The Student Stressors and Assets Survey:

An Assessment of the Developmental Assets™ of Students in the Bernards Township School District

Based on a Report Prepared By:

Kirk C. Harlow, Dr.P.H.

decisionstat@eartlink.net

Study Process

Focus on assessing the presence among students of the Search Institute’s eight developmental assets

Support—support from family, school, and community

Empowerment—valuing of young people by the community

Boundaries and expectations—clear expectations and limits

Constructive use of time—enriching activities in which young people can participate

Commitment to learning—lifelong commitment to learning and education

Positive values—guiding values for choices

Social competencies—Skills equipping young people to make effective choices

Positive identity—Sense of purpose and worth.

Questionnaire Design

25 questions drawn from Search Institute Remaining questions developed specifically for project Parental permission gotten for each student completing questionnaire Distributed in classrooms Distributed to all 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th graders

Response Rates

Table 1. Response Rates by Grade and

Gender

Grade Males Females Total

6th 56% 62% 59%

8th 31% 33% 32%

10th 77% 84% 80%

12th 48% 63% 56%

Total 53% 60% 56%

Demographic Characteristics of Respondents

Respondent Class Grade by Gender

Slightly more females than males responded, especially in the 12th grade

Student Age and Ethnicity

Student ages corresponded to the class grades

The majority of respondents were White

Other Demographic Information

85% had grades of As and Bs or better

84% lived with both parents

70% lived in current household ten or more years

Survey Results

Summary Mean Scores for Seven Developmental Asset Categories by Grade

Asset Categories

Grade in School 6th 8th 10th 12th Total

Mean Mean Mean Mean Mean

Support summary 4.1 3.8 3.7 3.9 3.9

Boundaries summary 3.8 3.7 3.6 3.4 3.6

Commitment to learning summary

4.1 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.0

Positive identity summary 4.1 3.8 3.4 3.6 3.7

Social competency summary

3.7 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.7

Positive values summary 4.0 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.8

Empowerment summary 3.2 2.8 3.0 3.0 3.0

Scores are based on a 1 to 5 point scale in which 5 is highest.

Asset 8-Constructive Use of Time through Activities

Have you participated in Athletics/Intramural sports?

Grade in School Yes No

Row N % Row N %

6th 76.9% 23.1%

8th 80.2% 19.8%

10th 80.7% 19.3%

12th 74.9% 25.1%

Total 78.3% 21.7%

If yes, how worthwhile do you think your participation was?

Not worthwhile

Somewhat

worthwhile Very worthwhile

Grade in School Row N % Row N % Row N %

6th 3.4% 22.7% 73.9%

8th 12.0% 32.6% 55.4%

10th 9.5% 29.7% 60.8%

12th 7.3% 33.0% 59.7%

Total 8.4% 30.1% 61.5%

Athletic Involvement

Alcohol Use Grade in School

6th 8th 10th 12th Total

Column N % Column N % Column N % Column N % Column N %

In the past 3 months, have you drunk

beer, wine, or “hard” liquor, not

counting religious occasions?

Never 93.6% 82.0% 39.5% 19.8% 50.1%

1 or 2 times 5.3% 11.7% 27.9% 20.6% 19.4%

3 or 4 times 0.6% 3.1% 14.4% 18.6% 11.4%

5 or more times 0.6% 3.1% 18.2% 41.1% 19.1%

In the past 3 months, how many times

have you gotten drunk?

Never 98.8% 92.1% 62.2% 40.0% 66.9%

1 or 2 times 0.0% 4.0% 18.9% 20.4% 13.8%

3 or 4 times 0.0% 1.6% 10.6% 15.7% 8.8%

5 or more times 1.2% 2.4% 8.3% 23.9% 10.6%

Drug Use Grade in School

6th 8th 10th 12th Total

Column N % Column N % Column N % Column N % Column N %

In the past year, how often used a

drug other than alcohol to get

high?

Never 98.3% 91.4% 74.2% 53.9% 73.4%

1 or 2 times 1.7% 3.8% 8.1% 14.1% 8.5%

3 or 4 times 0.0% 1.0% 4.2% 5.9% 3.7%

5 or 6 times 0.0% 1.0% 1.7% 3.1% 1.8%

More than 6 times 0.0% 2.9% 11.9% 23.0% 12.6%

Summary of Findings

There is a cause for concern about alcohol use. The results indicated higher alcohol use among students in athletics compared to others. A similar result was found in the 2005 survey. There also was an indication that some students are riding in cars in which they perceive the driver as being drunk. While parental support was high, about one-fourth of all students indicated feeling too much pressure from parents to do well. Students who felt too much pressure also indicated feeling less support from parents. About half of the students indicated getting support from teachers, but only 30% of all students indicated feeling that teachers cared about them.

Summary of Findings

Students indicated feeling that school rules were clear, but not necessarily family rules. In addition, it appeared that punishment for breaking family rules was not consistent. An inverse relationship between the clarity of family rules and involvement in risk behavior such as alcohol or drug use was found. Students indicated knowing how to set limits, but they also indicated acting without thinking. There is the potential for impulsive behavior to override self-regulatory behavior. By 10th grade over 25% of the students indicated cheating on a test two or more times in the past year. About two-thirds of 10th and 12th graders indicated copying homework two or more times in the past year.

Implications of Findings

The significant use of alcohol among students, especially among athletes, suggests that a concerted effort may be needed to address the risk associated with alcohol use among these students. The results indicate that some of the underlying factors may be related to social norms. The evidence that some students are riding in cars in which the driver is drunk suggests the need for increased efforts to prevent driving while drunk. There were clear, positive relationships between the Developmental Assets and lower involvement in risk behaviors. While many students have high scores for the assets, exploring measures that may strengthen the assets for at-risk students should be considered.

Implications of Findings

Cheating in school has become a national problem, and the

survey’s results indicate the problem is also present in these

students. It may be useful to explore approaches to reduce

cheating.

There was an identified relationship between thrill seeking and

impulse control, and high-risk behavior. Developing programs

that focus not only on resistance, but impulse control, may be

worthwhile. Targeting higher risk students, such as those with

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, may be of value.

The results of the survey, in an appropriate format, should be

made available not only to adults in the community, but also the

students. Sharing the results is empowering, and an opportunity

to open discussion about the issues examined in the survey.