RESEARCH REPORT NO. 15 "The Socially Deviant Behaviors Of Thai Adolescents " by Preeja Dhunma (1973) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bangkok Institute of Child Study was engaged during 1967 - 1971 in a study of the socially deviant behaviors of Thai adolescents, a long-term project, which attempted primarily to investigate adolescents’ and teachers’ opinions on the so-called deviant acts and also to throw light on some aspects of personality of the deviant as compared to the nondeviant as such. The full research report in Thai was divided into three parts. A presentation of each part could be summarized as follows: PART I Adolescents’ and Teachers’ Opinions on the Socially Deviant Behaviors Purpose of the Study The main purposes in the survey of adolescents’ and teachers’ opinions on the socially deviant behaviors were twofold: (1) to compile relevant data about deviant acts as perceived by teachers of the adolescents, and (2) to determine the extent of agreement and/or conflict between adolescents and teachers regarding their opinions on the deviant acts. Method of study Sixty teachers who were attending twilight courses at the College of Education, Prasarnmitr, Bangkok, were requested to recollect and record as many as possible the behavior items which they had experienced in their contacts with adolescent and they considered them to be under the socially deviant category. From reports of these teachers, items on deviant acts were compiled, and the term “socially deviant behavior” was defined accordingly as behavior that appeared to be (a) not morally right, (b) prohibited by traditions, customs, and mores of the society, (c) forbidden by rules and regulations of the institutions, and (d) against group codes but not yet against the codes of laws. Instrument On the basis of informations obtained from the teachers, a form of deviant behavior questionnaire was devised consisting of forty-five items on situations involving relationships with parents, teachers, and peers. Relationship with parents included items on reactions to parents’ reports to teachers, ways to approach parents, reactions to conflicts between householed work and school assignments, reactions to parents’ advice or remarks justifications for securing parents’ permission to go out with friends. etc. Relationship with teachers included items on ways of getting school projects done, reactions to school rules and regulations, problems of classroom discipline, service to teachers, etc. relationship with peers included items on aids given to friends, keeping appointments, repect shown to friends, mutual encouragement, care of friends, properties, etc. Each situation was designed to include only six different alternative three of whichone would choose represent one’s choice responses to the situation. Collection of Data The deviant behavior questionnaire was administered to a sample of 813 classroom teachers and a sample of 992 adolescent students in MS 3 of 15 government schools and 15 private schools in Bangkok metropolis. All respondents to the questionnaire were instructed to react to each item or situation by assigning choice orders 1, 2, and 3 respectively to the three alternatives which, on the basis of an ordinalscale, they had judged and ranked in respect to the degree of social deviancy. Analysis of Data In the analysis of data, the method of rank correlation was employed to determine agreement and/or conflict of opinions between adolescents and teachers, between male and female teachers, between government and private school teachers, between boys and girls, between government and private school sutdents, etc. Findings Adolescents and teachers were found to be in agreement on most of the situations in the questionnaire. Only some conflicts of opinions were revealed in the situations concerning schooling and classroom discipline. There were no striking conflicts of opinions between male and female teachers, between government and private school teachers, between teachers of lower and upper secondary schools. In terms of years of service it was found that the teachers in service more than thirty years had a tendency to show conflicts of opinions with others. As for adolescents in three different types of schools (boy, girl, and co-educational) there was neither age nor sex difference in their opinions on deviant behaviors in this study. PART II Creativity Krengchai, * and Leadership of the Nondeviant and the Deviant Adolescents Purpose of the Study This study was an attempt to investigate the differences in, and the relationships among, creativity, krengchai, and leadership of the nondeviant and the deviant adolescents. Mothod of study Sample A sample of 200 adolescents (53 nondeviant boys and 47 nondeviant girls; 53 deviant boys and 47 deviant girls) was drawn purposively from MS 3 students of six government schools in Bangkok metropolis. Each deviant student had been identified and selected by classrom or guidance teachers in accordance with the given criteria. Dominant characteristics that served to distinguish the deviant from the nondeviant were the following acts on the part of the deviant : (a) not dressing properly, (b) playing truant, (c) using obscene language, (d) not being interested in school lessons, (e) not being honest, (f) causing trouble either inside or outside school, and (g) behaving in such a manner that the teachers considered improper or socially deviant. Instrument The tests aministered to the sample in this study were the tests on creativity, krengchai, and leadership. Analysis of Data The statistical methods used in the analysis of data were z-test and product moment coreelation. Findings The findings of the study were the following: The nondeviant scored significantly higher on creativity than did the deviant. No significant difference in krengchai and leadership was found between the nondeviant and the deviant. There was no significant difference in creativity of the nondeviant and the deviant boys. The nondeviant girls scored significantly higher on creativity than did the nondeviant boys, the deviant boys, and the deviant girls. The deviant girls scored significantly higher on creativity than did the deviant and the nondiviant boys. The deviant boys scored significantly higher on drengchai than did the nondeviant boys, the nondeviant girls, and the deviant girls showed on significant difference in krengchai and leadership. The nondeviant girls scored significantly higher on leadership than did the deviant boys. The nondeviant boys and the deviant boys showed no significant difference in leadership. Creativity was negatively corelated with krengchai but positively correlated with leadership. No correlation was found among creativity, krengchai, and leadership. There was no linear correlation between creativity and krengchai of the nondeviant boys. Creativity and leadership of the nondeviant boys were positively correlated while creativity and krengchai of the nondeviant girls were negatively correlated. Among deviant girls a positive correlation was found between krengchai and leadership as well as between creativity and leadership. * Krenchai is a Thai concept describing the feeling and attitude of self-effacement and humbleness, involving the desire to avoid intruding upon or mebarassing others, or causing others to extend or trouble themselves. PART III Self-Concept, Anxiety, and Need for Achievement of the Nondeviant and the Deviant Adolescents Purpose of the Study The purposes of this study were to investigate the differences in, and the relationships among, self-concept, anxiety, and need for achievement of the deviant and the nondeviant adolescents. Method of study Sample A sample of 210 adolescents (70 nondeviant boys and 35 nondeviant girls; 70 deviant boys and 35 deviant girls) was drawn purposively from MS 3 students in five private secondary schools of Bangkok metropolis. Each deviant student had been identified and selected by classroom and guidance teacher in accordance with the same criteria as stated in Part II. Instrument The tests on actual self, ideal self, anxiety, and need for achievement were administered to the deviant as well as the nondeviant students. Analysis of Data The statistical operations applied to the data were z-test and product moment correlation. Findings The findings of the study showed that the nondeviant group scored significantly higher than deviant group on self-concept and need for achievement but lower on anxiety, and revealed no sex difference in self-concept and need for actievement. Negative correlation between anxiety and actual self and positive correlation between anxiety and ideal self were found in both the nondeviant and the deviant groups. However, there was no linear relationship as such among need for achievement, self-concept, and anxiety of the adolescents in this study. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SWUHOMEPAGEBack to Behavioral Science Research Institute