Learning Styles In Classroom

Learning Styles In Classroom English language is really considered as a significant language since it has been used for communicating worldwide. Therefore, learning English is very common in many countries and language learning styles are used by students in globalization. Language learning styles are the main factors that help decide how the students learn a second or foreign language. A foreign language is a language studied in an environment where it is not the major vehicle for daily communication and where input in that language is classified (Rebecca, 2003). In an article by Mulalic et al. (2009), students learning styles have been unnoticed as an irrelevant module in the learning process. Apparently, once lecturers become aware that different students learn various styles, they try to accommodate those learning styles in the classroom. When looking into lecturers teaching practices, it is possible to understand that the majority of the lecturers are not sensitive with their students learning styles. The problems occur when lecturers are not aware of the significance to create and explore learning styles. According to Felder (1996), how much students learn in the class is determined partially by the students ability and prior preparation, and the capability of their learning styles and the lecturers teaching styles. More specifically, Godleski et al. (1984), the students tend to be bored and inattentive in class, do poorly on tests, get discouraged about the course, and may conclude that they are not good at the subject of the course and give up. In a research by Izzo (1980), confirmed that the size of class is an important physical factor which influences the choice of method, decreases the amount of individual attention that the teacher gives to each student. However, she argued that small classes are preferable for language learning and correlated significantly with language achievement. In a research study by Tan (2008), identified EFL learners main writing difficulties by analyzing the nature of their writing errors. The prominent causes of the errors were attributable to limitation of vocabulary size, low grammar understanding and obstruction from first language. In the finding of the study, six appropriate instructional strategies were suggested so that teachers can adopt a more effective approach to enhance students writing proficiency such as learning words, teaching of fundamental sentence structure, showing reading method, correcting error and class meeting, understanding of L1 interference, and writing incentive. Since English language has been introduced in Cambodia, EFL students learning styles have adapted to the language acquisition. In the past students were likely to get knowledge through listening to the teachers while teachers lacked specific training about teaching methodology. The learning style of Cambodian students is typically memorization at the expense of realistic purpose. Consequently, they would rather learn grammar and reading than on listening and speaking. Specifically, most Cambodian learners feel more comfortable and enjoyable with having things which are written on the whiteboard in order that they can write them down and study at home. Hopefully, they hope to get handouts of summaries or lecture outlines. On the other hand, some Cambodian learners reveal that they face a lot of pressures of how to adapt the new cultural environment and how to get on with their peers in class. Some feel lonely because the ways they dress or talk are so different. (Nguyen 2001) As for the case of EFL Cambodian classrooms, Keuk (2009), found in his study that most teachers practical habitual teaching methods such as vocabulary translation from L2 to L1. Accordingly, students are taught to memorize chunks of English language with mainly focused on grammar and vocabulary. 1.2 Problem statement Without recognizing proper learning styles, students seem not to achieve better results in their academic performance. Furthermore, students are less likely to improve their language acquisition very quickly, as they do not know the effective learning styles. In spite of the variety of academic courses which the university students take in English, and the tough efforts universities and lecturers apply to develop students language skills, the students language performance, unfortunately, has been tedious. This could be recognized to the different learning styles and habits used by students in studying English, including preferring having things written on the whiteboard to listening to the lecturers explanation, nervousness of speaking in classroom, preferring grammar translation form first language to second language while learning English language and preferring working individual and personally to working in groups. Pedagogically, most of the lecturers practice traditional teachin g method, grammar translation method form first language to second language while teaching English language. The final noticeable problem is that large classes pose some significant challenges in class room setting and reduced effectiveness of classroom management. 1.3 Objectives of the study This study aims specifically to identify the learning styles which are used by Cambodian private university students in their learning of English as a foreign language in the classroom. More interestingly, this study intends to explore the reasons why Cambodian university students use different styles in their learning English as a foreign language. 1.4 Research questions This research aims to investigate the effective factors in learning English as a foreign language. The following research questions can be formulated for the study below. 1. How do Cambodian university students describe their learning styles used in learning English as a Foreign Language? 2. Why do the students use different styles in their learning English? 1.5 Significance of the Study As a part of educational development, this study is significant for four reasons. First, exploring students learning styles in English in Cambodian higher education will help improve students language acquisition. Second, the study will shed light on the effective learning styles of EFL successful Cambodian university students, which can be used as a model of learning English. Third, this research will help to contribute to the usefulness of appropriate vocabulary teaching and learning techniques in order to promote vocabulary acquisition, particularly in EFL Cambodian context. In addition, from a methodological perception, it is also hoped that the findings from this study will be useful for providing meaningful suggestions for overcoming the problems that may arise regarding the learning styles of students and how to accommodate various learners in EFL classroom. 16 Definition of key terms In an attempt to better understand this study, some key terms are defined as follows. EFL students learning styles mean techniques, behaviors, actions, habits and steps employed by learners learning English as a Foreign Language to improve and develop their different language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Moreover, the term learning style refers to the general approach preferred by the student when learning a subject, acquiring a language, or dealing with a difficult problem (Oxford 2001; Reid 1998) 1.7 Proposed Chapter This paper will be chronologically composed of five main chapters. Chpater1is the introduction, consisting of background of the study, researcher problem, research objective, research question, significance of the study, and definition of key concepts. Chapter 2, literature review, which discusses on the problems and solutions of the study. Chpater3, methodology, which consists of research design, participants, method, instruments, tools data collection, data analysis, ethnical consideration, strengths and limitation of research. Chapter 4, discussion and findings of the study, analyzing the data collected from the interviews. Chapter 5, conclusion and recommendation, summarizing the problems and findings of the study and suggesting some strategies to help improve the weaknesses. Moreover, these five chapters are followed systematically by references and appendices. CHAPTER2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 2.1. Defining learning styles In a study by Aqel Mahmoud (2006), determining the learning styles of An-Najah National University students used in their learning of English as a foreign language. Consequently, the result of the findings suggested a variety of teaching English styles, including asking students to change their seats in classes, introduction of creative activities and the use of audio-visual aids, which suit learning styles used by students in their learning of English. Moreover, the researchers recommended the introduction of computer as a necessary course in Department of English and Teaching Methods Department which give its successful task in making students rely on themselves to develop their language proficiency. Also, the researcher proposes that a study should be conducted at other universities to discover the learning styles which are used by students in the learning of English and the relationship between these styles and students personality. In the article by Marin (2003), the focus of the investigation was on the language learning styles appearing that students face language difficulties with great achievement but with little efforts. However, other students faced these difficulties with a little success and satisfaction. Also, this article proved that each learner had his/her good way of learning through his/her culture, educational background and personality. Heffernan (1999) as cited in Aqel (2006), determined that many studies on language learning styles applied and gained differently base on motivation and outcome, level of language , years of learning language, teaching methods, difficult content, and students background and sex. He also added that successful language learners use various styles in learning language, and the teacher can help in increasing learning styles through teaching strategies that probably help weak students to choose the appropriate learning styles for dissimilar educational tasks. 2.2 Learning styles in classroom The classroom still remains a good and comfortable place for students in learning their language. Specifically, students learning styles have to be taken into account while teaching English. in a study by , (Haynes, 2001), the language learners use certain styles, especially in their mother tongue while learning their language, and these styles are transferred when they learn a foreign language. Similarly, several studies (Oxford 1993; OMalley and Chamot, 1990) showed that students of languages used various learning techniques such as memorization, repetition, and imitation, development of positive feeling to language and application of information. In a study by (Hayes, 1997; Strevens, 1978; Harmer, 1983), large English classes are often related to lack of control and concentration, disruption, classroom interaction, particularly lack in the ability to speak English fluently. Moreover, overcrowded class is one of the constraints on effective teaching and learning. Also, large classes reduce teachers attention, produces real physical discomfort and distraction that negatively affect learners attitudes towards their learning. Bloom (1976), creating opportunities for small class group work which helps each other and proves to be a useful way to motivate students and correct errors. He also believed that the size of the group is one of the main elements which influences in language learning. In dealing with the problems associated with large classes, Nnaji (1991) proposes tutorial classes as a solution to help reduce the menace of large classes. She believes that tutorial classes should be used to curtail the shortcomings of large classes. According to her, tutorials are discussion sessions where the teacher and his students talk to each other and express their views on topics they did not fully understand The learning style of Cambodian students is typically memorization at the expense of realistic purpose. Therefore, they would rather learn grammar and reading than on listening and speaking. Specifically, most Cambodian learners feel more comfortable with having things written on the whiteboard in order that they can copy them down and study at home. They hope to get handouts of summaries or lecture outlines. On the other hand, some Cambodian learners reveal that they face a lot of pressures of how to adapt the new cultural environment and how to get on with their peers in class. Some feel lonely because the ways they dress or talk are so different. (Nguyen 2001) However, a number of personality characteristics have been associated with successful language learning. These include being willing to take risks (Ruben 1979 as cited in Willis 2001), having self-confident (Heyde as cited in Freeman and Long 1991), and being interested (Ellis and Sinclair as cited in Willis 2001) 2.3 Vocabulary learning In learning a foreign language, vocabulary plays an important role. It is one element which is associated with the four skills, namely speaking, listening, reading and writing. In a research article by Mohd et al. (2009), investigated the evaluation learning vocabulary strategies of undergraduate EFL learners and its relation to the learners vocabulary size. There are five various categories of vocabulary learning strategies such as determination, memory, social, cognitive, and metacognitive. Consequently, the findings of this study led to some suggestions to improve students vocabulary learning, developed their vocabulary size, and enhanced their English learning. As for the case of EFL Cambodian classrooms, Keuk (2009), found in his study that most teachers practical habitual teaching methods such as vocabulary translation from L2 to L1. Accordingly, students are taught to memorize chunks of English language with mainly focused on grammar and vocabulary. Maghsodi et al. (2010), reading should be encouraged either inside or outside class because it is the most important tool which helps provide learners with the vocabulary acquisition. It is believed that the more learners are exposed to new words, they more they are likely to remember them. In a study by Minji (2008), explored which vocabulary instruction is more helpful for learning English vocabulary. Consequently, each instructional approach is required to examine, review, and integrate to determine the usefulness as a whole. In the light of the major findings of this study is that vocabulary instruction is effective overall for EFL learners even though there are some instructional approaches which are not related to effective learning. According to National Reading Panel (2000), helped determine the effective implications of vocabulary instruction for first language learners, including teaching vocabulary both directly and indirectly, repetition and multiple exposures to vocabulary items are important, restructuring vocabulary tasks, and entailing active engagement in learning tasks for vocabulary tasks. 2.3 Grammar learning Grammar is viewed as an essential element for communication to take place because it shows how language is used. According to Larsen-Freeman (1997), the misunderstanding of the role of grammar is attributed to the fact that it is always viewed to be governed by fixed rules. As for the case of Mat et al. (2010), proving the various between the methodological expectations and the learners in contrast to the actual teaching methodology followed by their instructors. More significantly, this research article focuses on the five aspects medium of instruction, grammar instruction, instructors as model, and the usefulness of drilling, mimicry and memorization, and the use of educational tools, pertaining to the foreign language methodology. In the light of the finding of the study, a serious discrepancy between students expectations and their classroom reality in terms of how grammar is instructed. Also, grammar rules should be explained and that grammar should not be taught explicitly. 2.4 Reading styles Reading involves a variety of factors which may have an impact on learners reading ability. Weaver (1988) defines reading as the process of constructing meaning through the energetic interaction among the readers existing knowledge, the information recommended by the written language, and the situation in reading context. In a study by (Miller Yochum, 1991; Donnell Wood, 1999), maintained that the reading difficulties students face may be related to inaccurate knowledge of the reading process, lack interest and motivation, fluency, concept density, organization, and difficult vocabulary. Comprehension or reading strategies show how readers conceive of a task, how they make sense of what they read, and what they do when they do not understand. In short, such strategies are processes used by the learner to enhance reading comprehension and overcome comprehension failures (Singhal, 2001). In a second language study, Hosenfeld (1977) used a think-aloud procedure to identify relations between certain types of reading strategies and successful or unsuccessful second language reading. The successful reader, for instance, kept the meaning of the passage in mind while reading and skipped less important words but the unsuccessful reader lost the meaning of the sentences when decoded and seldom skipped unimportant words. 2.5 Speaking styles Speaking is a key to communication. It is the productive skill in language learning, which places a great demand on students logical and critical thinking. In the article by Widiati (2006), discussed problems in the teaching of EFL speaking, activities normally practiced, materials commonly used in EFL speaking classes, and assessment of oral English proficiency. Based on the finding, Indonesian learners frequently have not achieved a good level of ora1 English proficiency. For example, Mukminatien (1999) showed that students of English department have a lot of mistakes while speaking. The mistakes consist of pronunciation, grammatical accuracy, vocabulary, fluency, and interactive communication. Likewise, Ihsan (1999) found that students are likely to make errors, including the misuse of parts of speech, syntactical construction, lexical choice, and voice. Ihsan et al. (1999 as cited in Eyiyuliwati 1997), showed that students had difficulties in using grammar and in applying new vocabulary items in speaking class. When the ability to speak English is a very difficult task regarding to the nature of what is included in speaking. Not all of the students in an EFL speaking class have the bravery to speak. Many of the students feel nervous in a speaking class and some are likely to keep silent. In the research by Padmadewi (1998) proved that students attending a speaking class often felt anxious because of demands from the speaking tasks requiring them to do presentation individually and spontaneously within limitation of time. While Tutyandari (2005), stated that students keep quiet due to the lack of self-reliance, prior, knowledge about topics, and poor relationship between teacher and learner. In order to deal with students limited knowledge, she recommended speaking teachers make active the students prior knowledge by asking questions relating to topics under debate. Also, she suggested that students self-esteem can be improved and their nervousness reduced by asking them to work in small gro ups. To achieve a higher quality of the teaching of EFL speaking and to improve the speaking skill of Indonesian EFL learners, Mukminatien (1999), suggested teachers give their learners more adequate input for acquisition in the classroom and push them to use English either in or outside the classroom. More specifically, Citraniugtyas (2005) stated that a silent speaking class can be made more active by assigning tasks which develop students critical thinking skills. Purjayanti (2003) found presentation to be helpful to encourage students to communicate ideas in their fields of study. She added that through presentation and its preparation students were able not only to practice speaking, but also to search for materials and deliver them in a planned way. Small group discussion is an additional activity that can be conducted in EFL speaking classroom. Its aim is to facilitate learners to be participated actively in a discussion concerning with students limited number. In a study of Murdibjono (2001) demonstrated that discussing in small groups is an effective activity so that students have more time to practice speaking with their classmates. 2.6 Listening styles Listening is a critical element in the competent language performance of EFL university students. Therefore, listening comprehension is an important sill, as well as prerequisite for oral proficiency. In the study of Goh (1997), difficulties to listening compression can be divided into person knowledge and task knowledge. The obstacles of person knowledge are: the limitation of vocabulary, idiomatic expression, kinds of input with new structure, fast speech. While the task knowledge related to new vocabulary, various local accents, speech rate, the interest and purpose of listening, existing knowledge and experience, physical factors, and the length of sentence structure. However, he suggested two strategies for helping learners become better listener. The first is direct strategy; it aims at increasing perceptions. Learners L2 can improve the listening by practicing perceptions sound, content, pronunciation of new words, words, and intonation features. The second is the indirect str ategy; its aim is to improve knowledge about speakers, tasks, and strategy According Hann (2000), the use of ineffective learning strategies of learners may affect their listening comprehension and learners experience. Various kinds of listening comprehension may cause some problems due to the inadequacy of the message from factors relating to the speakers speech, and to the learner proficiency in listening comprehension. Furthermore, it was found that EFL learners are poorly equipped with effective listening strategies, skills, activities. To help better improve the listening comprehension, in a study by Wen-sheng (2007), conducted in China, listening is very crucial input, but many of the students in Chaozhou Normal College, Hanshan Normal University, and Chaozhou Guangdong were upset with listening. In the finding of the study, there were a lot of significant listening techniques which were neglected by teachers. However, a researcher suggests that more listening strategies should be taught in classes and teaching plan is given. 2.7 Writing styles In the article by Hafida (2010), conducted in Tlemsen, Algeria, analyze both the university requirements for the English academic degree in Algeria, and students needs so as to improve a pedagogical framework that would respond both exigencies. In the light of finding of the study, the researcher recommended the implementation of a strategy such as based writing curriculum for EFL university students that would develop their strategic competence and consolidate their linguistic knowledge. Since the Chinese students poor communicative ability in oral and written English, there is a concern in English teaching and learning in China. In the article by Yan (2006) explored a successful method so as to develop students speaking ability. As a result of the finding, Scenario-based Learning, two reflective models are introduced to improve the oral and writing in English. Scenario-Based Learning (SBL) is a structured method for figuring out some issues impacting the lives of specific individuals or groups of individuals. Also, It confronts students with an important context based on real life situation which requires them to take part in an imagined series of events. In the study by Osman (2010), investigates the difficulties faced by beginner academic writers and proposes recommendations to help these writers to be better collaborative writers. In the finding of the study, beginner writers have difficulties during their collaborative writing, including inability to work with their partners, poor language proficiency, poor research skills, having limited time to discuss, lacking ideas, facing stress during collaborative writing, ; therefore, it is suggested that the university and the lecturers should provide them with the opportunities of (1) providing intensive reading program ; (2)teaching interpersonal skills; (3) teaching time management; (4) providing pre-collaborative writing sessions; (5) providing pre-collaborative writing sessions ;(6) and providing teacher/ peer assistance According to Bereiter and Scardamalia (1987) as cited in Rouiller (2005), writing generally suffers from lack of interaction that stimulates oral production in conversation. However, to ensure successful learning, Lam Wong (2000) as cited in Lourdunathan Menon (2005), believe that learners should demonstrate appropriate cooperative behavior and peer support. It is necessary because some students have difficulties in organizing their ideas and are weak in English language as well. This can hinder them from participating in their collaborative work. CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 3.1Research design Since the intent of this study significantly focuses on a private university in Cambodia, the researcher will employ a case study exploring the learning styles of EFL Cambodian university students. As a qualitative research approach is used, the case study will be employed in this study to explore the learning styles of EFL Cambodian university students. The case study method tends to systematically investigate an event or a set of related events with the specific aims of describing and explaining this phenomenon. (Berg, 2009) 3.2 Participants This is a case study which explores the learning styles of Cambodian university students. The participants of this study will be selected from one private university in Phnom Penh. The sample will consist of 6 students, who are studying English Literature in that university. Also, the researcher will choose both female and male students. Before conducting interviews, the researcher will make an appointment and notify the reasons of visit to the Rector of University. 3.3 Instrument With the purpose of getting trustworthy information, unstructured interview, informal conversation and participant observation will be used in order to obtain reliable data. Interviews will be tape-recorded and open-ended questions (see below appendix for details). In addition to the above interviews, class observation will be useful tool to obtain data. The observation checklist will basically focus on students learning styles both in classroom and outside classroom. 3.4 Data Collection Since the qualitative data collection procedure requires the research to immerse completely in the nature setting, the researcher will carry out unstructured interview after observation and taking notes. The interviews will consist of open-ended questions and tape-recording (see Appendix below) for the details. Prior to carrying out the interviews, the researcher will ask permission from university rector and students. The researcher expects each interview will take around 50 minutes and occur in the university or outside the university. The options for selecting site for interview will be provided for the participants because it helps reduce the participants difficulties. Moreover, the study objective will be verbally informed to participants before conducting interviews. With permission from participants, the researcher will use tape-recording to record the whole interviews. The researcher might ask different participants to answer the questions based on their preference. The resea rcher will personally observe English students using participant observation techniques. The observation will basically focus on students learning styles in classroom. The students will be asked to provide their responses about the learning styles of EFL Cambodian university students based on their ideas. The observational protocol will include the descriptive activities in the setting and reflective ideas from the researcher. Besides these observations, informal conversation will be made with participants in order to obtain deeply their perceptions about language learning styles. The researcher may take a few brief notes in the field setting but take notes of teaching techniques and behaviors after observation. 3.5 Data Analysis The researcher will organize and prepare the data for analysis as soon as the data has been collected from the participants. Then the researcher will spend lots of time reading all data and listening to tape recording in order to delete the irrelevant information. Next, the researcher will code the text to categorize the data. Moreover, relationship of data will be identified to interpret the meaning of data collected. Finally, in order to ensure the reliability and validity of data, the researcher will try to reread the data and ask researcher team to check the information. Moreover, matrixes and graphs will be specifically presented. Therefore, they will visualize the difficulties of Cambodian EFL students learning styles 3.6 Ethical Consideration To successfully conduct this study, the researcher will take into consideration about some safeguards. First, the consent form will be given to the participants to sign if they really agree to join in the study. Second, the purpose of this study will be clearly informed to participants in order to build mutual understanding and rapport. Third, the researcher will profoundly tell the participants that their participation will be voluntary and stopping from interviews will be the participants choice. Finally, the researcher will keep data collected in secret place which no one besides researcher will have access to get it. Furthermore, I will bring together the names of participants but keep them confidential. Personal identifiers will be released to the public in a way that protects the identification of participants. 3.7 Limitation of Research This study is guided with the following limitations, which affect the generality of the finding. First, the study only focuses on university English students in Department of English. Second, the study may be limited in its analysis or generality as it will be conducted in one Cambodian private university, in which 6students will be selected. Third, since this study will mainly explore only important learning styles, some points might be ignored. However, the purpose of this study is not to provide the broad generalization but to explore the learning styles of Cambodian university students in a private university in Phnom Penh. Therefore, the above-mentioned compounding circumstances might limit understanding and evaluation; however, these are generally overwhelmed and controlled by the research design.

Role of Youth

[pic] Prepared by: Jennifer Corriero Date of Release:January 2004 Lead Organization: TakingITGlobal Special Thanks: Advisors: Professor David Wheeler, PhD Joseph Amati, Masters Student Ellen Ratchye, Research Analyst, Fallon; Shelley Smith and Robert Bernard, DCODE Technology Support: Martin Kuplens-Ewart Data analysis and research support: Jacob Bleakley, Noor Alibhai, Hugh Switzer Final Edit: Huss Banai and Michael FurdykTable of Contents: |1 |Executive Summary |3 | | | | | |2 |Introduction |5 | | | | | |2. 1 |Demographic Force |5 | |2. |Democracy on the Rise |5 | |2. 3 |Culture of Leadership |6 | |2. 4 |A Shift in Power Dynamics |7 | |2. 5 |TakingITGlobal Online Community and Vision |8 | |2. |Youth as Key Stakeholders |9 | |2. 7 |Youth as Engaged Citizens |10 | |2. 8 |From Student to Teacher |10 | |2. 9 |Young Employees as a Source of Innovation |11 | |2. 10 |The Interactive Consumer |12 | |2. 1 |The Need for a Holistic Perspective on Youth |13 | | | | | |3 |Role of Youth S urvey: Key Objectives |14 | | | | | |4 |Role of Youth Survey: Methodology |15 | | | | | |4. |Promotion of Survey |16 | |4. 2 |Analysis of Survey Results |17 | |4. |Demographic Profile of Respondents |20 | | | | | |5 |Defining Youth |22 | | | | | |6 |Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Youth |26 | | | | | |7 |Issues of Importance to Youth |29 | | | | | |8 |Participation in Decision-Making |31 | | | | | |9 |Factors Influencing the Changing Roles of the Youth |34 | | | | | |10 |Youth as Agents of Change |37 | | | | | |11 |Conclusion |40 | | | | | |12 |General References |42 | 1. Executive SummaryThis report is the outcome of a larger process, building on months of reading and research of secondary materials, years of personal experiences meeting with and understanding the issues and perspectives of young people around the world. This research seeks to demonstrate that globally, young people today have more power and potential to create change than any previous generation of y outh. It seeks to discover the ways in which young people define themselves, how they are perceived by society, how they are best engaged in decision-making, and the role of technology in facilitating the shifting role of youth. This report is based on a survey designed by Jennifer Corriero, based on five prevalent categories: Defining Youth, Perceptions and Attitudes towards Youth, Youth Participation in Decision-Making, The Role of Technology, and Youth as Change Agents.Conducted in partnership with an international NGO, TakingITGlobal (TIG), the electronic survey was promoted and filled out by over 1,400 respondents, after which qualitative and quantitative questions were separated, organized, grouped, and analyzed, with the assistance of a number of individuals. Finally, this report was created to communicate the values and trends underlying the statistics and statements of respondents from around the world. The question of how youth is defined resulted in an interesting array o f suggestions. Age led with over half of the responses, followed by suggestions that youth represents personality characteristics or outlooks on life. A young female in India suggests that youth are those who are vivacious, full of energy† – people who â€Å"want to make a mark in life†. The idea of youth being a life stage between dependant and independent was another major grouping of responses, suggesting that youth are â€Å"starting to enjoy freedom for the first time†, according to a young man from Zimbabwe. As the perceptions and attitudes towards youth were investigated, it was discovered that the majority of youth (62. 3%) have a lot of reasons for hope for the future. In regions such as Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, a stronger sense of optimism could perhaps be attributed to the need for a positive outlook to survive in many of the developing countries in those regions.Consumer culture was consistently felt around the world to have too much influence of today’s youth, according to 76% of respondents. Education was seen as meaningful and important by 89% of survey participants, with 62. 2% feeling that youth are not equipped with the skills they require for jobs. Education, employment, friends, music and various social issues were stated as the top areas of concern and interest of youth within their communities. Sustainability only made it into the top 10 in Africa and Asia, suggesting that the rest of the world has yet to make sustainable living a priority, or even something that people are aware and confronted with as an important issue.Employment was in the top 3 in every region, and was first in South America, with many young people expressing concerns about ensuring that they have the necessary skills and experiences to be employed in their field of interest at a sustainable wage. As youth participation in decision-making was explored, it was discovered that the highest area of youth participation takes plac e within local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), with national NGOs close behind. Youth were least involved with national governments, which in most countries have yet to engage in meaningful strategies to encourage or facilitate youth participation, evidenced by the low voter turnout rates amongst youth, especially in North America.As Jesse Ventura, governor of Minnesota put it once on CNN â€Å"Youth don’t vote because they say politicians don’t care about their issues. Politicians don’t care about their issues because youth don’t vote! † It appears that NGOs have the best relationships with youth and thus are best positioned to meaningfully engage youth in various political processes. Respondents were very positive about the role of technology in transforming the role of youth in society and organizations. The majority see technology as an enabler for information to be shared and meaningful communication to be had. A variety of concerns wer e also brought up such as the digital divide, and how technology helps those who have access to it.Many examples were highlighted discussing the various ways that young people have made a meaningful impact in their communities and how they would change or improve the world, their countries and the role of youth in their communities. Overall, the sample of youth in this survey uncovered an optimistic, forward-looking generation encompassing young of age and youth-minded individuals. They are comfortable with and enabled by technological progress and change, interested in engaging in local and global decision-making, and they are already having significant impacts in their communities, countries, regions, and around the world. They want to be educated, they recognize gaps in their skills, and in many cases they can clearly identify the needs of not just themselves but of their peers.The sample was respectful of the wisdom of the elders that have led them to where they are, but also re ady and willing for the challenges that await them as they mature and discover the complexities of our global ecosystem. 2. Introduction Young people growing up today have far more power and potential to create change than any previous generation of youth growing up. Much of this shift is a direct result of the information revolution and access to opportunities that have been provided to people of all ages, especially to those growing up in the information age. This report will discuss prevalent demographic and political trends, the nature of youth in today’s global information society, and will provide reflections on the changing roles and responsibilities of youth in this new setting.A discussion concerning youth as stakeholders will look at how traditional perceptions of the role of youth as passive citizens, students, employees, and consumers are actively challenged and questioned today. An empirical narrative providing background on my experiences most relevant to this t rend, moreover, will be shared to provide personal context to this research. Lastly, the results and key findings from a survey conducted on the Role of Youth will be shared. 2. 1 Demographic Force Young people are also an ever-growing demographic force. According to UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), there are more than one billion people between the ages of 15 and 24 on the planet. [i] In the developing world, where 80 percent of young people can be found, youth comprise up to 70 percent of some nations’ populations. ii] In the United States of America, the baby boom generations of the 1940s 1950s made possible the subsequent echo boom (those born between 1977 and 1997), of which today’s young people are a substantial part – 80+ million strong[iii]. 2. 2 Democracy on the Rise The transformation of many authoritarian states to democracies (as shown in figure 1 below) has further improved and provided the essential conditions and environment for young peopl e to explore their interests, express themselves, take action on issues they care about, and access information. [pic][iv] As a result of the Internet, population growth, and rise of democratic societies, a new paradigm in the role of young people is beginning to emerge, resulting in the recognition of youth as citizens, students, employees and consumers.As many as 620 million people have access to the World Wide Web and related information and communications technologies (ICTs) worldwide, with the majority of Internet users based in the non-English-speaking countries. [v] English comprises 36. 5 percent (230. 6 million) of the world online population language, while the non-English-speaking world represents 63. 9 percent (403. 5 million). [vi] According to 2000 statistics from Forrester Research, 56 percent of 16-22 year-olds are online in the United States. They spend an average of 9 hours online, 38 percent more than the average wired adult and are involved in a wider variety of online activities compared to adults – 20 percent more. vii] The same survey found the majority of Internet users in the United States to be in the 18-49 age-group (63 percent), with only 37 percent of users in the 50+ age-group. [viii] 2. 3 Culture of Leadership The culture of leadership for much of the twentieth century was influenced, and modeled after, centralized structures of governance and rigid forms of authority. The onset of the Industrial Revolution unleashed a series of uncontested norms and universally-accepted orthodoxies that associated centralized management systems and constant decision-making with effective leadership. The social consequences of mass production and centralized management of many industries reduced the traditional family into solitary unit of production.As observed by one of the foremost theorists of management theory, Peter F. Drucker, the massive standardization of production methods and operating procedures (‘machine bureaucracy†™) also served to loosen the some conventional familial characteristics, ultimately culminating into the â€Å"crisis of the family†: On the farm and in the artisan's workshop husband, wife, and children worked together. The factory, almost for the first time in history, took worker and work out of the home and moved them into the workplace, leaving family members behind — whether spouses of adult factory workers or, especially in the early stages, parents of child factory workers. [ix]This centralized view of management in latter half of the past century, however, gradually conceded to more diffused and informal structures of governance; as more theorists and practitioners arrived at the common conclusion that â€Å"the better a business firm [organization] is organized, the more naturally decision rights gravitate to the spot where the best information is available about the specific decision that has to be made. †[x] The emergence, and mainstream influence of, the Internet in the past decade, moreover, has had a profound impact on the way a given society manages its daily affairs – socially, politically, and economically – bringing with it new, and never-before-heard-of industries, such as biotechnology and IT telecommunications.Whereas we may make the case that the rigid structures of the industrial age had a number of indirect negative impacts on families as a result of its emphasis on standardization and mass production, many believe that the information age, with its focus on integration and wide-scale distribution of information, has served the family by highlighting the importance of local communities and inter-cultural communication. [xi] Under the centralized form of governance, and prior to the Information Revolution, those with the most power and experience effectively possessed a monopoly over access to sources of information, and, therefore, tended to act as leaders within their communities. The â€Å"decisi on rights† of the younger and more inexperienced people were virtually non-existent and often viewed as being connected to those of women and the less advantaged in the society.In many ways, this paradigm still persists today in the sense that young people are seen by many as having passive roles in society, such as the student who is there to learn rather than teach, the young employee who needs to do what he/she is told rather than provide a source of creative and innovative input, the consumer who is viewed as a target to influence rather than to truly support, the child who needs to learn how to ‘grow up’, and the citizen who is disengaged because he/she either cannot vote or is part of a population whose voice matters little. In addition, because young people (defined as those between the ages of 13-30) are at the frontlines of change from being dependent on older generations to being independent, they have been especially vulnerable to external influences an d often lack a sense of empowerment because they suffer from the lack of essential resources, and limited involvement in decision-making. 2. 4 A Shift in Power DynamicsThe emergence of the Internet and other ICTs (Information & Communication Technologies) has been a catalyst for change, especially within the context of shifting traditional power dynamics. Increasingly, leadership is based on effective networks of collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Transforming leadership strategies from what they were during much of the past century has, to state it mildly, a challenge for most organizations and companies. More inclusive methods of governance, be it in the corporate world or the bureaucracy of the state, have been implemented in order to encourage, or project the image of, socially responsible behaviour. [xii] This transition, however, has almost been a foreign concept to youth growing up in the digital age.The advent of the Internet offered an opportunity to young people – most of whom are much well-versed in using computers and digital devices than their parents’ generation – to develop new virtual interests, relatively unknown and foreign to previous generations. This new medium no longer involved complex and rigid forms of management and communication that were associated with previous power-centric models of governance. The diffusion of the hierarchies and power structures also meant the decentralization of information and the formation of simple, and easily-managed, networks of people, accessible at the click of the mouse worldwide. In this new environment, sources of influence do not simply come from the top, but are inspired or affected by the views, ideas and perspectives of many stakeholders who are affected by the decisions being made.Governments and other formal decision-making bodies have been challenged to hold higher levels of transparency and accountability in order to gain institutional trust. Companies are increasingly interested in what their employees, customers and general public think about their business practices and increasingly aspire to become more socially responsible in order to address the needs and concerns of their stakeholders. [xiii] Instantaneous access to information and online resources has enabled the ‘common person’ make a contribution to organizations and society at large, while being able to demand a greater level of participation and involvement in decision-making.More than ever, young people growing up with technology have the opportunity to empower themselves using their unprecedented access to real-time information and knowledge sources that can be attained through ever-expanding social networks, new alliances, businesses, protests and advocacy campaigns, and websites expressing divergent views and perspectives. 2. 5 TakingITGlobal Online Community and Vision The TakingITGlobal. org Online Community provides: †¢ A pathway to support local action †¢ A platform for the voices of young people to be heard †¢ A framework for understand global challenges and issues †¢ A connection to resources and opportunities †¢ A network of interesting, dynamic and diverse young people †¢ A virtual space to showcase cross-cultural perspectives and expressions.In addition to engaging members of the online community, TakingITGlobal supports the needs of youth-led initiatives, educators and international organizations through its thematic, educational and organizational engagement strategies. TakingITGlobal’s 2010 Vision includes the following: †¢ To realize the potential of at least 5 million young people as leaders for the benefit of their local and global communities. †¢ To bridge the ‘continuity gap' enhancing the effectiveness of youth action by connecting all major youth activities, events, programs and initiatives in a global network. †¢ To mainstream recognition that young people are key stake holders in all national and international policy making. †¢ To produce the world’s most comprehensive and powerful knowledge resource – pushing the boundaries of online community and technology as a tool for social empowerment. To instigate significant evolution in the present concepts of school-education by increasing global connection, meaningful use of ICT’s (information, communication technologies) and inspiring student engagement. †¢ To demonstrate innovation, excellence, creativity and professionalism in the management of a new style of international organization that is entrepreneurial, technology-enhanced, and youth-driven. 2. 6 Youth Are Becoming More Engaged as Key Stakeholders When key stakeholders are brought together to share a vision for the future, it is critical to recognize that although most young people are unable to formally represent a business, government or non-profit institution as a key stakeholder, they do have the largest sta ke in the future and can often help to revive and refresh various perspectives being shared. Youth participation often requires changes in the way adults perceive and deal with adolescents, since the rights of young people and their capacities to make decisions for themselves are often unrecognized and undervalued. †[xiv] Increasingly, institutions are recognizing the importance of bringing the voices of young people to the forefront. On a global level, there are numerous summits that have brought together various leaders and decision-makers and have included young people as a key stakeholder or ‘major group’. For example, as a participant at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg, South Africa, I was part of what the United Nations considers to be a ‘Major Group’ within the overall process of the summit along with women, indigenous people, farmers, business etc.According to Agenda 21, involving each of the major group s in the decision-making process was recognized as being a â€Å"fundamental prerequisite for the achievement of sustainable development†[xv] The Report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development states that the process is inclusive of youth: 34. We are in agreement that this must be an inclusive process, involving all the major groups and Governments that participated in the historic Johannesburg 170. Promote and support youth participation in programmes and activities relating to sustainable development through, for example, supporting local youth councils or their equivalent, and by encouraging their establishment where they do not By promoting, supporting and involving youth as a major group, a statement is made about the importance of recognizing youth as key stakeholders.At the recent World Summit on the Information Society Preparatory Meetings which have been held in Geneva, Switzerland, the Youth Caucus is one of the strongest and most active groups, participating in the process alongside government, industry and other NGO groupings. 2. 7 Youth as Engaged Citizens On a national level, one of the basic conditions of a healthy democracy is having a population that votes. However, those under 18 are unable to participate – and not effectively inspired to vote once they’re able to, which has been leading to a large decline in youth voter turnout. In the US, only 60% of eligible voters under 25 have registered, and only 24% of those eligible to vote and over 20 say they â€Å"always vote† during elections. At the same time, many young people are civically engaged in many other ways – 40% of U. S. outh 14-24 have volunteered, 38% have participated in a boycott, and 44% have done some type of fundraising for charity, all within the last year. [xvi] There is a need to increase awareness and trust in political process, while also validating and supporting other forms of civic participation. There are a growing number of re gional, national, and local youth councils and networks sprouting up due to interest, support, and demand. Increasingly, different youth councils are strengthening their efforts through forging more partnerships and raising their profile. An example of this is the European Youth Forum, ‘a platform organization, it is the representative body for its members towards the institutions and partners active in the youth field.The 89 member organizations of the European Youth Forum represent a wide range of interests: student organizations, political organizations, organizations concerned with environmental protection, minorities, young rural organizations, conscripts organizations and many more. The European Youth Forum has member organizations including both national youth organizations and international youth organizations, drawn from throughout the European continent. The highest decision-making body is the General Assembly, which elects a Bureau made up of volunteers every two ye ars. The Bureau meets monthly to assess political priorities, implement its work plan and advises the Secretariat in its work. ’[xvii] Increasingly, youth councils are being formed and strengthened in order to provide opportunities for young people to have a stronger voice. 2. 8 From Student to TeacherDue to the rapid revolution in Information and Communication Technologies over the last decade, young people growing up as these technologies evolved have become innately comfortable using them, and have become neighborhood authorities on computer technologies. As the education system began to introduce computers in the classroom, young people were often frustrated as they were forced to re-learn skills they already had developed, such as BASIC programming and keyboarding. Over time, students’ expertise with technology has become accepted by teachers, and a variety of programs, such as Generation YES, have been developed to harness the skills and enthusiasm of students fo r technology to assist teachers in more meaningfully integrating it into the classroom. Young people are also learning from a wide variety of sources, and are increasingly deriving knowledge from their peers and non-school sources.As Don Tapscott cites in his 1998 book â€Å"Growing Up Digital†, many young people growing up in the late 80’s and early 90’s have learned basic skills from educational software like â€Å"Reader Rabbit† and video games. Thanks to online communication tools like ICQ, students are able to collaborate in real-time with their friends and peers across town or across the ocean, and share knowledge and ideas with each other. All told, this amounts to quite a challenge for the average teacher to cope with – a variety of students all with varying levels of technology access and external influences – as early as junior kindergarten! Of course, to meet the needs of these wired students as they progressed through the school system, Universities began to experiment with online course delivery and some now offer complete degree programs using a combination of ICTs.The role of a teacher has also evolved in these situations to more of a mentor and coach as needed, versus needing to hand-hold students through courses, enabling them to provide maximum value in supporting the course content versus needing to focus on content delivery. This generation of youth also enjoys sharing opinions – and teachers can’t escape! Websites like RateYourTeacher. com and RateMyProfessor. com showcase the ratings of teachers by thousands of students, opening up the previously untouchable teacher relationship to transparent feedback and criticism by ‘consumer’ students. 2. 9 Young Employees as a Source of Innovation There are a variety of implications for human resource departments in companies and organizations as they begin to hire and integrate new talent into their workforce.Because there is a lar ge population of youth who are entering the workforce and who carry a range of unique skills and perspectives (especially technology-related), the existing strategies that attempt to attract, retain and develop the next generation of talent need to adapt to a different set of needs, expectations and opportunities. Young employees, especially those doing internships, can provide an incredible source of innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and creative potential. In an organization where having many years of experience is valued, young people can be an overlooked, untapped resource. In the context of trying to solve problems in new ways, it is important to engage those who have not yet been institutionalized and are unfamiliar with the way that things have always been done.It is critical for organizations to develop new strategies that can allow them to more meaningfully involve young people in both problem-solving and decision-making processes, in order to respond to the complex and ev olving organizational challenges being faced. As it was mentioned above, the onset of the Information Revolution, coupled with the period of massive decentralization across-industries, had a profound impact on the way young people identify with the work environment. In the knowledge-based industries, rigid and strict structures of the past are largely associated with inefficiency, and are largely thought of as counterproductive to personal development.Having grown up with this mindset, young peoples’ perceptions toward decision-making and effective problem-solving are mainly derived from their experiences in the digital world, where interaction and inclusion of perspectives are essential, if not required, for achieving common goals. Therefore, in dealing with this new technologically-empowered demographic, new knowledge-based industries will have to reinvent many of the old approaches toward this new generation. This, in fact, means that they (industries) would have to appeal to their knowledge-workers â€Å"by satisfying their values, and by giving them social recognition and social power† which they have grown accustomed to. [xviii] 2. 10 The Interactive ConsumerDue to the nature of the Internet as a medium which allows for and is based upon networks and interactions, young consumers have the opportunity to be creators of media and content rather than simply consume what is produced for them. â€Å"Broadcast technology, like television, is hierarchical. It depends upon a top-down distribution system. Someone somewhere decides what will be broadcast and our role is limited to what we choose or do not choose to watch. There is no direct feedback from the viewer to the broadcaster†¦The internet depends upon a distributed, or shared, delivery system rather than a hierarchical one. The distributed, or shared, power is at the heart of the culture of interaction. [xix]† (p79)Due to the nature of the medium that young people are enabled by, they are able to demand a greater level of information, interactivity and involvement when it comes to products, services and the overall customer experience. Shopping comparison websites such as MySimon. com and BuyBuddy. com allow for intelligent and informed purchasing decisions to be made based on product-reviews and price comparisons. As a result, consumers are more empowered and can make more informed purchasing decisions. The Internet has provided other opportunities for consumers to be empowered by providing a vehicle for complaints to be expressed to large numbers of people. An example of this includes websites that are developed to discuss how a particular company ‘sucks’. Many URL’s have been purchased that say CompanyNameSucks. om and provide an avenue for disgruntled customers to share their complaints and concerns. Over half (55%) of survey respondents report boycotting a company or product at some point in their life, with 38 percent saying they h ave used their stick as a consumer in the past 12 months. And boycotting — buying a product or service because they like the social or political values of the company which produces it — is only slightly less prevalent. Just under half (45%) report having done so at some point in their life, while 35 percent have used the consumer carrot in the past 12 months. [xx] Bad experiences for unhappy customers can quickly become devastating experiences for a company’s image.This demonstrates that consumers have the opportunity to become more engaged and influential through the opportunities for interaction that the Internet provides. Because 85% of teens in Canada have Internet access and are online for over 9 hours per week[xxi], young people are especially in a position to become empowered consumers, as they frequently and simultaneously combine the process of learning, working, and play/entertainment, allowing them to constantly observe and share opinions and best pr actices. 2. 11 The Need for a Holistic Perspective on Youth as Stakeholders While looking through various reports, studies, books and other secondary sources – all of which offer a variety of insights related to the interests, needs and experiences of young people, a clear research gap became evident.Much of the research that exists on young people does not involve a global perspective, and often focuses on youth in the context of consumers in order to support business decisions, or youth who are ‘at risk’ and are a segment of the population vulnerable to a variety of social problems. Rarely are youth examined in the context of having the potential to be agents of change, problem-solvers, or leaders of the information society. In addition, major studies do not involve youth in the process of survey design, which can affect the potential bias of the research. In trying to examine if and how the role of young people has changed as a result of technology, the need f or a unique study involving youth leaders and influencers from around the world who have access to technology became clear. 3. Role of Youth Survey: ObjectivesIn order to gain a deeper understanding of how the role of young people is currently perceived and how it has changed over the last 100 years, a survey was designed to explore the following: Defining Youth ? How is ‘youth’ defined? Are notions of ‘youth’ associated with positive or negative connotations? What are key differences between the perceptions of youth vs. perceptions of adults? Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Youth ? Is this generation of youth perceived to be enabled and engaged or disadvantaged and disengaged? Are they optimistic or pessimistic about the future? What other perceptions and attitudes towards youth exist and are there regional differences? Participation in Decision-Making ? How important is it for young people to be involved in decision-making?What is the current perceived level of youth participation in decision-making on local, national and global levels? The Role of Technology ? Has technology played a role in transforming the role of youth in society at large and within different organizations and institutions? What impact has technology had in transforming the role of youth? Youth As Change Agents ? Are there interesting examples of young people having a meaningful impact in their communities? If so, what factors appear to enable this to take place? What are the hopes and ideals held by today’s generation of youth leaders? What recommendations can be offered in terms of the conditions that must exist for youth to become leaders? 4. Role of Youth Survey: MethodologyThe following is an Overview of the Survey Questions: Demographic Information: for people to fill out their gender, date of birth, city, country, educational background, employment status, volunteer status and Internet usage. Defining Youth: open-ended questions about what images and phrases come to mind when they hear the word ‘youth’ and ‘adult’ and a question asking how youth is defined. Key Issues and Interests: participants were asked to identify the key issues and interests of youth in their community. They had to select from drop-down lists and rank the top 3 in order of priority. Words included: Arts, Business/Entrepreneurship, Community, Education, Employment,Environment, Friends, Fundraising, Globalization, Health, HIV and AIDS, Human Rights, Leadership, Media, Music, Peace, Political Action, Religion, Romance, Sports, Sustainable Development, Technology, Travel, Volunteering, War. Attitudinal Characteristics: respondents were asked to rate 14 statements related to whether or not people agreed or disagreed with statements about youth on a scale of 1-5. Statements explored whether or not youth are perceived to be motivated, connected to opportunities, knowledgeable, inspired, informed, skilled, interested in being involved , focused, influenced by consumer culture, supported or lacking support from adults, optimistic or pessimistic.Additional questions about education and age were asked. Role of Youth – Today: participants were asked to give their opinion on the role of youth in their community. They had to select from drop-down lists and rank the top 3 in order of priority. Words included: Students, Workers, Members, Mentors, Trend-Setters, Activists, Citizens, Victims, Leaders, Criminals, Technologists, Volunteers, Artists, Role Models, Soldiers, Children, Innovators, Peace-keepers, Consumers, Trouble-makers, Employees, Entrepreneurs Participation in Decision-Making: a question about the importance of being able to participate in decision-king was asked (on a scale of 1-5).The second part of this question asked how involved young people are in decision-making on local, national and global levels for Business, Government and Non-Profit Organizations. Meaningful Impact: participants were asked to identify an example of how a youth within their community was effective at having a meaningful impact. Role of Youth – Historically: respondents were asked to identify whether or not the role of youth has changed over the past 100 years, and if so, has it been positive or negative. The response was based on a scale of 1-5. They then explained their response. Impact of Technology: respondents were asked to identify whether or not technology impacted youth in their community, and if so, if the impact has been positive or negative.They were given a scale of 1-5 and were then asked to explain their answer. Creating Change: A series of open-ended questions were asked about how survey respondents would create change in the world, their country, and the role of youth in their community, along with what conditions need to exist for youth to become leaders 4. 1 Promotion of Survey On December 23, 2002, the survey was sent out to over 15,000 people from over 190 countries. There wer e a variety of ways in which the survey was promoted. An automated, personalized e-mail was sent out to all members of the TakingITGlobal online community (which included over 13,000 people from over 190 countries at the time).The e-mail explained that as a ‘valued member of TakingITGlobal’, they were invited to participate in an ‘online survey to help determine their view on the role of youth in society’. The e-mail stated that it would take approximately 10 minutes to complete and that all of the information shared would be kept confidential and anonymous (meaning that their name would not be used without their permission). Although the survey was completely voluntary, an incentive for participating included having their name entered into a draw to win TIG t-shirts and mouse pads. In addition, each survey respondent would receive a free electronic copy of the final results once compiled.All survey participants were given until January 21st 2003 (approxima tely 4 weeks) to fill out the survey. In order to avoid an overwhelming amount of replies to the e-mail, the letter was signed from TakingITGlobal’s Research Team as opposed to coming from a specific individual. A modified version of the e-mail invitation to participate in the Role of Youth Survey was created and sent out to all of the organizations listed in the TakingITGlobal organizations database (over 1,000), along with youth mailing lists for various organizations and youth caucuses, and other personal networks. People were invited to pass the information along and invite others to participate in the survey.In order to maintain high levels of integrity, survey participants did not need to become a member of TakingITGlobal in order to fill out the survey, and did not need to fill out their name. If they were interested in receiving a copy of the final results, they were invited to provide their e-mail address. It is important to note that due to the nature of how the sur vey was promoted, all survey respondents have access to the Internet and are connected to existing networks that attract youth who are engaged. Thus, there exists some bias in the sample of survey respondents. In addition, there was no age restriction in order to participate which means that people of all ages were invited to fill out the survey, which was done for the purposes of comparison between different age groups.The views, opinions and perspectives that have emerged as a result of the survey findings are not a representation of international youth in its entirety, but rather, a reflection from a targeted sample of engaged youth who have some access to the Internet and are able to read and write English. With this in mind, based on the goals and objectives of this study, it is an appropriate audience to survey as the focus is on trying to better understand the views and perspectives of youth who have access to technology. If there were greater resources available for this stu dy, an offline component would exist and the survey would also be made available in multiple languages. This may be something to consider as a follow-up opportunity in the future.Once the survey responses were sent in through the online survey application, Martin Kuplens-Ewart exported the compiled responses into various files for analysis. The quantitative responses were sent in SPSS format for graphs and frequency tables to be generated. The extensive qualitative responses were formatted and printed in charts and tables. 4. 2 Analysis of Survey Results The process of analyzing the survey data was far more extensive, complex, lengthy and overwhelming than what was initially expected. A variety of people were involved as part of the research team in order to assist in the initial process of compiling, reviewing and making sense of various sections of the survey.A special thanks goes to Noor Alibhai, Jacob Bleakley, Hugh Switzer and Huss Banai who were all part of the research team a t TakingITGlobal. Much of their involvement was in the initial phase of reviewing the thousands of responses which were given for the various qualitative questions. They helped sort responses into various categories and tallied up similar responses in order to generate graphs which provide a glimpse at the nature of the responses. Once initial pie charts were generated, the results were discussed as a team and I was able to continue further analysis. The following is an overall break-down of the data analysis process: ? Phase 1 – PowerPoint Presentation Including Initial GraphsThe program used to analyze the quantitative survey results was the SPSS Educational Version. After an initial tutorial session with Joseph Amati who has a lot of experience in working with SPSS, a 44 page PowerPoint presentation was put together with support from Noor, which included graphs for each of the survey questions. The deck of slides was presented to advisors for feedback. The key learning was that all the labels which included N/A or 0 as the description needed to either be removed or modified. In most cases, the information provided by this column was one that reduced the quality and overall effectiveness of the graphs. This decision meant that all the graphs needed to be regenerated.Various other lessons were learned including analysis of frequency tables. ? Phase 2 – Regional and Age Break-Down of Graphs After a great deal of experimentation and technical support from Martin at TIG, appropriate labels were modified and new forms of categorization was implemented within the survey file to allow the data to be sorted by region and age. Graphs were regenerated for each of the questions in order to include the appropriate break-down. All of the new graphs compiled were put together in a Final Results word document. Since Microsoft Word and SPSS are not entirely compatible, a lot of time was wasted in regenerating and reformatting new graphs for the final results d ocument.In addition, certain graphs involved greater levels of complexity. Those questions which asked survey respondents to rank words on order of priority involved three sets of data which had to be added up in Excel prior to being able to generate the graph. Appropriate steps were taken to generate these graphs for global and regional responses. ? Phase 3 – Qualitative Results Initial Categorization of Responses ? In total, the survey involved over 10 open-ended qualitative questions which each had their set of over 1,000 responses per question. The overwhelming amount of data collected through these questions involved extensive hours of interpretation and results compilation.The first phase of this process involved a team of researchers from TakingITGlobal tackling a specific question and developing different categories for the responses based on frequent responses. The categories established are quite subjective and as different people were involved in the process, certa in categories were modified. Initially, a larger ‘other or inapplicable’ section existed for the various categories. A second review of questions involved breaking-down the ‘other’ responses into further sub-categories in attempt to further identify key patterns and occurrences. In addition to categorizing responses and generating pie graphs in Excel to reflect the overall responses, a series of summaries were created for each of the qualitative questions.Each summary included a description of the category identified and a general overview of the responses that were placed in the category. Beneath the description included a few selected quotes which offered a general idea of the types of responses included within the identified category. A variety of challenges were encountered throughout this process, including the fact that many responses could have easily been placed in multiple categories. To adequately deal with this challenge, in the final tally, they were often placed in both categories and the total number increased. In the final graphs, the ‘other’ category has been removed from the pie chart in order to leave room for smaller categories which emerged from the initial other category.Rather than view the final pie charts as conclusive or statistically accurate, it is important to see them from the perspective of general categories of responses from highest to lowest frequency. ? Phase 4 – Advice, Suggestions and Feedback from Advisors The compiled graphs for quantitative results and qualitative survey results summary pages became the first version of the Final Results document which was 60 pages. This document was then shared with a variety of advisors including Robert Bernard and Shelly Smith from DCODE, a strategy and market research firm based in Toronto. A variety of suggestions and recommendation were provided by D*CODE in order to strengthen the overall impact of the survey results. Many lessons were learned through the feedback shared.Some of the advice was integrated; however after then speaking to my academic advisor, I was able to distinguish which changes were most appropriate to make for the purposes of my final report. One of the suggestions made included grouping the age categories differently in order to have fewer categories. The suggested age groupings include 14-19, 20-24, 25-30 and 31+. This proposed grouping addresses a few issues. Since there is a very small sample under the age of 14, it eliminates their responses from the results. Since youth is defined as up to the age of 31 and there are a smaller number of respondents over the age of 31, it helps to create one category of ‘adult’ or the purposes of comparison. This change was not made due to time constraints and in order to avoid over-simplifying the results. Another suggestion included removing the ‘neutral’ responses from graphs and clumping the ‘somewhat’ and ‘v ery’ categories together. Although this would have helped to provide clearer contrast between how the responses were weighted, it would have also reduced opportunities of noticing situations where many people were ‘neutral’, which is an observation in itself. In reviewing the charts which identify the top issues and concerns of youth, D*CODE suggested that it would be helpful to have them listed from the highest to lowest priority.Additional tables were created which identify the top 10 issues in each region in order of highest to lowest. In addition, percentages were added on existing bar graphs. Another major distinction was made between what was necessary to include in the results compared to the discussion about the results. The results of the survey are presented in the order that the questions were asked. Each graph includes a brief description. The discussion of the results is categorized in a way that makes the most overall sense, especially in terms of t he flow. In addition, only the most interesting patterns, trends and observations are highlighted in the discussion about the results. ? Phase 5 – In-Depth Reflection and Analysis of Qualitative ResponsesThe amount of qualitative responses meant that several ‘passes’ at reviewing the data were necessary. Members of the research team who were initially involved with analyzing particular questions were involved in a discussion about the results and each had an opportunity to present their findings to one another in front of an audience of other TakingITGlobal staff members. As a group, general patterns and trends were discussed and further areas of exploration were identified. After that, I spent quite some time re-reading and reviewing all of the raw qualitative results along with survey summaries. I tried to extract patterns and conclusions from the categories f responses, to better explain the impact of the data. A variety of new charts and summaries were develo ped for questions based on an additional review through the various responses to qualitative questions. These were then shared with a few other groups of people for feedback. ? Phase 6 – Written Descriptions for All Graphs Presented in Final Results After evaluating the many graphs included in the report, I looked through the data in greater detail and produced written descriptions to accompany the graphs, both to provide additional information and insight, but also to help the reader more quickly discover the wealth of data each chart had to communicate.Throughout this process, certain graphs were regenerated in order to further improve the quality of labels, the ability to view responses from both age and regional break-downs, and to include percentages where appropriate on selected graphs. ? Phase 7 – Review Final Results for Key Findings ? With the final compilation of updated graphs, descriptions and survey response summaries, a comprehensive overview of the Final Results document took place. With the editing assistance of Hussein Banai and Michael Furdyk, this final report was created. 4. 3 Demographic Profile of Survey Respondents Region: The Role of Youth Survey involved a total sample of 1443 respondents from 126 countries. The majority of respondents reside in North America (29. %) and Africa (27. 4%). There were 16. 9% of respondents from Asia and the Middle East, 14. 3% of respondents from Europe, 7. 1% from Oceania and 4. 3% from South and Central America. Gender: A higher number of respondents were male (58. 7%) compared to female (38. 7%). There were notably more female respondents compared to male respondents in North America and Oceania, whereas in Africa, there were a greater number of male participants. This may be because it is less culturally appropriate for women to have access to computers in Africa. Age: A larger number of survey respondents were under the age of 30 (75%) compared to those who are age 30 and over (25%).Thi s is likely because the survey was about youth and was promoted throughout many networks that are specifically intended to connect youth. The average age (mean) of the sample was 26 years old. Employment Status: The majority of survey respondents are currently employed (63. 7%), while 36. 4% are unemployed. Many of those who identified themselves as unemployed are in the under 25 age-group, while those with a job are mainly in the 26 and up age category. Volunteer Status: There was a relatively even number of respondents who identify themselves as volunteers (53%) compared to non-volunteers (47%). There were more volunteers in the under 30 age category compared to the 31 and up age category.Educational Status and Background: Only 40% of the respondents identify themselves as students compared to 59% of respondents who are not currently students. The are a higher number of respondents who identify themselves as students in the 16-20 age category. The survey sample is fairly educated in the sense that they are literate, they are able to speak and write in English (many also speak other languages fluently), and a large number of respondents have completed primary and secondary education. 55. 2% of respondents have completed or are attending University or College and 20. 9% of respondents have completed or are pursing Post Graduate Studies.Online Activity: All survey respondents have basic access to the Internet, whether it be through an Internet cafe, library, school, work or home computer. 46% of the respondents stated that they are online between 1-10 hours per week. 22. 9% of respondents are online between 11-20 hours and 24. 5% are online for more than 21 hours each week. When asked what they do online, they key reoccurring themes involved communication, research & information searching (including working on projects and employment), music, games & entertainment. The following is a summary of the major online activities respondents are involved in: †¢ Co mmunication: Almost every response made reference to checking e-mail, if not instant messaging and/or chat room use. †¢ Research and information:Most users identified reading various newspapers, searching background information on their interests and using online information resources to aid completion of their work and/or homework as frequent uses. †¢ Work – on projects, employment: Work was often cited as NGO involvement, general employment and the development and maintenance of personal web-pages. †¢ Music, games and entertainment: On-line time is shared among downloading music, playing games and generally related to any other media/entertainment purposes. 5. Defining Youth In looking at how the concept ‘youth’ is defined, there are different notions and interpretations that can be grouped into three major areas.The most common conceptions present youth in the context of having bountiful energy, a sense of leadership, curiosity and vision for th e future. â€Å"Period of the life when we are still dreaming;† said a 30-year-old male, Skopje, Macedonia. Just over half of the survey respondents expressed that ‘youth’ is defined by the age of a person; with most of the respondents in the 13-30 age-group. The next major interpretation of how youth are defined was expressed through various personality characteristics and outlooks on life. â€Å"Vivacious, full of energy, want to make a mark in life, impulsive and one who are not scared to take risks;† said a 19-year-old female, Pune, India. Many descriptions shared by survey respondents clearly define ‘youth’ in a positive and idealistic light.The third major category defining youth focuses on the particular life stage that people are situated in while in transition from being dependents to being independent. â€Å"A person who is starting to enjoy freedom for the first time†¦;† said a 26-year-old male, Harare, Zimbabwe. A key t heme that is frequently repeated throughout this stage of transition is the freedom and lack of constraints that exist compared to older adults who are weighed down by greater responsibilities and societal pressures. Societal institutions develop various mechanisms to train and nurture the development of young people who are at a life stage that allows them to be open-minded, free-spirited, creative and imaginative.There exists a clear correlation between the social conditioning of young people who need to prepare to become adults and the aspirations of adults to re-connect with their ‘youthful creative energy’ in an age where creativity and innovation are highly valued and a scarce resource in large bureaucratic institutions. However, there is both a strong contrast and a connection that exists between notions of ‘youth’ and ‘adult’. A common thread is that both involve age as part of the definition. The following chart highlights the contrast that exists between the most frequent expressions that emerged in response to the questions ‘What words, images and phrases come to mind when you hear the word ‘youth’ and then asked the same question for ‘adult’: Associations with the word ‘Youth’ |Associations with the word ‘Adult’ | |Lack wisdom, need guidance |Caregivers, Standard Setters | |Dreamers, Visionary, Hope for the Future |Critical, Dream-Killers, Few Idealists | |Freedom, Experimentation, Playfulness |Burdened, Busy, Responsibilities | |Open-Minded, Flexible, Innovative |Rigid-Thinking, Stuck, Conservative | |Rebellious, Free-spirited |Professional and traditional | |Innocence, Naive, Potential |Greedy,Corrupt, Selfish | |Disadvantaged, Vulnerable, Unheard Voice |Decision-Makers, Positions of Authority | In reflecting on the nature of the responses to this question, it is important to note that the overall perceptions of ‘adults’ are negative com pared to perceptions of ‘youth. ’ This bias may exist as a result of the sample size which involved 75% of people under the age of 30. It is possible if more adults were surveyed, especially those adults who are less involved and connected to youth networks, there may have been more negative categories for youth. It is also important to keep in mind that certain words and phrases can have both a positive and negative interpretation.For example, depending on the context of the situation, being rebellious can be seen as something that involves creating trouble or struggling towards positive change. Being a dreamer may imply that one has a strong sense of imagination while at the same time, having the potential of being caught up in a fantasy which is never actualized. A variety of the characteristics which describe adults involve ideals which youth often aspire towards attaining such as being a decision-maker or someone in a position of authority. These are perceived atti tudes however there may be more instances where adults feel powerless and that they are not in a position to make decisions. This may help to explain the sense that people have of ‘adults’ being busy and burdened with responsibilities.Overall, there appears to be an interesting generational relationship and potential communication gap that exists which involves both tension and aspiration. The survey results suggest that ‘youth’ can be a great source of energy, vision, hope and potential, while at the same time being vulnerable, voiceless and rebellious. The results also demonstrate that although ‘adults’ can be conservative, critical and rigid in their thinking, ultimately, they are relied on as care-givers, decision-makers and sources of knowledge and authority. The challenge for youth is to find their voice and become empowered without losing their sense of spirit and optimism.The challenge for adults is in finding ways to handle increasing amounts of responsibility and power in a way that doesn’t exclude, ignore or disengage youth, while also reconnecting their own sense of youth. While exploring and more deeply understanding the role of young people in the context of today’s society, it is important to note that generational barriers have existed and persisted throughout the course of history. It is possible that this generation of youth will have greater opportunities to empower themselves to have a voice as a result of the many forums which are emerging, however it is also clear that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in order to allow for positive intergenerational partnership.When we asked the survey respondents to identify the role that they saw youth having within their communities, the most common response across all regions was youth having the role of the student. This makes sense for a variety of reasons. Those participating in the survey are either currently students or have g raduated and feel that since a great deal of time as a young person is spent on learning, whether it be in school or in other contexts such as the home or workplace, it is appropriate that the role Role of Youth The role of youth in realising the dreams of Dr. Kalam â€Å"Dream, dream, dream, your dreams will transform into thoughts, thoughts lead to honest work, work results in action and you will succeed† has been rightly said by Dr. Abul Pakir Jainul Abideen Abdul Kalam. Dreams can be accomplished by youth as they have commitment to action. To quote Jean Ingelow â€Å"Youth! Youth! How buoyant are the hopes; they turn, Like marigolds, towards the sunny side†.Students’ life is meant for studies to become true and responsible citizens, formidable leaders and esteemed legislators as India entails such intellectually alert and adroit disciples. A nation of disciplined youth can travel in the path of progress. They play a crucial mantle in the endeavours for equality and justice. They must assimilate from the very beginning- the lessons of self-help, self-reliance and self-sacrifice. Youth should be jawans and take up arms against the corrupted people and spill the beans o n to the public so as no person ever never has the nerve to indulge in any illegal activities.As sizeable part of Indians are unscholarly and backward who are unknown regarding the new-fangled evolutions, the allegiance falls on us to empower and bring perception to them with latest trends, technologies and scientific inventions. As Shankaracharya says, â€Å"The springs of patriotism are deep rooted in Indians†, we should show it beyond the desire. â€Å"Janani janma bhoomischa swargad api gariyasi† said lord Sri Rama to Lakshmana when the latter, attracted by the opulence of Lanka, expressed an ardent desire to settle down there. Your mother land, great or not, are forsooth greater than a paradise. † Hence, we should comprehend that our mother land is the only place where we can reach maximum glory and recognition. We should also look for jobs within the country and strive for its progress. We must play a paramount role in safeguarding our country by involving ourselves in politics. We are the best judges as we have mentally matured minds to differentiate between good and bad which is prevailing in the society.India being the country of many races, languages, religions and beliefs we should have unity. Thus, said Mark Twain â€Å"India is the cradle of human race, the birth place of human speech, the mother of human history, the grandmother of legend and the great grandmother of tradition†. But despite of this diversity the social structure there has been an unstable unity and affinity which had bound the people of this vast country into a well-knit nation throughout its chequered history.The requisite of maintaining this unity in diversity and national integration is all the more indispensable. We should make people inculcate the ideal â€Å"One flag, one nation, one land, one hand, one heart, evermore! † which eventually leads the country to the pinnacle of success. Women constitute the most pivotal role for the upliftment of our country. The strength of our country depends on them. â€Å"Next to God we are indebted to women first for life itself and then for making it worth living. We should accept equal participation of women in all fields to make the country economically amiable. We should all create a nation which is one of the best places to live in and which brings smiles to the billion faces and also to realize the dreams of our former President, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, a dynamic and versatile person. Therefore, always be ready to walk in the unexplored path as to succeed in life everyone must understand and master three mighty forces- desire, belief and expectation.

Thomas Hobbes State of Nature

Thomas Hobbes’ â€Å"State of Nature† argument: Morality as a prerequisite for peaceful social co-existence I have chosen to write about what Thomas Hobbes’ calls â€Å"The State of Nature† and how morality is needed in order to maintain peace among different societies. I will begin by briefly describing â€Å"The State of Nature† argument and illuminate some of the basic features within this theoretical situation. Then, through the use of excerpts from Hobbes’ book The Leviathan I will give specific facts regarding the conditions of human life as expressed within the state of nature.Next, I will demonstrate how these specific facts caused Hobbes’ to conclude that human life within the state of nature will be ruled by constant fear of other people, otherwise known as the â€Å"state of war†. I will then offer solutions for individuals to escape such an unpleasant situation because the majority of humans would find that life unde r constant fear of being harmed is unacceptable. Next, I will discuss James Rachels’ beliefs concerning the two fundamental conditions that would ultimately allow people to escape the state of nature by enabling individuals to work together.Lastly, I will explain why by putting these two fundamental conditions in place it amounts to an agreement, known as the social contract, between people to obey the basic rules of morality; I will also define the term social contract. The state of nature argument suggests that people would naturally do whatever was necessary to obtain their wants and desires without considering the consequences of their actions; there are no innate moral values that control people’s actions nor is there pure good or evil.Hobbes’ writes that morality solves the issue of societies’ tendency of self-interest and is needed in order to promote a healthy, peaceful environment for all people (Rachels, 80). Hobbes’ believed that life in this manner would be short, hard, and nasty. He dreaded a life in which there would be â€Å"no industry, no society, no commodities, no letters, no arts, and no account of time† (Rachels, 81/Excerpt from The Leviathan). There are four basic facts about life which according to Hobbes’ would make life awful; they are the equality of need, scarcity, the essential equality of human power, and limited altruism (Rachels, 81).More specifically, these four facts highlight that all humans require the same basic things in order to survive such as food and shelter however the world is not equipped with the proper amount of these needed resources to supply all beings with and no one individual is entitled to a larger share of these goods than another human being because everyone is capable of being overpowered or outsmarted; lastly, this poses an issue because everyone will put the needs of themselves above others in times of conflict so all human beings must be able to stand up for themselves.No one person is ever more powerful than another human being however a person’s desire to power others poses a major concern; Hobbes’ believes that human life within the state of nature will be ruled by constant fear of others. Hobbes’ states that the worst result, stemming, of the state of nature argument is the â€Å"continual fear and danger of violent death† (Rachels, 81/Excerpt from The Leviathan). Hobbes maintained that the constant back-and-forth mediation between the emotion of fear and the emotion of hope is the defining principle of all human actions. Either fear or hope is present at all times in all people.In a famous passage of Leviathan, Hobbes states that the worst aspect of the state of nature is the â€Å"continual fear and danger of violent death. † In the state of nature, as Hobbes depicts it, humans intuitively desire to obtain as much power and â€Å"good† as they can, and there are no laws preventing the m from harming or killing others to attain what they desire. Thus, the state of nature is a state of constant war, wherein humans live in perpetual fear of one another. This fear, in combination with their faculties of reason, impels men to follow the fundamental law of nature and seek peace among each other.Peace is attained only by coming together to forge a social contract, whereby men consent to being ruled in a commonwealth governed by one supreme authority. Fear creates the chaos endemic to the state of nature, and fear upholds the peaceful order of the civil commonwealth. The contract that creates the commonwealth is forged because of people’s fear, and it is enforced by fear. Because the sovereign at the commonwealth’s head holds the power to bodily punish anyone who breaks the contract, the natural fear of such harm compels subjects to uphold the contract and submit to the sovereign’s will.