"When we are unconscious of a thing which is constellated, we are identified with it, and it moves us or activates us as if we were marionettes. We can only escape that effect by making it conscious and objectifying it, putting it outside of ourselves, taking it out into the conscious." Carl Jung. Scheherazade is the story of Felicity who is in pursuit of a dream to become a solo violinist. As she ploughs into Year 12, she is so absorbed by her goals that she neglects her social environment: family; friends; relaxation. Sometimes she is barely conscious of their presence. At the Year 12 formal, she is forced to realise the consequences of the choices she is making. Writing Scheherazade, my first novel, was a lesson in dealing with and learning about mastering the writing process. The exegesis shows the journey of taking pieces of unconsciously/subconsciously created writing and turning them into pieces ofa deliberately crafted complex whole. Starting with a premise -If you don't pursue your dreams, you will live with regret -I found it easy to put together a character and give her a dream. Bringing in aspects of adolescent theory, I could contrast her with her friends and her parents. But all of the conflict was external and Felicity was unlikable. When I investigated other Young Adult and Junior fiction I found that I needed to bring the conflict more inside Felicity. Then I had a story.

Participation in physical activity is beneficial for multiple health outcomes, however, substantial work remains to improve understanding and promotion of this complex behaviour. Longitudinal studies offer unique insights into physical activity, as they allow examination of how participation, and the factors that are associated with participation, may change during the life-span. This thesis was based on data from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (DMHDS). The DMHDS is a birth cohort of around 1000 individuals, born in Dunedin, New Zealand between April 1972 and March 1973. Included in the three studies presented here was information obtained during assessments at birth and ages 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18,21 and 26 years. Study 1 examined tracking of participation in club sport from childhood to adulthood (7, 9, 15, 18 and 21 years). Correlation coefficients revealed low tracking (r = 0.07-0.28) of club sport participation. Summary statistics, which utilised all the longitudinal data and controlled for the influence of covariates, differed slightly with random effect models finding low tracking (Intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.23) and generalized estimating equations suggesting moderate tracking (Stability coefficient: 0.59). These findings suggest that benefits accrue from early physical activity participation for later participation. However, as tracking is only at low to moderate levels, childhood participation in physical activity should not be considered an 'inoculation' against adult inactivity. Study 2 examined associations between childhood factors (Family socioeconomic status, Family Active Recreation Orientation, Home activities, Childhood motor ability, Intelligence and Psychiatric disorder), contemporaneous factors (Parental health, Body Mass Index, VO₂max, General health, Television watching, Tobacco smoking and Alcohol use) and patterns of Persistent Inactivity, Declining participation and Persistent Activity between ages 15 and 18 years (assessed using the Minnesota Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire). Common childhood influences included Family socioeconomic status, Family Active Recreation Orientation, Home activities and Childhood motor ability. Contemporaneous measures that were associated with patterns of participation included Parental health, General health, VO₂max and Television viewing. Study 3 built on the the findings of Study 2 by investigating if factors associated with adolescent physical activity continued to influence physical activity in adulthood. With the exception of Parental health, all the factors that had been associated with adolescent patterns of physical activity were associated with non-participation in vigorous physical activity during at least one of the two adult assessments (age 21 and 26 years). Common influences for the two ages included participation in Home activities during childhood, Childhood motor ability and Persistent Inactivity during adolescence. In conclusion, the series of studies presented here provides valuable insights into patterns of physical activity from childhood to adulthood and the factors that are associated with these patterns among the DMHDS cohort. Previous findings are extended through the use of a broad range of covariates and independent variables across childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Key findings include the exploration of different techniques to describe tracking across the lifespan and the identification of factors that can usefully be targeted in early intervention programmes to support later physical activity.

<p>The aim of this study was to describe how adolescents experiences their quality of life, and to</p><p>compare if there are any differences in how they experiences their QOL depending on where</p><p>they live, big town or smaller town. The aim was also to examine how adolescents</p><p>experienced their schooling. The study is empirically, quantitative with a descriptive and</p><p>comparative design. To measure quality of life a tried and tested instrument – Life</p><p>Satisfaction Questionnaire (LSQ) was used. The questionnaire was distributed and collected</p><p>by the authors.142 students participated, 79 from the larger city and 63 from the smaller city.</p><p>The results of this study showed that adolescents, 16-19 years, rated their overall QOL as high</p><p>and that there were no significant differences between the cities regarding on how the</p><p>adolescents experienced their overall QOL. There were significant differences in some of the</p><p>sub factors. There were significant differences in the factors ”physical symptoms”, influence</p><p>of illness” and “Experience of every day meaningful activities”. Adolescents from the larger</p><p>city experienced higher levels of meaningful activities, and adolescents in the smaller city</p><p>experienced less physical symptoms and influence of illness. The results also showed that the</p><p>adolescents rated their ability to manage their studies as high, and that there were few that felt</p><p>depressed or/and bullied. The adolescents in this study felt that their schooling was</p><p>represented of both a positive and a negative adjective. Funny and instructive recurred</p><p>frequently, but also tough occurred often.</p>

Sport is an avenue for children and adolescents to improve physical skills as well as enhance their psycho-social development. Despite the benefits of sport, numerous children and adolescents choose not to be physically active. Consequently, several investigators have sought to determine why some children choose to participate in sport, while others do not. The perceived importance or value, attached to an activity is one factor that has been considered central to predicting behavioral choices in various settings. Eccles et al. (1983) have proposed a multidimensional, quantitative measure of subjective task value (intrinsic, attainment, and utility). However, qualitative differences in the sources of subjective task value for sport have yet to be investigated. Thus, the primary purpose of this study was to examine self-identified and literature-based sources of intrinsic, attainment, and utility value among male and female adolescents. A sample of 30 male and female eighth grade students, classified into subjective task value groups (high-, medium-, or low value), were selected to participate in the interview portion of this study. In general, the results confirmed the sources of subjective task value identified in the literature by Eccles et al. The results also supported Eccles et al.'s multidimensional approach to value by revealing sources unique to each component (intrinsic, attainment, utility) of value. Sources of value peculiar to the physical domain emerged, as well as gender differences within each level of value. Finally, the process of ranking both self- identified and literature-based sources of value illuminated the most salient sources for each subgroup. In sum, this study both confirmed and expanded upon Eccles's subjective task value work. The results are discussed in terms of conceptual and practical implications as well as recommendations for future research. / Graduation date: 1997

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: Cynthia Robbins, Dept. of Sociology. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Rhode Island, 2005. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 52-57).

The aim of this study was to describe how adolescents experiences their quality of life, and to compare if there are any differences in how they experiences their QOL depending on where they live, big town or smaller town. The aim was also to examine how adolescents experienced their schooling. The study is empirically, quantitative with a descriptive and comparative design. To measure quality of life a tried and tested instrument – Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (LSQ) was used. The questionnaire was distributed and collected by the authors.142 students participated, 79 from the larger city and 63 from the smaller city. The results of this study showed that adolescents, 16-19 years, rated their overall QOL as high and that there were no significant differences between the cities regarding on how the adolescents experienced their overall QOL. There were significant differences in some of the sub factors. There were significant differences in the factors ”physical symptoms”, influence of illness” and “Experience of every day meaningful activities”. Adolescents from the larger city experienced higher levels of meaningful activities, and adolescents in the smaller city experienced less physical symptoms and influence of illness. The results also showed that the adolescents rated their ability to manage their studies as high, and that there were few that felt depressed or/and bullied. The adolescents in this study felt that their schooling was represented of both a positive and a negative adjective. Funny and instructive recurred frequently, but also tough occurred often.

This study is an empirical analysis of adolescents' risk management on internet social network sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Using a survey of 935 U.S. adolescents gathered by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, I investigate the influence of offline social networks on online socialization, as well as the impact of parental and self mediation tactics on risky online information-sharing practices. Overall, the relationship between offline social network strength and online communications methods was inconclusive, with results suggesting that most teens use online communications in similar ways, regardless of offline connectedness. Some relationships were discovered between parental and individual mediation tactics and risky online information sharing, largely supporting the use of active mediation techniques by parents and informed control of shared information by individual users. User demographics had a strong effect on risky information sharing, with gender and age playing a significant role. This study also offers some suggestions for parents and policy-makers interested in the topic.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--York University, 2007. Graduate Programme in Education. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 177-183). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR32023

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 1998. / Description based on microform version. Includes bibliographical references (p. 28-29).