Dayton EDC 568 - GENERAL AND INTERPERSONAL MATTERING

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1 ADOLESCENT GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PERCEIVED GENERAL AND INTERPERSONAL MATTERING Thesis Submitted to The School of Education and Allied Professions of the UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree Educational Specialist in School Psychology By Rachel Paputsakis UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON Dayton, OH March, 20082 APPROVED BY: ___________________________________________ Dr. Sawyer Hunley3 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………………….5 LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………………………...6 ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………………………………7 CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………………………….8 Purpose of the Study …………………………………………………………………….8 Significance ……………………………………………………………………………...8 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ……………………………………………………………….11 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………...11 Defining Mattering ……………………………………………………………………...12 Mattering Instruments.…………………………………………………………………...12 Mental Health……..……………………………………………………………………...14 Demographic Differences…………………………………………………………….….15 Employment and Education……………………………………………………………...18 III. METHODS ……………………………………………………………………………...20 Participants ………………………………………………………………………………xx Materials ………………………………………………………………………………...xx Design …………………………………………………………………………………..xx Data Collection ………………………………………………………………………….xx Instruments ………………………………………………………………………………xx Data Analysis ……………………………………………………………………………xx IV. RESULTS ……………………………………………………………………………….xx V. DISCUSSION …………………………………………………………………………...xx Extraneous Variables ……………………………………………………………………xx Considerations …………………………………………………………………………...xx VI. CONCLUSIONS ………………………………………………………………………..xx4 APPENDICES …………………………………………………………………………………xx A. Parent Consent for Son or Daughter to Participate ………………………………...xx B. Mattering to Others Questionnaire …………………………………………………xx C. General Mattering Scale …………………………………………………………...xx REFERENCES …………………………………………………………………………………xx5 LIST OF FIGURES6 LIST OF TABLES7 ABSTRACT ADOLESCENT GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PERCEIVED GENERAL AND INTERPERSONAL MATTERING Name: Paputsakis, Rachel University of Dayton Advisor: Dr. Susan D. Gfroerer The purpose of this thesis was to determine the effect that gender differences have on perceived general and interpersonal mattering when concerning their teachers, friends, and parents. A sample of 200 adolescent students between the ages of 15 and 17 (??? Males and ??? females) were administered the General Mattering Scale and the Mattering to Others Questionnaire to determine the extent to which they believe they matter to others. The results indicated that ???8 CHAPTER I Introduction In 1981, Rosenberg and McCullough developed and began exploring a concept called mattering. Mattering has been clearly defined as the feeling that one is significant to others (Marcus, 1991a; Rosenberg & McCullough, 1981; Shieman & Taylor, 2001). Over the years, studies have shown that adolescents who perceive they matter generally demonstrate a greater sense of psychosocial well-being (Dixon Rayle, 2004; Marshall, 2001; Rosenberg & McCullough, 1981; Rosenberg, 1985). For this particular study, the researcher will be looking at how one perceives they matter to others. According to Marshall (2001), perceived mattering is the psychological tendency to assess the extent to which an individual feels they are important to a specific other. In recent studies, gender has been looked at as one aspect that might influence perceived mattering (Dixon Rayle, 2005; Dixon Rayle & Chung, 2007; Marshall, 2001; Rosenberg, 1985; Schieman & Taylor, 2001). Among the few existing studies of mattering that have taken gender differences into consideration, the results have been inconsistent. Specifically, Rosenberg (1985) indicated that there were no gender differences, while Marshall (2001), Dixon Rayle (2005), Dixon Rayle and Chung (2007), and Schieman and Taylor (2001) purposed that gender differences were evident in their studies. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this research was to determine if there were gender differences in perceived interpersonal and general mattering. The General Mattering Scale (GMS) and the Mattering To Others Questionnaire (MTOQ) were used to test the hypothesis that there are gender differences in mattering (Marcus, 1991a: Marshall, 2001).9 Significance of the Study The way that students perceive they matter to their friends, parents, and teachers can have a huge impact in their lives. In fact, one study suggests that adolescents who feel they do not matter are often vulnerable to serious thoughts of self-destruction (Elliot, Colangelo, & Gelles, 2005). In the past, research on adolescence and mattering has been understudied ( Dixon Rayle & Myers, 2004). Although we may offer


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Dayton EDC 568 - GENERAL AND INTERPERSONAL MATTERING

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