Factors Promoting Socialization of Adolescents

The article discusses problems of socialization that are particularly significant in adolescence, when a adolescent attempts to find his / her place and establish him / herself in the adult world. The conducted research is based on longitudinal studies and focuses on highlighting some factors that affect the process of socialization in the families of adolescents and non-formal school education.

ISSN 1392-0340 E-ISSN 2029-0551 Pedagogika / 2014, t. 116, Nr. 4 Pedagogika zational), properties of the whole socio-cultural world that reach a person through micro, macro and mezzo environments, as well as define issues that occur in socialization.
The global space that is affected by the changing new technologies, political, economic and social structures, as well as social values, attitudes and approaches influence every person, especially a child or a adolescent, who is actively involved in taking over experience and adaptation in the process of socialization.M. Lukšienė (2000) claims that "lately it has been difficult to orientate in the kaleidoscopic changes and novelties, i.e. it has been difficult to perceive the differences between facts and phenomena, as well as to perceive different processes and their purport".Consequently, one should be aware of and assess the complexity of socialization issues in its main institutions -the family and school -in the processes of social adaptation and interiorization.
Social adaptation is "the adaptation of an individual to social and cultural conditions, as well as to social roles and norms, social groups, organizations and social institutes <…>", whereas interiorization is "overtaking of social norms and values and their access to the internal world of a person" (Juodaitytė, 2002;Barkauskaitė, 1979;Schwanitz, 2001); both of them contribute to a person's activity and interaction in the family and school and help to introduce a child or a adolescent in the life of the surrounding community and the whole society.Human ability to adapt and internalize in the continuously changing social environment determines the quality of his / her life, as well as the social status in a group and a community.Hence, the process of socialization that does not create conditions to develop an ability to cooperate and internalize positive communication norms, values, etc. can lead a person to exclusion and repudiation, and thus, becoming a problem and a burden of the society (Schwanitz, 2001;Tillman, 1994;Kolominsky, 1999;Kvieskienė, 2005;Barkauskaitė, 2001 and others).
Lithuania's Progress Strategy "Lithuania 2030" (Official Gazette, No. 61-3050, 2012) and National Education Strategy for 2013-2022(Official Gazette, No. 140-7095, 2013) establish the main objectives for training and education: to develop accessibility to education and equal rights, to promote lifelong learning, to create a favourable teaching / learning environment, to develop educators' expertise, to enhance responsibility for the quality education of an individual, as well as positive management of socialization process in the macro and micro environment.Therefore, it is essential to understand that the process of socialization within the process of individual development varies at different age periods, as the individual psycho-genetic nature, socio-cultural environment and different educational priorities for the process of family and school socialization set different aims and objectives.The family is one of the most important factors determining personality development that produces a significant impact on the interiorization of value-based orientations, communication and behaviour norms, which assure successful readiness for adult life (Bajoriūnas, 1997;Arend, 1998;Berhman, 1995).
Referring to long-lasting empirical research data, A. Juodaitytė (2002) reveals the essence of the phenomenological conception of childhood and its significance in human

Pedagogika
development, auto-genesis, phylogenesis and historical-cultural context, and validates theoretical-pedagogical significance of this approach for further development of personality.According to the scholar, primary socialization occurs in the childhood, when a person absorbs and interiorizes knowledge, skills and basic provisions that are essential in daily life.
Further socialization of a person is connected to the period when other social groups, institutions and different short-term and spontaneous factors and phenomena of the surrounding environment are actively involved in education (Davis, 1994;Brim, 1994;Gučas, 1990;Barkauskaitė, 2009).
The period of adolescence is susceptible to different impacts, when it is difficult to implement the purpose of socialization, i.e. to provide conditions for every adolescent to become proactive and creative subject of social activity, to assure consistency of his / her needs with the surrounding environment and social aims for a adolescent's positive maturation (Barkauskaitė, 2009;Martišauskienė, 2004;Pikūnas, 1994;Walsch, 1998).
With regard to the studies of scientific literature on the process of education, the analysis of longitudinal research data and reflection on pedagogical activity, it is possible to claim that educational process and its achievements at every age period do not always meet the aims of the epoch both from the point of view of education and the point of view of society, since the challenges of rapid changes focus on the new educational goals pursuing for positive results.The process of socialization combines a person's activity of overtaking the values and norms of the changing society; therefore, a systematic analysis of the peculiarities of adolescents' socialization under the conditions of rapid changes (from all perspectives) is significant and essential in pursuance for a adolescent's orientation in the complex process of socialization (Barkauskaitė, 1996).
Hence, a question is raised: what is the focus of the process of adolescents' socialization, and what factors undergo most significant changes in the family and school?
The object of the research is the process of socialization of -5-8th form adolescents.The aim of the research is to explore and define the changes of some factors in the process of family and school socialization.
The objectives of the research are as follows: 1. to discuss the tendencies of socio-educational changes of the family as an educational institution in the process of adolescents' socialization; 2. to define the dynamics of the changes of adolescents' leisure activities and their participation in non-formal school activities; 3. to disclose educational opportunities of the process of adolescents' positive socialization.The research methods include comparative analysis of scientific literature and empirical research, questionnaire surveys, discussion and statistical analysis (SPSS software package).

Pedagogika
The study of 5-8th form adolescents was organized in December in the academic year 2008-2009 in cooperation with Master degree students of Education Management.Having completed the module Learners' Socialization, they accomplished pedagogical practice at school, during which they carried out a study using research methodology developed by the author of the article.They attempted at exploring factors affecting adolescents' socialization at school and in the family.984 learners constituted convenience sample.The study was conducted in the schools of Vilnius, Panevėžys, Utena and Vilnius district.
One of the conditions of positive socialization is the organization of a meaningful and significant activity of a child that would promote his / her autonomy, creativity and freedom, avoiding "being of convenience for an adult" at school and in the family.According to J. Laužikas, "not only an adult, but also a child should enter working and cultural life of cultural society… s / he should go farther and farther into the wide and big world" (Laužikas, 1993).Hence, the cognition of the processes and factors of socialization and understanding of their management open a new social and cultural space for the educational process, where a adolescent is perceived as a social individual and a member of different small social groups, the family and school community.
The individual being the most important and main element of the society establishes different social relationships, networks, groups and activities.By absorbing others' experience, social values and norms, s / he develops individual features of own personality.T. Parsons claims that a person's values, accepted norms, as well as family and school interests most often determine (or vice versa) his / her status in the society (Parson, 1964).The roles, likewise values and interests, undergo certain changes; therefore, socialization is also defined as a process of the dialectical interaction of an individual with his / her social environment when his / her powers and possibilities are implemented.The most powerful factors of socialization are parents, family, class, school, friends and mass media.The data collected by T. Parson and others (1995) and the analysis of the current research data prove that they are the most significant social factors affecting the process of socialization in the formation of a personality.
Solution of socialization issues attracts considerable attention of scientists in various fields of science.Its significance for personal becoming, especially in the period of adolescence which is recognized as the most complicated and complex period in the educational process, is acknowledged by all scholars.
A number of scholars (A.Maslow, C. Rodgers, H. Lijmets, A. Ananyev, S. Suchomlinsky, Schultz, L. Vygotsky, K. F. Tillman, A. Pollard, L. Jovaiša, J. Laužikas, A. Šerkšnas, V. Valickas, G. Kvieskienė, A. Aramavičiūtė, E. Martišauskienė, B. Bitinas and others) are convinced that a adolescent's personality is developed exclusively through genuine and practical relationships with his / her parents, family and peers.The personality, his / her viewpoints, orientation, aims, etc. develop depending on how a adolescent satisfies his / her needs of communicating with the family and peers.The studies carried out by the author from 1972-1973 to 2009 show that the level of the satisfaction of commu- Pedagogika nication needs largely depends on interpersonal relationships within the family, i.e. on the position of a child or adolescent in the system of family relationships, which is later assumed at school or in a group (Barkauskaitė, 2001).
There is a shortage of conceptual and thorough research on personal relationships of adolescents that are not planned but rather foreseen by adults, their dynamics, changes and determinant factors, adolescent groups, as well as forms and ways of spending their leisure (Lijmets, 1970;Rean, Kolominsky, 1999).
The author of the current article was the first to explore this issue in Lithuania.The current research data shows that there is a connection between the position of a adolescent in the family, in the class, in a group of friends and his / her progress, negative attitude to learning, school and participation in small (elemental) groups whose activity ranges from positive to delinquent (Barkauskaitė, 2001;Berns, 2006;Pollard, 2006).
The scientific research was started in 1972-1973 and was conducted every five years till 1998-1999 by making a survey of 5-8th formers.The research was repeated in the academic year 2008-2009 and aimed at identifying the socio-pedagogical change of the analyzed issues.A deeper insight into some issues of adolescents' participation in family and non-formal school education that affected their socialization demonstrated considerable changes in the field of analysis.
The analysis of research data revealed certain tendencies in the changes of family structure: there were a growing number of families having one child and single-parent families, there were more adolescents grown up by grandparents or other relatives, as well as growing alone or with siblings.Since the family is the main institution of personality education, it is possible to state that changes within a family undoubtedly determine individual changes of children, as every member of a family is an active element of a uniform family system.Continuous communication of family members encourages them to exchange values, provisions, ideas, behaviour norms, habits and interests that determine a learner's progress, behav-  (Ashman, 1993).The data of the current research confirmed this fact, whereas conversations with the respondents demonstrated that positive provisions and relationships, as well as acquired strategies of overcoming difficulties contributed to the successful solution of the incurred problems.This can also be attributed to the tendency of families growing up one child that raise new problems in the process of education.
It is believed that family economic conditions affect the quality of a child's learning, his / her creativity, value-based provisions, interests, prospective professional career, etc.; therefore, the respondents' economic conditions and their changes were explored.The size of the living place, ways of spending holidays, the quantity and diversity of material valuables, the size of family library, etc. were taken as the criteria of economic conditions.Analysis of research results revealed that the conditions of learners' living conditions were improving.

Pedagogika
Having no precise qualitative or quantitative data to validate the gained statistics, it can be assumed that the process of urbanization was rather active and it lead to the changes in the lifestyle and living conditions of people.This is confirmed by the commentaries of fourth and fifth form respondents: "the father has brought it; my grandpa built it, bought it; my mum got it", etc.
The place for spending holidays or leisure time and forms of activity are significant for the family and adolescents.
The data of the conducted research revealed that the place and forms of spending holidays was changing over years.The highlighted tendencies of spending holidays reflect processes that necessitate for further exploration of adolescents' activity when visiting their grandparents, relatives or staying at home.
It is noteworthy that the number of adolescents working during their holidays is increasing.It is believed that this helps to avoid pointless waste of time that is directly related to juvenile delinquency (Valickas, 1997;Žadeikaitė, 1990).Emotional atmosphere of a family, family interrelationships, traditions, values, etc. are very important for the well-being, safety and recognition of a child or a adolescent.Around 50 % of the respondents' families did not provide favourable conditions for the inner harmony of a adolescent or the development of the fundamentals of humanist education: some adolescents did not have any opportunity of self-evaluation, others could not realize themselves, choose or make independent decisions or actions.Another group of respondents suffered from the deficiency of attention, support, emotional connections, common experience, appreciation and recognition, whereas the last group were "smothered" by excessively meticulous care.If such adolescents occurred in a different community (class, friends, acquaintances), various outbreaks of their behaviour could occur, as their stereotypical behaviour, as well as the logic of thinking and assessment Pedagogika frequently disagree with the values and behaviour norms of the new community.This was also confirmed by the research data obtained from the analysis of adolescents' well-being among classmates and in adolescent groups.
The analysis of the respondents' replies demonstrated that a part of adolescents felt unsafe among classmates.Discussions with the respondents revealed gaps in family education, frequent conflicts, lack of communication, aggressiveness and dissatisfaction with each other, emotional tension among family members, child involvement into parents' conflicts, etc.Such children tend to suffer from desocialization in the family.
Summing up the research results, it is possible to state that a rather big number of adolescents (35-50 %) feel unsafe, unwanted, unloved and unrecognized in their nearest environment -the family and at school, but this cannot to the chosen groups (Barkauskaitė, 1999).A number of the groups of disorders in family educational functions that affect the process of adolescents' socialization can be distinguished on the grounds of the analysis of scientific literature, practical pedagogical activity and scientific research.
As far as family dysfunction is concerned, emphasis is laid on the environment, which could develop adolescents' egoism, inability to control themselves, lack of conscience and the feeling of duty.According to the respondents, this is conditioned by parents' wish to dominate, punish and control, to disclaim adolescents' interests and needs, as well as to indulge and pander them (Boyd, Bee, 2011;Kūrienė, 1999).
Satisfaction of learner interests and needs, as well as their socialization are affected by non-formal school activity to a large extent.Quantitative and qualitative data analysis revealed interesting and significant tendentious changes at all periods of the study.In 1972In -1973 and later stages of the research, the majority of respondents indicated going to the cinema, theatre or concerts, doing sports and dancing, needlework and reading books; the number of those interested in gambling, drinking and aimless strolling along streets was rather small.However, in 1998However, in -1999However, in and 2008However, in -2009, aimless strolling along streets, going to cafes and clubs, as well as playing computer games and gambling were among the most interesting activities.Hence, the scale of values was not only altered, but also complemented by such activities as commerce, business, mediation, kef (in adolescents' slang), internet, etc.
When asked what activities they would prefer at school, clubs and specialized school, the adolescents made references to the activities characteristic of the academic year 1972-1973 and coloured them by the current social issues: they would like to a greater choice of sports branches and competitions, active and romantic activity of different organizations, discussion clubs, computer sciences and games, trips, musical bands and others.
A thorough analysis of the results demonstrated that adolescents missed purposeful and attractive activity at and outside school that would comply with the needs of the contemporary epoch.The adolescents pointed out two reasons of their inactivity at school: Pedagogika it is boring and nothing is organized.Among other reasons were lack of time and place (Barkauskaitė, 1983(Barkauskaitė, , 1998(Barkauskaitė, , 2009(Barkauskaitė, , 2011)).
The following conclusions can be drawn with reference to long-lasting systematic quantitative and qualitative research and practical experience: • longitudinal research, carried out every five years (from 1972-1973 to 1989-1999 and repeated in 2008-2009), reflected different social, economic, educational, demographic and psychological problems that are characteristic of the analyzed period.The most significant changes in the family were observed in the family structure, alienation, weakening of child safety, rapid changes in living conditions, replacement of books by the computer and others; • the research revealed that the relationships in the class and at school also became more alienated.About 50 % of the adolescents felt unsafe in the formal communities, i.e. they did not have appropriate conditions for communication, recognition, self-realization, etc.