Abstract

Both environmental conditions and motivational factors have long been associated with variations in adolescent behavior, yet few studies have examined the ecological manner in which these phenomena are interrelated. This study was designed to explore the patterns and relationships that exist between young adolescents' personal goals, the beliefs they hold about their ability to attain these goals, and their perceptions of the responsiveness of four of their primary social contexts--their school, family, close friends, and popular culture. The relationship of these variables to the observed behavior and academic performance of youth in their school environment was also examined. The study was guided by Motivational Systems Theory , the Ford and Nichols' taxonomy of human goals and Dewey's ideas about the nature and organization of human experience. 118 individuals, ages 11 to 13, participated in the study. ;It was found that this group of preadolescents prioritized goals concerned with enjoyment and emotional well-being, physical safety, personal mastery, maintaining self esteem, and having close relationships with others. On average, these young people believed that they were usually or almost always capable of attaining the goals that were important to them. The study participants also believed that the contexts of family, friends, and the popular culture usually made this goal attainment easier. In contrast, the school context was not perceived as being highly responsive. Nevertheless, the young people believed that the adults at their school generally cared about them, and could be depended upon to be there for them. ;Patterns of behavior and levels of academic performance were strongly associated with student's perceptions of the caring, dependability, and/or responsiveness of surrounding social contexts. Those youth who were observed by their teacher as more often engaging in socially inappropriate or "off-task" behaviors tended to focus more on experiencing enjoyable physical sensations, or placed less emphasis on maintaining close personal relationships and staying safe and healthy. They also tended to perceive the school context as making it harder for them to attain their more important goals. Interest in learning activities and care taken with work corresponded with an emphasis on the goals of mastery, management, and understanding, along with perceptions that school was more responsive overall. Taken together, the results of the study provide evidence of meaningful relationships between preadolescents' perceptions of the support and responsiveness of surrounding social environments, their goal priorities, capability beliefs, academic performance, and observed behavior in school