but in a study by Clare Burstall those who started earlier seemed to be more positive about taking the language (Lauren-Hall). When students are more positive about a subject, they will most likely put more effort into it. “Interest in culture and in learning the language thoroughly—including reading, writing, and speaking it—distinguished continuing students from discontinuing students”(Ramage). This quote shows that when students have more interest in learning the language they will continue learning it unlike those who aren’t interested which makes sense.

Being more globally aware of other countries and cultures can broaden students’ horizons and show new ways of doing things. Most countries require their students to learn one or more foreign languages before they are even in high school. A three month study with twenty two educators from 19 countries to discuss how the United States could improve their foreign languages study inside the education system (Pufhal et al.). The countries decided that foreign language education should start early, get more backing from the federal government, make foreign language a core subject like English or Math, and learn from how other countries inforce language study (Pufhal et al.) Starting earlier is shown to be one of the best benefits of learning a foreign language. Starting in high school will not be as beneficial as a start in elementary but it’s somewhere to start. High schools already have the teachers they would just have to change the graduation requirements in their school. They could also make sure the teachers are focused on intensive learning with expected hours spent studying outside the classroom.

As our society grows, it is becoming more global. A global economy generally means other languages will be spoken so some schools are trying to prepare students with that. The Saline School District in Saline, Michigan is an example of this; they are implementing foreign language classes in kindergarten through 3rd grade in their schools because its been proven better to start instruction earlier (Manno). Immersion programs are also a big success in learning another language fluently. Once a week at Ballentine Elementary School in South Carolina, elementary classes are taught in Spanish (Manno). Other schools near Ballentine Elementary School have implemented the same thing with German or French (Manno). These immersion programs encourage students to learn the language so they understand and really become fluent as one of the teachers,Diane Mundo, expressed (Manno). Although immersion programs would have to change in more there is an obvious benefit to becoming more globally aware with the intensity of learning.

1.0 Chapter One:

1.1 Introduction:

Miss use of drug is a major public problem worldwide. It is estimated that 324 million individual globally, age between 15 to 65 years, have used illicit drugs. Many mental health problems such as depression, bipolar disorder, mood and anxiety disorders, antisocial personality disorder, and suicide attempts, are also associated with drug abuse. Prevalence and miss use of drug has increased and experts in the area of drug health have indicated that if the trend of drug abuse is not controlled, the problems might amount serious healthcare trouble. The disadvantage aspect regarding this is teenage children of high schools age are disadvantage of these problems. The phenomenon of substance miss use has been a global problem meeting the ail of government, individual and the societies are generally affected by such problems. Furthermore, in 2003, the West-African nation of Liberia emerged from fourteen years of civil war, which ravaged the country’s economic, health, and education infrastructures. Chronic diseases such as HIV/AIDS, psychological illness, drugs and substance dishevel continue to plague Liberia’s youthful generations, and hinder recovery efforts economically; Liberia remains one of the poorest countries in the world. One strategy to reverse this statistic would be to improve the education and high unemployment rate as regards to Liberia’s youth generation, the majority of which are youths (comprising approximately 65% of Liberia’s population of 4.973,148 million persons).

Youths in sub-Saharan African countries, such as Liberia, share an important bidirectional relationship with the socio-economic forces that impact post-conflict societies; including changes in political institutions, rapidly expanding global networks and the increasing importance placed on school and higher education in workforce and economic development. This underscores the magnitude towards establishing stable school environments and actively engaged youths who are motivated to pursue higher education in post-conflict societies. Although some progress has been made in improving education rates among youths in sub-Saharan Africa more concerning trends towards high-risk behaviors akin as intoxicant and other substance use are additionally on the rise. Abuse of drug and miss use of substance by youths is a significant problem globally. Substance use is associated with increased risk for a number of well-established consequences including impaired peer relationships, mental illness, increased risk for suicide, high-risk sexual behavior, HIV/AIDS, disrupted learning, truancy, increased school drop-out rates, and poverty. Miss use of Substance by school students in many African countries is additionally common and has been associated with similar consequences. Miss use of drug is a phenomenon which has bother and will continue to bother mankind even in generation to come. Government, fervent organization, sociable groups and world bodies that are derail about its alarming and the incriminating involvement it has on individual health status. Miss use of drug worldwide is said prior to have become a major social problems, which affect individuals at every social-economic level as well as individual in age group from the adolescent to the elderly. According to Agwubike (1998) drug are known to be chemical agents that affect living cells; they are used in modern medicine, in treating illness and diseases. Miss use of drug has severe health implication. The health challenges and severity of problems associated with the non-medical use of the drug is incalculable.

1.2 Background Of The Study

The miss use of drug is one of the world’s major public health problems. Statistic from the 2009 National Housing Survey on Drug Abuse of the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the United States reveal that approximately 21.8 million Americans age 12 and above were past-mouth users of illicit drugs, and 22.5 million could be classified with substance dependence or abuse. In addition, 15.4 million individuals were dependent on or abused alcohol and 69.7 million were current smokers (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 210). The cost of drug abuse to society is staggering. Total economic cost of alcohol abuse per year in the United States is listed as $166.5 billion dollars, smoking $157 billion dollars (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004), and illicit drugs $193 billion dollars (National Drug Intelligence Center, 2011). The totals over $500 billion dollars in lost productivity due to illness or death, health care expenditures, motor vehicle crashes, and social welfare, among others (Stein, 2001).

Miss use of psychoactive substance is an outgoing problem awful of public health concern. It is estimated that the average annual retail cost of psychotropic substances in Liberia is more than USD$12,000, while alcohol beverages generate more than USD$20,000 from sales to a consumer population of about 2 to 3.5 million people in Liberia. Previous studies have pointed the alarming incidence of drug abuse among secondary school students as a contributory factor between school administrators and students; parental use of substances has been implicated as a risk factor for drug use by secondary school students. Given the importance of school, and higher education in sowing the seeds of post-conflict recovery; substance use among youths in sub- Saharan countries, such as Liberia, is an important public health problem, and could undermine progress made in these fragile countries emerging from conflict. Furthermore, Liberia is one of several sub-Saharan countries that have become even more fragile in the aftermath of the recent Ebola outbreak, which has put significant strain on the government and healthcare system. Joe bar Community like any other Community in Paynesville City Monsterrado County experiences internal inefficiencies in the school system such as declining academic performance, impassiveness in learning activities and subsequent dropout in schools. The community is located in Paynesville City where commercial activities frequently take place and where students in secondary schools are engage into drug habit. The total population of this community is estimated to be 2500 inhabitants including man, women and children. The fact that there are few studies that have ever sought to address the problem of drug abuse in secondary schools forms justification of the current study that seeks to investigate the effects of drug abuse on academic performance among secondary school students in Joe-bar Community Paynesville City Monsterrado County, Liberia. The substances that will be investigated in this study will include cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and heroin.

1.3 Statement of the Problem:

Miss use of drug is a serious health problem that is horrifying within the Liberian society. In the past few years, the prevalence of trafficking of drug in Liberia was low and abuse was minimal, but today drug is destroying and killing multiple young populate about youthful age within the Liberian sodality. Pupil in high schools within Liberia are not left out of these acts and also the 14 years of bloodily civil conflict in Liberia left the contemporary social problem of youth bulge in the miss use of drug, trafficking and dependence. The problem is rooted from the abuse of children as war machines. Miss use of drug is a global problem that poses a great danger to the lives of individuals, society, political and security in many countrie (United Nation Office on Drug amd Crime, 2008). According to the United Nations statistics (2013), 37,000 people in Africa die annually from diseases associated with drug abuse. The UN estimates that there are 28 million drug users in Africa. An International Conference on drug abuse in Kampala, (2013) reported that young people were the most vulnerable section of the population, especially those in the period of early and late adolescence who are mostly unable to resist peer pressure and start experimenting with drugs in school or outside the school. Between 1990 and 2003, many children were conscripted and regularly drugged to fight wars for various factions. Fighting forces in the multidimensional Liberian civil war were dominantly children forcefully conscripted and drugged to engage into unconventional warfare. This group of civil militias who were later referred to in West African conflict transformation literature as soldiers of fortune are now full-grown men but heavily entrenched into unbreakable drug habit. Consequently, there is a drug demand factor creating a market in Liberia, especially in the face of the country’s current high unemployment rate and general poverty situation, leading to growing number of young people getting involved with unscrupulous means for survival. Despite the overwhelming intervention strategies by the government, non-state actors and many stakeholders to curtail the problem of drugs and substance abuse especially among youth, the number of school going youth who have been involved in drug abuse seems to be escalating day by day. A consistently high rate of riots, violent disturbances in educational institutions have caused a great deal of public concern in Joe-bar community Paynesville City.

1.4 Research Objectives:

The objectives of the study are to;

1. To establish the extent to which parent’s sources of income influence the prevalence of drug and substance abuse among secondary school students in Joe bar Community Paynesville Community Monsterrado County
2. To determine how different location of schools influence the prevalence of drug and substance abuse among secondary school students in Joe bar Community Paynesville Community Monsterrado County
3. To establish the extent to which school administration influences the prevalence of drug and substance abuse among secondary school students in Joe bar Community Paynesville City Monsterrado County
4. To establish how peer pressure influences drug and substance abuse among secondary school students in Joe bar Community Paynesville City Monsterrado County
5. To determine measures put into place on how drug and substance abuse can be curtail

1.5 Research Questions:

In order to fulfill the purpose of this research and achieve its ultimate objectives, the following questions will guide the research process

1. To what extent do parent’s sources of income influence the prevalence of drug and substance abuse among secondary school students in Joe bar Community Paynesville City Monsterrado County?
2. To what extent does location of schools influence the prevalence of drug and substance abuse among secondary school students in Joe bar community Paynesville City Monsterrado County?
3. To what extent does school administration influence the prevalence of drug and substance abuse among secondary school students in Joe bar community Paynesville City Monsterrado County?
4. How does peer pressure influence the use of drug and substance abuse among secondary school students in Joe bar community Paynesville City Monsterrado County?
5. What measures can be put into place to curtail or minimize drug and substance abuse?

1.6 Assumption:

The research study assumed that the respondents will be honest, truthful and willing to give correct answers. The researcher also assumed that school principals will allow guidance and counseling teachers and students to participate and give correct information and data during the research process. It is also assumed that drug abuse prevails in one or more other ways in Joe-Bar Community Paynesville City Monsterrado County.

1.7 Significance Of The Study:

The study sought to generate useful data on the effect of drug abuse on the academic performance of students. Therefore, the findings of this study will be useful in several ways: The Ministry of Education (MOE) will use the study findings to find out ways of preventing drug abuse through public enlightened campaigns in schools, promote awareness on the dangers of drugs abuse and how they affect an individual, the family and the society at a larger extent.

The government of Liberia will put in place methods of strengthening the guidance and counseling department in schools through teacher’s service training programs. The findings will be used to advocate for campaigns against substance use should be incorporated in schools with special focus on the adverse consequences of substance use. Furthermore, the society will benefit from the findings of this research project in creating a drug free society for social, economic and political development in line with the sustainable development goals. The school principals will assist the students in identifying the sources of drugs so that they can take remedial measures. The findings will open new research gaps that may be useful for future research initiatives in this area of study by scholars.

1.8 Delimitation:

Delimitations are the characteristics selected by the researcher to define the boundaries of the study Dusick, (2011). They involve those things the researcher which to include within the study. The study will be carry out in selected private secondary schools in Joe-Bar community Paynesville City, Monsterado County to know the prevalence of drug abuse among secondary student in the community. The study will focus on examining the causes, consequences and nature of drug abuse among secondary students. The substances that will be investigated in this study will include cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and heroin. The respondents or participants will be principals, guidance and counseling teachers and four students from each selected secondary schools in Joe-Bar community Paynesville City, Monsterado County. The study is also delimitated to selected Private school within the Joe-Bar community.

1.9 Limitation Of The Study:

The data collection techniques will be mainly the use of questionnaires which will be used to obtain data from the respondents. Drug and substance abuse is a global phenomenon that requires powerful people in society to fight against such vices. Some participant especially the students will not be able to admit the drug use fearing being exposed to the school administration. Since the questionnaire for the study will not indicate the names of respondents, the researcher will be able to get information freely from the students. School principals might one to withhold information about drug and substance use amongst the students since this will tarnish the schools reputation.

The most critical stage of growth when it comes to the human mind is the midway transition from child to adulthood. During this transition, many teens experience unstable emotions, social insecurity, and various other things depending on the structure of society that they grew up in. The environment that they are placed into learn and grow plays a significant role in their development. Social class is also responsible for many feelings that are manifested and created during this process. Prep written by Curtis Sittenfeld, is an example of the involvement of social class in a high school setting. This story examines the effect of social class on teenagers in high school along with the psychological issues that are manifested.

In Prep, Lee Fiora, a fourteen-year-old first-year student, struggles with psychological issues such as being self-conscious at her new school Ault. Ault is a private school near Massachusetts. Students that attend Ault come from wealthy families, but some attend via scholarship. Lee demonstrates possession of being self-conscious which causes her to feel as if she does not fit in. At Ault, social class has a significant effect on how students are critiqued by one another. This puts Lee at a disadvantage when it comes to interacting with others since her mind is clouded by her own judgement that she grew up with. As the story progresses on, soon enough Lee begins to discover the feelings of insecurity, desire for acceptance, and even jealousy due to the surrounding circumstances around her. With all these challenges and series of unfortunate events that Lee is forced to face and overcome, it becomes a milestone for her establishing growth, allowing her to mature and becoming a better version of herself. It even helps reveal the unspoken side effects of social class in society.

The Absolutely True Diary of the Part Time Indian Kid, by Sherman Alexie, tells the story of Junior (Arnold Spirit), an Indian kid born with cerebrospinal, struggling to find himself. On a daily basis he finds himself dealing with bullying, racism, and poverty. Arnold wanted something different from the reservation that he grew up in which was in WellPoint, Washington. When he got in trouble for hitting a teacher with a book in the head due to the frustration of having to use the same books for the past 30 years because of the poverty around them, he took the opportunity and utilized it. It was not difficult since many people, especially the people from WellPoint were very against him leaving the land. When Arnold went to Reardon, it was quite different from where he grew up; it was like he was dealing with an entirely different group of social class in which he had to learn to adapt. Not everything at Reardon is all dandy, Arnold finds himself almost having to deal with the same bullying and racist slurs that he dealt with at the reservation, until he learned to stand up for himself and earn the respect of the school bullying. This helped boost Arnold’s confidence and made him feel like everything was turning around for the better.

Arnold eventually got the hang of things, but for some reason he still felt like a social outcast no matter where he went. Once he left Reardon, he went from being a nobody to becoming once again Junior the Indian kid. With all these conflicts due to the displacement of social class and status, Arnold begins to feel as though he is having an identity crisis. With the help of Penelope, (a girl who he met at Reardon) and Rowdy an old friend from the reservation, Arnold begins to finally come to an understanding of what exactly he wanted for himself. With this newfound ambition and determination, Arnold made it his goal to break the curse passed down by his tribe and do things that others from his tribe have never done before.

When it comes to education, social class is a crucial factor. Public high schools overall are quite expensive. However, private schools require heftier expenses such as tuition, room, and board. Being that the expenses are typically expensive, private school student bodies are mostly made up of students who come from wealthy families and backgrounds. Social class also offers better and more opportunities to students who are of higher social class. According to Hobbs, “a former county of England compares the effectiveness of the schools attended by children from different social classes” (Hobbs 1). It finds that ‘higher’ social class children attend more effective schools. Social class plays a significant role in Prep. It plays a role since the highest authority that a student may have belongs to the “Prefects.” The Prefects are the wealthier students that attend Ault. Although all the students who attend Ault should have equal opportunities, social class affects their interactions with one another. For instance, Since Lee is only able to attend Ault because she received a scholarship, she is slightly looked down upon which makes her feel out of place and further adds to her consciousness.

The psychological effect on teenagers in high school such as being self-conscious, and insecurity issues is common. It is imperative and almost impossible for teenagers to not experience some form of emotional insecurity due to the fact that they are vulnerable. In Prep, Lee already experienced being insecure and self-conscious, but the more she progressed during her first year of high school, the more self-conscious and insecure she became. Being that she noticed that students who attended Ault on scholarship, were mostly looked down upon and sometimes were not held to the same standards, Lee became extremely self-conscious. In chapter one of Prep, Lee was supposed to give a speech in front of her peers, but since a student who went before her spoke on her topic, Lee began to panic and eventually walked out of class. She walked out of class due to her inner thoughts thinking her classmates were judging her. Being envious is also a psychological issue that may occur. Envy could be a result of the effects of social class on high school students. Envy could also possibly be a result of constantly being surrounded by others who are not of the same social status as lower-class students.

Lee and Arnold both share similar experiences as they are placed into new environments with students on a higher social scale. According to Whitty, “studies have shown that the government has been overlooking sociological work on social class and how it impacts them in educational environments” (Whitty 1). Feeling inferior to the other students, they both end up seeking for anybody that they can relate to and when they find none, they both decide to take different routes. Lee began to long for social acceptance, meaning that she began to switch up her earlier behaviors of being not silent to a person with a voice, drawing attention to herself, making her noticed in good and bad ways. Arnold began to speak up for himself seeing as though that was born with certain disabilities, he looked passed them and began to earn respect, making him feel more at home. While Lee and Arnold were going through these changes, they began to show the audience things like, bullying, stereotypes, and expectations that they were expected to be able to keep up with as they went through journeyed through high school. Not only that they also revealed the difficulties that they faced, showing us a more vulnerable side to them as they had multiple breakdowns.

All the layers of the hidden rules that many teens are expected to endure and take in as lessons throughout high school, despite the many obstacles and circumstances that may hinder their growth. The effect of social class is something that all high school students must endure. For some more than others, the effect of social class creates inequalities within the education system. Psychological issues are manifested due to the effect of social class on teenagers in high school.

A student-athlete who is involved in student council and prom committee. A grade-A theatre nerd who would rather spend their free time watching musicals then go to a football game. At first glance, you wouldn’t expect these two students to have much in common, but upon further inspection you could make out the drained expression on their faces and the ever imposing eye bags decorating it. In a startling study made by The Journal of Adolescent Health, “a scant 8% of US high school students get the recommended amount of sleep (around 8-10 hours)”. In this modern era, more high school students are falling into severe sleep debt, with little time to ever recover. But how exactly do students get sleep deprivation, and what happens when that sleep debt hits its absolute limit? In this essay, I will present the most compelling cause and the two most prominent effects of sleep deprivation in high school students.

Perhaps the most factual cause would be the circadian cycle in teens. Along with ongoing hormonal changes, there are shifts in the production of the sleep hormone, melatonin. This switch in the sleep schedule causes the body clock to forward itself an hour or two ahead, essentially shifting the body’s time and signaling of when to send in melatonin. This cause, however, can become even more severe when adding in factors such as technology and early school time.

Phones and computers emit a type of glow called “blue light” that has a rather unique frequency. As Manhatten pediatrician, Dr. Van Gilder states, when the blue light hits the receptors in the eye, “those receptors send a signal to the brain which suppresses the production of melatonin… and adolescents are low on melatonin and start producing it later to begin with.” With students using computers to do their homework, which is what I am doing to finish this essay, it contributes to the distortion of the circadian cycle.

Another important factor in the disturbance of teenage circadian cycles is early school times. A teenager’s brain isn’t fully “awake” until around 9 am, yet high schools have their students come in as early as 7:45 am for classes. This aspect warps the body clock even more and does not allow sufficient time for the body to adjust, hence furthering and severely distorting the circadian cycle. As a recent transfer student, I went from arriving at school at 9 am to arriving at 7:45 am, and it is safe to say that this big change contributes greatly to my ever-growing fatigue. Even further, teenagers usually make up for the lack of sleep on weekends, getting as much as 12 hours of sleep, damaging the natural sleep cycles for them.

The two factors I have just told you about contribute greatly to the one main cause of sleep deprivation in high school students. But what happens when students do not get enough sleep? How severe are the effects? Allow me to explain the two most startling effects of sleep deprivation in high school students.

The first effect is that it can lead to serious risky behaviors and substance abuse. Research done by Dr. Carskadon, a psychiatry professor at Brown University, shows that “sleep-deprived teens are far more likely to use stimulants like caffeine and nicotine to get through the day but also to deal with sleep-related negative moods by self-medicating with alcohol. They’re also more likely to engage in unprotected sex and reckless driving than teens who get upwards of 7 hours of sleep a night because they lack impulse control and suffer from impaired judgment that leads to poor decision-making.” These risky behaviors are further increased because high school students lack a mature, important part of the brain called the frontal lobe, which is responsible for decision making and impulsive behavior.

Another effect of sleep deprivation is an increased risk of injuries. According to a National Sleep Foundation study, fatigue is the leading factor in at least 100,000 traffic accidents each year. One North Carolina state study found that 55% of “fall asleep” crashes were caused by drivers who were under the age of twenty-five. Now imagine sleep-deprived high school students driving to school? That itself is a major red flag for the well being of those students and drivers around them. However, car crashes aren’t the only aspect in an increased risk of injuries, Sleep-deprived students are more prone to accidents such as cutting oneself’s fingers, falling down the stairs, or even choking on food or beverages. I would know of this because I have injured myself by accident because of sleep deprivation by dropping a cup of hot, boiling coffee on my feet. I’m not even a coffee drinker.

As a current high school student, I myself struggle with the battle of sleeping when I should be or staying up to finish assignments. Especially in my junior year, where I am desperately trying to catch up to my classmates all while trying to submit assignments from various classes, the amount of sleep I am getting steadily decreases, all while the effects increases. I know I have injured myself, that for sure is true, but sleep deprivation comes with psychological and physical effects too. I have become moodier, more ill-tempered to my family, and more kept with myself than I usually am. I have lost scarily amount of weight in such a small time period, I have lost my appetite, and the eye bags seem to get deeper and deeper each hour. I just hope this dangerous sacrifice gets me an A at the end.

Research Methodology

For my primary data, I’ve chosen to utilize a structured survey which, I handed out to 5 years 6 students at Auburn Public School and 10 years 7 students at Auburn Girls High School and conducted an observation of my siblings. Survey undertakers were notified that the survey would be completely confidential and that their privacy would be conserved. With this promise, the children were able to respond with more forthright and valid answers. The surveys enabled students to explore an avenue of more truthful and unambiguous answers and by expressing themselves in their responses when encouraged that their information would only be used for research intentions. The data gathered enabled me to conduct realistic and accurate tables and graphs to exemplify my findings. However, there are some disadvantages to collecting data by conducting a survey rather than using other research methodologies. For example, respondents may not feel encouraged to provide accurate and honest answers however, much reassured that their anonymity will be sealed. This can disintegrate my results and findings. On the other hand, my observation as my second research methodology, I decided to observe my two siblings ranging from 8 to 11 years of age for two days continuously. While conducting this observation, to have accurate data, I had to make sure that my siblings did not notice what I was doing, and thus my research was not compromised. My siblings spend more than half the day utilizing their technological devices. Observing my siblings was fascinating in that I was able to comprehend the amount of technology being used in my household. The reason why I chose to conduct an observation as one of my research methodologies is that I was able to collect first-hand data which also enabled me to see primarily from each subject their day-to-day activities with technology. This aided me in reassuring me that my collected information was accurate and that the subjects did not exaggerate or respond to the question the way they felt it should be answered. With the second and third opinions both my research methodologies did not raise any moral or ethical issues. My survey questions were structured in a way that was appropriate and suitable for the age of the students that were undertaking it, and observations did not impose on my subjects and inflict extensively on their private lives. Overall, my options for first-hand research approaches were very effective in accumulating the data I needed to complete my Independent Research Methodology.

‘Technology is the ultimate reason, as to why children don’t recognize life beyond the screen’. Children have suffered significantly from the vast influences of technology. My hypothesis refers to how my independent research project will validate the use of technology and its influence on children as individuals and in group situations. Children in contemporary societies struggle to last a day without the constant use of technological devices and feel the need to interact with anything remotely similar to a gadget such as an iPhone, iPad, etc. The main objective of my research project is to demonstrate both the negative and positive implications technology has on children. My project focuses on the impacts it has on an individual and their family setting. Through personal experience and observation of children, I have chosen this topic to determine the instantaneous need for technology. Whether children are better off without the use of technology or if it is required for adequate development. Children learn and develop more effectively through individual experiences and communication with others. Technology is a major cause of why children lack interpersonal skills which, can lead to them being inactive members of society. Nevertheless, it could be argued that children can miss out on numerous resources that influence every aspect of an individual and their surroundings if left without technology. Early childhood years for children are crucial for their future. If a child is brought up in a technology-driven family setting, their perception of a social norm would be relentlessly staring at a screen, for entertainment, stimulation, and even education. Other resources would not be used commendably, therefore, children fail to recognize life beyond the screen. Technology has become a dominant resource in contemporary societies. My research task builds strong ties to the research methodology section of the syllabus, which is to conduct a survey and an observation of my siblings as my primary sources of data. Connections to the syllabus are also shown through my added resource management and the well-being of individuals/families influenced by both the positive and negative technological use.

In my independent research task, I have chosen to investigate the hypothesis “Technology is the ultimate reason, why children don’t recognize life beyond the screen”. My research project is intended to explain the positive and negative impact technology has on the mindset of children in contemporary societies. My independent research project is mainly focused on the negative impacts of technology, as research and observations conducted make it evident that the negative outweighs the positive. The reason why I have chosen to further explore this topic is due to the need for this issue to be addressed. In today’s society, children are born into a world of technology and can understand the impacts it has on all aspects of their well-being and physical development. Numerous health side effects can slowly develop in individuals such as obesity, due to the constant use of technology and less active play. Without constant supervision and control of use, children may fall into the dark corners of technology where major threats lie. My objective upon the completion of this project is to demonstrate with evidence the impact that technology has on children in this era. The use of primary research methodology such as a survey distributed to 5 years 6 students at Auburn Public School and 10 years 7 students at Auburn Girls High School and completed a two-day observation with three subjects under 12 years of age. By conducting research through different methodologies, I was able to validate my theory on children’s constant dependence on technology. My results collected were as expected. For example, students were given two options, if they wanted to buy a yoyo or a technological device e.g. laptop, iPhone, etc. A unanimous amount of consensus shows that all survey undertakers would purchase a technological device of any sort rather than a yoyo. This effectively explains that students can comprehend the distinction between the two options. Also, the results illustrate that when students were asked how many hours of their day are spent using technology, more than 20% of children answered with 4-5 hours. This was concerning in that studies in this field show that children of that age should be getting more than 2-3 hours of active play outside on a day-to-day basis, to aid in maintaining a healthy and adequate lifestyle. With those who answered with 4-5 hours of utilizing technology, the required active play is nearly impossible to achieve due to school and other multiple commitments. My independent research project lays out these results and acknowledges the issues raised by the overuse of technological devices by children in contemporary societies.

It is a fast-paced world driven by innovative technologies, where hardware and software go hand in hand to build an environment of power and comfort. It was the year 2007 which saw the advent of smartphones and adding intelligence to the PDAs that were developed during the 90s. Ever since then as a kid, I kept questioning myself on how all the bulky things were greatly reduced in size but still performed great sophisticated tasks. With my increasing curiosity in this field, I chose a Science major in my Higher Secondary.

With a good academic record, I joined Pondicherry Engineering College for my Bachelor in Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) which is one of the top 50 colleges in my country. Academics have always been my stronghold and this undergraduate program made me conceptually strong in Electrical and Electronics as well as Computer Science. During my sophomore, junior, and senior years, I bagged second place in my department and overall second place at the end of graduation with a grade of 9.3 out of 10. During the course of my study, I developed a unique liking in the areas of Logic Design, Microprocessor and Microcontroller, Operating Systems, Analog, and Digital Integrated Circuits and programming languages such as C and C++.

Numerous times my experimentations were a result of my curiosity. During my senior year with an interest in high voltage engineering, I worked on a group project titled, ASSESSMENT OF RECYCLABLE THERMOPLASTIC INSULATION SUBJECTED TO DC STRESS WITH SUPERIMPOSED HARMONICS” under the guidance of Professor Dr. K. Elanseralathan. The project was to develop, design, and test a new insulation material that can be used as an environmentally friendly cable insulation technology. Initially, it was a great challenge as the 300 insulation samples that we prepared got set back. One such notable challenge is due to thin film’s improper surface morphology that in turn pathed the way for polymer degradation. But still, without loss in hope, we approached many professors, particularly Professor Dr. Sivaji Chakravorti and Professor Dr. Sarathi. R, prominent researchers in this field gave us further guidance.

With the experience, we gained and through constant research, we were able to prepare a sample of thin film for cable insulation with less than 100 microns. Initially, we used MATLAB for simulation and then carried out the experiment with a self-built hardware setup. In addition, we challenged ourselves by superimposing power frequency AC and high voltage direct current which gave us a good reputation among high voltage scholars.

During the same year, I presented two national conference papers (1) “Breakdown of Isotactic Polypropylene Nano-Composites”, Second National Power Engineering Research Scholar’s Conference (NERSC), IIT Madras, February 2018. (2) “Effect of filler concentration on breakdown of Isotactic Polypropylene Nano-composites”, 20th National Power Systems Conference NPSC- 2018. These presentations not only tested my technical and presentation skills but also enhanced my curiosity in research-related works.

During my junior year, I worked on a team project, “Implementation of Multimode Intelligent LED Driver for high bright street lighting applications” on Arduino Microcontroller for the Inter-Electronics department mini-project competition. As a part of the coursework “Analog and Digital Integrated Circuits,” we won the best design for a two-stage Miller Compensated Operational Trans conductance Amplifier for obtaining the highest bandwidth for the given phase margin in the whole class.

Apart from academics, I attended a number of in-plant training to understand the current trends in the industry and have hands-on experience with them. During my junior year, I attended a 3-day in-plant training in UNIQ technologies in Chennai for Embedded Systems. This training endowed my technical skills in timers and device-driving programs using embedded programming. During my senior year, I attended In-plant training at Avadi junction, Chennai offered by Southern Railways, India where I gained practical knowledge in automatic control of traction systems. That one full week on the railway enhanced my microcontroller proficiency in automation.

In addition to the in-plant training, I have also participated in many workshops which were also hugely helpful in shaping my skills. The concepts of handheld devices and the emerging semiconductor challenges that were dealt with in the “Smart Home” workshop conducted by i3indya Technologies were quite fascinating.

I believe that experience plays a key role in one’s career. After my under-graduation, I started working at Eaton Power Quality Private Limited as a Junior Engineer. Here I am part of the New Product Development team where we are responsible for medium voltage product design and development. This role helped me to acquire up-to-date technical information related to products in the industry. As a strategic planner, I provide technical assistance to product managers and help them to scrutinize product defects.

Level-headedness empowers my self-confidence and increases my strength to face challenges. With this view, I have taken leadership roles in all the ways possible. I was my department’s Student Secretary during my senior year where I addressed the students’ issues by communicating with my department Head and Professors. All the leadership roles which I undertook helped me to develop my public speaking skills and the importance of accountability for whatever we do.

I believe it takes the right attitude with an aptitude to delve deeper and explore this rapidly growing field. So this joint master’s program M.Sc. in Microelectronics with the Technical University of Munich (Germany) at Nanyang Technological University has strong coursework with an innovative educational environment that would help me understand and work. Also, this coursework has perfect laboratories along with the main classroom subjects which would help me gain experience in the field of my interest. My goal is to spread my knowledge through academics and teaching. This MS degree would be the start towards the goal and help me achieve my goal with the added advantage of international exposure.

Overall, I heartily thank you for reviewing my application and I am eagerly waiting for a perfect platform in your renowned university to pursue my postgraduate studies.

Altruism is one aspect of what social psychologists refer to as prosocial behavior. It’s the principle and moral practice of an individual that concerns for happiness of other human beings or animals. It can be distinguished from feelings of loyalty but it doesn’t consider as relationships.

The Field of Prosocial Behavior

The prosocial behavior has been identified through series of experiment and based on the study; one of the great factors that affect pro-social behavior can be between genes and environment. Some factors that can be involved in pro-social behavior is from the different positive acts of interest derived from personality, family background and influence from childhood to adolescence which can sharing resources with another, volunteering your time and efforts to charitable organization and to participating to achieve common goals to not be realized alone. (Nov 2013)

From early Biblical times, prosocial behaviors were tied to morality and reverence for God. Giving alms to the poor was regarded not only as virtuous, but also as an especially efficacious way to balance the debt of sin against the prospects for salvation (Anderson, 2009, 2013).

Some variety of factors which increase more of prosocial behavior are good parenting, strong relationship within family. Good behavior within the school community, the areas where high prosocial level is high. The more these factors are present, the more an individual can be involve in prosocial behavior. (Mugo 2009).

According to Loeber and Burke (2011), the family is our early beginning when it comes to communication and to interact with others. It also develops by social interaction within community and family.

Dealing with antisocial behavior has been expanded over the years. Studies narrows down the cause and effects of these behaviors and taken some action to eliminate and sort these problems. Believing that laws and orders can help to reduce the issue by taking proper action accordingly considering the factors that can prosocial behavior. (Donoghue 2010)

Laws that has been set to fix these behavior depending on the range of conduct it encompasses from a simple helping to others. This can be considered how authorities should handle the situation and when intervention is appropriate. (flint 2006). Prosocial behavior has been categorized (Moreno, 2012) to review behaviors in classrooms.

The Effect of Prosocial in Society

Adolescence is a crucial stage for a child with prosocial behavior. They get to emerge because of the higher chances of getting wider environment and community. Most of the data (Federal Bureau of Investigations, 2010) females got a higher ratio of involvement in prosocial behaviors as compared to males. Still the numbers for these behavior are increasing. Prosocial behavior develops in the context of personal social interactions within the family members, community and environment. It can also influenced by the level of involvement to peers.

Parenting plays an important role in the solving this behavior. With proper parenting and support, their children will increase their sense of belongingness that will continue the child action will lead to prosocial behavior. Cultivating the culture of values to develop their interpersonal skills to help them cope in their community and environment. Parents are the role model of each individual from childhood to adolescence. Teachings and moral that has been taught to a child will help them to take action responsively and appropriately.

Adolescence is a unique stage of human development with specific characteristics, when individuals do not only strive to adapt to the environment and seek balance, but also to build significant relations outside the family as well as their identity and autonomy, while profound physical, cognitive, moral and socio- emotional changes take place (Steinberg, 2009). Therefore, prosocial behaviors that are manifested at this stage can be associated from all the complexity and significance of such profound developmental events, which must be put in context if we fully wish to interpret and understand the phenomenon. Studying about the family appears to be a key element to understanding the positive effect of prosocial, its origins and the way it manifests and develops in adolescence (Pardini et al., 2015).

Differences in Socialization according to their Gender

Social skills appear to be determinant, either as protective factors or risk factors, in guiding individual’s choices regarding social behaviors. It is quite consensual that the tendency to show altruism, sympathy and respect may be determinant in being a prosocial. (Dodge et al., 2008), In this scope, literature has consistently found that adolescent boys tend to show lower scores both in self-control (Chapple, Vaske& Hope, 2010; Gottfredson&Hirschi, 1990; Higgins, 2004) and empathy (Van Der Graaff, Branje, Wied, Hawk & Van Lier, 2013; Rueckert, Branch &Doan, 2011).

Change that occurs in adolescence does not only have an impact on social behaviors, but also on how individuals perceive themselves, that is, on their self-concept. Social behaviors and self-concept are not only fundamental for an adjusted personal, social, and academic development (Torregrosa, Ingles & Garcia-Fernandez, 2011), but are also believed to mutually influence each other. Positive self-concept has been related to good mental health, educational benefits, positive development in adolescence, and many adjusted psychological and social outcomes (O’Mara, Marsh, Craven &Debus, 2012), that protect against behavior problems, while negative self-concept has been commonly associated with aggression and delinquency. However, research has not yet allowed us to clarify if there is a particular pattern that defines a tendency of prosocial children and adolescents regarding self-concept. Some evidence supports associations between positive self-concept and aggressive behaviors, as there is evidence suggesting associations between negative self-concept and aggression. Some authors suggest that girls tend present generally poorer self-concept than boys (Orr, 2013; Wilgenbusch&Merrell, 2013), but others did not find significant gender differences (Arens&Hasselhorn, 2013).

As prosocial behavior reaches its maximum expression during adolescence, it becomes of great interest to research on this developmental stage (Pérez-Fuentes et al., 2011; Light et al., 2013; Inglés et al., 2014; Gázquez et al., 2015). Other authors refer to problems in conceptualizing antisocial behavior, differentiating between aggressive forms and rule-breaking (Burt, 2013), since they correlate with different factors, such as proactive aggression (Andreu and Peña, 2013). To the extent that this type of behavior constitutes a risk, not only for the person him/herself, but also for those he/she relates with, effective intervention strategies are necessary not only for its elimination, but also for its prevention (Fernández-Cabezas et al., 2011).

Much of the research on prevalence of prosocial behavior which has analyzed the differences in gender suggests that females show higher rates of prosocial behavior than males (López and Rodríguez-Arias, 2010; Hasking et al., 2011; Viñas et al., 2012). However, although men show more helpingness than women (Muñoz et al., 2010).

(Martí and Palma 2010) thought that sex and age have a significant effect on adolescent preferences for values: Girls prefer more abstract, interiorized values and are prone to instrumental values with a more egocentric and material load. As age advances, adolescents prefer values more in harmony with personal dignity and equality rather than those focusing on oneself or on confrontation with others. More recently, (Garaigordobil et al.,2014) observed that males involved in bullying tend toward domination and are more aggressive than women.

Regarding the age variable, no one moment has been agreed upon for either appearance of prosocial behavior or its prevalence during an individual’s development. Some have placed its appearance at around 13 years of age (Rechrea, 2009) while others like (Tresgallo,2011) have suggested that first manifestations appear at 6–7 years, intensifying in late adolescence (Cifuentes and Londoño, 2011), and still others have suggested that it is relatively stable through adulthood (Ezteves et. al, 2010) More recently, findings in a sample of adolescents aged 13–18 showed that older adolescents exhibit prosocial behavior more often than younger adolescents. Thus the stage of psychological development, and not just age, is of special importance in the analysis of origin and maintenance of prosocial behavior.

Finally, another of the aspects analyzed is the school year, which is of interest for studying transitions, since this is where the appearance of behavior negative to the school climate becomes most likely (Pellegrini et al., 2010). The prevalence of such behavior in each school year is also studied, because there is a positive correlation between its prevalence and subject age, and also with school year. And the older they are, that is, in higher school years, student justification of violence decreases and is there is more of it among males (Garaigordobil et al., 2013]

The Nature of Life Values

Values are acquired in the family and educational environments, where the family provides the first experience for beginning construction of the individual’s identity and facilitates acquisition of a primary value structure (Fuentes et al., 2011), while in the education system, youths can interact with others and establish a hierarchical classification of the value system acquired (Jimenez et. al, 2011).

In adolescence, the family context continues to influence shaping of the psychosocial connection, even though peer group contributions seem to be determinant. Results of some studies show that an adequate positive environment exerts a favorable effect on the development of the adolescent and his/her behavior (Zimmer – Gembeck Locke, 2014). For example, behavior problems in adolescents are often the result of a family environment where there is a lack of affectivity (de la Torre et al., 2013). In the opinion of the family members themselves, a weak education in values is associated with problems living together.

Values are more abstract in women than in men, who give them a more egocentric and instrumental load. As they grow older, adolescents show preference for values more in harmony with terms of equality and dignity, and start opposing more egocentric values centered on “I,” or confrontation with others (Martí and Palma, 2010).

Synthesis

Prosocial behavior is an action that shows with much of consideration, interaction and involvement with other people or group of people. It can be gained through interaction with other people like family, friends, schools and other places. This behavior can be associated with other behavioral and developmental issues like altruism and helping. Values that determines the human behavior relating to others and considering what is important to others are called interpersonal values by which commonly learned by an individual as early as childhood to adolescence. Learning interpersonal values are shown the way how an individual has been treated and what they can learn from others.

Determining prosocial behavior can give us knowledge about how these behaviors exist nowadays and why people get to involve and have these kind of behavior. This can also help other people to have knowledge about helping in others. These people exists because of the cause of the both genetic and behavioral factors. These factors affects the person’s way of thinking depending on their genetic backgrounds and behavioral state. As time goes by studies has been narrowed down to determine how can effectively to helping other people in some situation. An age from childhood to adolescence is range where a lot of cases recorded that involves anti-socialbehavior from a simple nuisance to serious offenses. As in most cases males has more involvement than females because of their contrast in personality. They tend to be more dominant in certain situations, being competitive at times which sometimes lead to a destructing actions and eventually to antisocial behavior. While females has more tendency to talk and communicate and that leads to a clear understanding between individuals that helps decrease the tension of inappropriate actions. In spite of these differences still some of them has one thing in common, their family backgrounds, how they are being treated by their parents and other family members, community and environment with high antisocial behaviors and there past influences since childhood to adolescence.

Considering that the major factors are identified by the studies, they found that parenting can play a vital role in solving this behaviors like proper guidance and support and nourishing them with knowledge and values that they need to learn and how they should be responsible in their actions to other individuals and having their values intact in order to act in consideration with actions and eventually prevent actions that will lead to being prosocial behavior. The laws are also implemented to rehabilitate and help individuals to be responsible in their actions. These can be threaded by both the help of helping treatments in others and conduct altruism these can help prosocial behaviors can be widely be like others.

Choosing the right high school is a significant decision that can impact a student’s future. With numerous options available, students must carefully consider their choices and select a school that aligns with their academic goals and personal interests. In this essay, I will discuss the reasons why I want to attend a high school. I will argue that a school offers a unique combination of academic excellence, extracurricular opportunities, and a supportive community that will help me achieve my goals and prepare me for success in the future.

Personal Perspective

The reason I want a better education is because I know that having one will help me succeed in life. My parents are divorced, so I rely on them both for emotional support and financial help. If I am lucky enough to get accepted into the high school, then my mom can stop working so much and spend more time with me. Having her home more often will also give her more time to help me with my studies if needed. 

I have never been a good student and always struggled in school. At first, it was hard for me to find the motivation to do well in school because I didn’t think it was important or valuable. When my parents divorced, they began telling me how important it was for me to be successful and go to college so that they could retire someday without working so much anymore. This made me realize that getting good grades could help me achieve my dreams of someday becoming successful in life. That’s why I decided to start studying harder and trying harder at school so that maybe one day when I grow up, my parents won’t have to work as much anymore!

Quality Education 

High schools offer structured and comprehensive learning programs that can provide you with a high-quality education. They’re centers for education and learning, and they’re also a place for students to socialize and make new friends. When you attend school, you’ll have the opportunity to learn in various ways, from lectures to small-group discussions. Schools can offer specialized courses to help you learn more about specific subjects or prepare for college. By attending school regularly, following the rules, and making good decisions, you’ll be able to get the most out of your time there so that you can go on to do great things after graduation.

College Preparation 

If you plan to attend college after high school, attending a high school can help prepare you for the rigors of higher education. You’ll have the opportunity to take challenging courses, participate in extracurricular activities, and develop skills that will be valuable in college.

Opportunities to Explore Interests 

Extracurricular activities are an essential part of the high school experience. From sports teams and clubs to community service programs, there are many opportunities to explore interests, develop skills, and build relationships with like-minded peers. High school is a great place to challenge yourself and discover what you truly care about.

Social Development 

High school is an invaluable opportunity for you to hone your social skills. You’ll gain experience in communicating effectively, working collaboratively, and forming relationships with people from various backgrounds. Establishing these habits during high school will set the foundation for success in college and after.

Career Preparation 

Some high schools offer career-focused programs that can help prepare you for a specific career path. For example, suppose you’re interested in healthcare. In that case, you might attend a high school with a strong healthcare program that offers opportunities to gain real-world experience through internships or job shadowing.

Complex Reason

After reading my thoughts above, you may better understand why I want to attend a high school. I think that the small class sizes and one-on-one attention from teachers will be beneficial to my development as a student. The school may have many programs that interest me, such as their college preparation courses and their extracurricular activities. The athletics program at this school is also impressive because they offer an array of sports for all interests: football, basketball, and baseball – just to name a few!

I’m excited to attend high school as it offers an excellent academic environment. The small classes are taught by dedicated teachers who have the students’ best interests in mind. College preparation courses and extracurricular activities such as sports teams provide exceptional resources and the opportunity to make new friends while striving for shared goals.

Conclusion

To sum up, attending a high school can provide you with a range of academic, social, and personal development opportunities that can prepare you for a successful future. By the way, conversations with alums will shed even more light on what a given school offers. But don’t be afraid to ask – most alums are eager to share their stories! 

Of course, many other factors may come into play regarding how well you do in school. After all, high school is just one piece of the puzzle – and an important one at that. However, if you consistently attend high school like you should, you’ll likely find that your future is brighter than ever before.