新时代青少年价值观的构成特征与适应功能研究

Adolescent Values and Their Relations with Adjustment in the Changing Chinese Context

在中国改革开放和社会变迁的新时代背景下,分析青少年价值观构成特征,形成有效的测量工具,并对初、高中共780名学生的价值观结构及价值观的学校和社会适应功能进行调查。结果发现:中国青少年价值观由社会平等、集体取向、遵纪守则、家庭亲情、同伴友情、超越进取、时尚潮流、享受快乐8个维度构成,问卷具有良好的信、效度;男生相对女生更认同同伴友情,初中生相比高中生更认同社会平等和家庭亲情,高中生更认同享受快乐;青少年价值观各维度对学校和社会适应的某些指标具有预测作用:对超越进取的认同可以正向预测学业成绩和学校能力;对时尚潮流的认同负向预测学业成绩和亲社会行为,正向预测学习问题;对家庭亲情的认同正向预测社会能力和亲社会行为;对同伴友情的认同正向预测同伴偏好。总体而言,新时代青少年价值观构成特征受到自身发展阶段、社会经济文化等因素的影响,研究结果有助于理解现阶段青少年健康心理发展与价值观教育之间的关系,对未来的青少年价值观教育提供了心理学的实证依据。

From early adolescence,youth develop increasingly clear values and use them as guidelines to direct their own behaviors and as criteria for judging others’behaviors.The formation and development of adolescent values largely occur in social and cultural contexts and thus are influenced by factors at multiple levels in the society.Over the past several decades,due to its massive economic reform,China has gone through dramatical changes towards a market-oriented society,particularly in urban regions.These changes likely have considerable implications for the development of values and their roles in adjustment among adolescents.Nevertheless,there is little systematic research on adolescent values and their relations with adjustment in contemporary China.This study aimed to develop a measure of adolescent values and then explore the characteristics of values and their associations with school and social adjustment in Chinese adolescents.A total of 780 junior high school(Grades 7 and 8)and senior high school(Grade 10,Grade 11)students in Sichuan province participated in the study.A self-report measure of adolescent values,the Adolescent Values Questionnaire(AVQ)was created through the iterative process of group discussions,pilot studies,and psychometric assessments such as item analyses,internal consistency analyses,exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses,and evaluations of construct and criterion validities.School adjustment was indexed by grades in academic performance and teacher ratings of school competence and learning problems.Social adjustment was indexed by peer ratings of prosocial behavior,social competence,and peer preference.The analyses of the AVQ first revealed 8 dimensions of values:Social equality,Group orientation,Rule abiding,Family wellbeing,Friendship,Self-improvement,Fashion,and Personal happiness.Boys had higher scores on Friendship more than girls.Junior high school students had higher scores on Social equality and Family wellbeing than senior high school students,and high school students had higher scores on Personal happiness than junior high school students.Correlational and regression analyses indicated that adolescent values were associated with some aspects of adjustment.Specifically,selfimprovement positively predicted academic performance and school competence.Fashion negatively predicted academic performance and prosocial behavior,and positively predicted learning problems;Family wellbeing positively predicted social competence and prosocial behavior.Finally,Friendship positively predicted peer preference.The value structure of Chinese adolescents likely reflects the interaction of individual developmental characteristics and social and cultural environments.Once formed,adolescent values may play an important role in school and social adjustment.The results of the present study help us understand the development of adolescent values in the changing Chinese society and their significance for school and social adjustment.The results are also useful in promoting education of values and the healthy growth of young people.