This thesis is a sociological investigation into Aberdeen’s ‘boy racer’ culture and the reaction it has provoked amongst various outside groups.  Ethnographic research was conducted which included participant observation and semi-structured interviews with members of the subculture.  The attitudes of outside groups were explored though semi-structured interviews with police officers, journalists, residents and politicians; and content analysis of media articles, council reports and statistics.  The first strand of the research involves an exploration of the internal dynamics of the ‘boy racer’ culture.  Here, I explore the rituals engaged in by members of the culture which include car modification, subcultural media and events, their appropriation of public space and the quest for celebrity status.  The thesis also addresses the role of gender within a male-dominated culture.  Conflict within the subculture is also explored using the notion of respectability.  Participants viewed themselves as respectable members of the culture in contrast to the ‘rough racers’.  This respectability related to the pride they took in their cars and driving skills, and their adherence to societal laws and subcultural norms.  In the second strand of the thesis I argue that the reaction to Aberdeen’s ‘boy racer’ culture is evidence of a local moral panic.  The threat posed by the drivers’ presence at Aberdeen’s seafront was exaggerated and distorted by members of the outside groups, including in particular, the local media.  Moreover, the moral panic concerning deviant driving practices by youths was institutionalized through the use of powers under the Antisocial Behaviour etc.(Scotland) Act 2004.  Members of the culture in Aberdeen attempted to distance themselves from the ‘boy racer’ label and instead viewed themselves as car modifiers or enthusiasts.  Ironically, the space used to express their opinions – their own forms of subcultural media, also became the focus of the moral panic.

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Thesis (M.Ed.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland (Canada), 2000. / Adviser: Norm Garlie. Includes bibliographical references.

Research conducted during the 1990s revealed that video games increasingly represent the medium through which children are first exposed to technology, that early gaming can enhance future technological literacy, and that girls tend to play video games less frequently than boys. These findings preceded efforts by feminist entrepreneurs, followed by established video game producers, to develop ‘girl games.’ Such ‘girl-centred,’ ‘girl-friendly,’ and girl-targeted video games now represent a lucrative branch of the contemporary video game industry. In this project, I utilized a multi-method approach to explore how ‘the ideal teen girl’ is re/constructed in three tween-airned ‘girl games.’ My discourse analysis of the ‘dominant’ messages in the games includes an examination of various available feminine subject positions, and how ‘race,’ class, and (hetero)sexuality are implicated in these positions. My analysis of semi-structured interviews that I conducted with eight tween girls provides insight into their everyday readings of the ‘girl games.’ Unlike earlier research that framed girls as passive recipients of ‘damaging’ messages included in gendered texts, my findings suggest that the girls in my study engaged in active and diverse readings of the interactive texts. The multiple ways in which the girls recognized, identified with, resisted, and/or reworked elements of the feminine subject positions demonstrated their management of such contradictory images of ideal girlhood. According to my analysis, while several girls engaged in sceptical readings, none of the girls ultimately rejected the video game messages, or linked them to the wider social order in which they are produced, and which they work to re/produce. My research also revealed that the girls’ identification of and with the subject positions was shaped and augmented by knowledge they had gained from previous exposure to associated transmediated representations (television, movies, music, and fashion products). My research suggests that while ‘the ideal teen girl’ re/constructed for tween garners reflects contemporary notions of girlhood, as she is active and capable, she reaffirms Western standards of hegemonic femininity. The rules of play, beauty ideals, behaviours, and priorities of consumption included in the games work to re/construct White, middle class, heterogendered ‘teen femininity’ as normal and ideal.

Thesis (Ph. D.) in Psychology--University of Maine, 2002. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 146-170).

The development of media and academic debate on "the crisis in masculinity" has led to a growing focus on the lives of teenage boys. Studies done on teenage girls have revealed the physical, emotional, and educational costs of cultural expectations. It is important that similar studies be done to examine the cultural forces which influence the development of a teenage boy's sense of self. This thesis looks at one of these cultural influences---the books boys read. / Using Robert Connell's theoretical approach of hegemonic masculinity and sociologist Blye Frank's work with a group of teenage boys, criteria have been developed for collecting and categorizing images of masculinity in 103 realistic novels for young adults. These images are organized under body image, sport, other recreational proving grounds, relationships with men and women, school, and work; these are cross referenced by four areas of analysis: being male, competition, violence, and sexuality. / The second part of this thesis is concerned with using the theory of narrative discourse analysis, informed by the work of John Stephens, to examine the way in which the ideology of masculinity is mediated by narrative structure. The cultural expectations of the male characters in the novels are compared with experiences of real boys. Race, class, and cultural heritage are all discussed as emerging issues within the study. / The thesis addresses the following questions: Do books written for young adults mirror the subtlety and complexity of boys' choices? Is the ideology present in the books concentrated on reinforcing the hegemonic image? Does this literature provide a "space" for both the readers and the characters to develop their own highly relational form of masculinity? / The thesis concludes that while the images of hegemonic masculinity remain powerful, the majority of novels studied mirror the everyday struggle of real boys, and that generally, ideological statements in the selected novels move beyond reinforcing specific hegemonic images to supporting more general humanistic concerns.

Research conducted during the 1990s revealed that video games increasingly represent the medium through which children are first exposed to technology, that early gaming can enhance future technological literacy, and that girls tend to play video games less frequently than boys. These findings preceded efforts by feminist entrepreneurs, followed by established video game producers, to develop ‘girl games.’ Such ‘girl-centred,’ ‘girl-friendly,’ and girl-targeted video games now represent a lucrative branch of the contemporary video game industry. In this project, I utilized a multi-method approach to explore how ‘the ideal teen girl’ is re/constructed in three tween-airned ‘girl games.’ My discourse analysis of the ‘dominant’ messages in the games includes an examination of various available feminine subject positions, and how ‘race,’ class, and (hetero)sexuality are implicated in these positions. My analysis of semi-structured interviews that I conducted with eight tween girls provides insight into their everyday readings of the ‘girl games.’ Unlike earlier research that framed girls as passive recipients of ‘damaging’ messages included in gendered texts, my findings suggest that the girls in my study engaged in active and diverse readings of the interactive texts. The multiple ways in which the girls recognized, identified with, resisted, and/or reworked elements of the feminine subject positions demonstrated their management of such contradictory images of ideal girlhood. According to my analysis, while several girls engaged in sceptical readings, none of the girls ultimately rejected the video game messages, or linked them to the wider social order in which they are produced, and which they work to re/produce. My research also revealed that the girls’ identification of and with the subject positions was shaped and augmented by knowledge they had gained from previous exposure to associated transmediated representations (television, movies, music, and fashion products). My research suggests that while ‘the ideal teen girl’ re/constructed for tween garners reflects contemporary notions of girlhood, as she is active and capable, she reaffirms Western standards of hegemonic femininity. The rules of play, beauty ideals, behaviours, and priorities of consumption included in the games work to re/construct White, middle class, heterogendered ‘teen femininity’ as normal and ideal.

The Internet represents a relatively new phenomenon, offering players a convenient, easily accessible, and relatively anonymous gambling venue. This study explored Internet gambling in a sample of youth aged 12 to 24 years. Students in high school, CEGEP, and university were asked to report on their involvement in gambling activities both on-line and off-line. In the past 12 months, 4.6% of participants had gambled on the Internet, with higher rates among males (5.8%) compared to females (2.3%). As well, 36.6% of youth reported that in the past 12 months they had gambled on Internet 'practice' gambling sites where no money was required to play. Concerns about the possible effect of Internet gambling on youth are raised and possible future directions for research are explored.

Friend, family and global social support, peer deviance and gambling frequency were examined as predictors of gambling involvement. Analyses focused on the predictors of gambling involvement with the covariate, drug-use, removed. For the 962 college student (mean age 18.5) participants, global social support, peer deviance and gambling frequency were the best predictors of gambling involvement with drug-use removed. Although males and females both reported diminished perceived supports globally and increased peer deviance as their reported level of gambling involvement increased, females reported less perceived support from all three networks. Males did not perceive less support from friends and family as their gambling involvement increased. The social support construct provides a social contextualization for future gambling involvement investigations. One important implication of this research is that diminished global social support will need to be recognized as a significant risk factor predicting problem gambling by researchers, clinicians and politicians alike. Peer deviance will need to be recognized as a significant risk-factor for males as well as females. Males reported more gambling-related problems than females. Although peer deviance significantly increased for both males and females with greater gambling involvement, peer deviance was higher among males than females. Males perceived no diminished sense of family and friend support. However, this shift for females appears to be evidence of diminished perceived support from all sources: family and friends as well as globally. Researchers, clinicians and politicians need to be aware that adolescents and young adults are at increased risk for encountering gambling problems as gambling frequency and peer deviance affiliation increases, and social support perceived to be available globally diminishes.

As people continue to immigrate to Canada, it is becoming more important to consider the many social challenges that migrant youth face upon their arrival. The purpose of this MSW thesis was to evaluate the subjective experience of adolescents in a welcoming class who participated in a video art pilot project. Twelve adolescents were interviewed using a semi-structured qualitative format after the end of the project. They reported enjoying the group work process, discovering each other's talents and learning new skills such as how to use a video camera. All of these responses echo the goals of the Positive Youth Development model. It is hoped this study will contribute to the social work literature regarding programs for migrant youth.