A Study on the Diverse Characteristics of the Filipino Youth

A Term Paper Presented to Prof. Desiderio Pagdato Jr. Department of English CASS, MSU-IIT

In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for ENGLISH 2 (Writing in the Discipline) Second Semester, SY 2012-2013

by

Faith Mavel A. Galgo Kenneth Jane C. Manlangit

March 18, 2013

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The researchers would like to express deep gratitude to the special people who had helped in the success of the research study. Foremost to the Almighty God for giving the researchers the knowledge and strength in pursuing this study. To the parents of the researchers, who the supported them in terms of financial and spiritual demands. And lastly, to their research adviser Prof. Desiderio Pagdato Jr., for giving them suggestions and recommendations for the improvement of the final research report and for giving them unselfish knowledge; and in taking his time in correcting the project for the improvement. Without the above special persons, the research study would not be successful.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction Thesis Statement Research Questions Significance of the Study

CHAPTER TWO

Analysis and Discussions

CHAPTER THREE

Summary and Conclusion Recommendation

Sources Appendices

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION In the society, Filipino youth takes the big role today. Most of our countrys population consists of the youth. Their population dominates among all other ages. The vast power is with them. The power to be in the lead for the betterment of the society is in them. Youth are the successors and leaders of the country in the next generations. They will soon be the builders and developers of the future. Youth must be given this much attention. It is so vital to give them this much importance as we know that youth undergo a lot of things that varies their characters as individuals. These characters define their ways of living and thinking for their own lives. And these characters depend on the youth as how and why they acquire them. Everything exists with a reason just like how and why the youth had these diversified characters. All Filipino Youth undergo struggles and difficulties. Difficulties such as going through teenager things, pressure from everything around and knowing ones self are common. Undeniably these difficulties are just some of the reasons of the diverse characteristic of the Filipino youth. There are still a lot of factors and reasons of this diversity that are to be considered. One of the factors that affect the character of the Filipino youth is their family upbringing. What and how ones family brought him up is the foundation of his growth. Today, Filipino families are affected with modernization as well. Changes directed according to more developed western societies are now seen in a Filipino family. Traditional roles and perspectives of Filipino families are affected and invaded by modern ideas. It is significant to live in a home where family values are considered vital. It is in a family where one learns first to know and to decide which is right and which is wrong. It is in a family where one gains first the important moral values in living the life of a Filipino or a youth. Youth tends to find belongingness. Belongingness must be first found in their families. Sometimes seeking sympathy from others will bring one to the wrong direction.

Relationship among other peers is another influential thing for the youth. Peer pressure is a significant factor of acquiring characters. There are individuals that are attention seekers. They want that others attention is with them. One of the reasons of this character may be the lack of attention in their homes. It might be that they felt that their families do not have that enough care for them. As youth tend to seek for belongingness; they try to fit in with other peers. Youth will find a place where they could be accepted and a place where they can say they belong. Youth tend to do what their friends do and be like them. Sometimes there are youth that spent their times most with their friends than their families. But not all friends do good things. There are some that do have opposite views of things and have unpleasant characters. As youth work hard to belong they might also acquire these characters. They might be force to do as well the unpleasant things that their friends do. This is a peer pressure thing. Youth will be influenced to do the things that their friends so that they will be accepted and be one of them. Media made a big impact in the society today, especially for the youth. Youth are the ones that are so much affected with it. Media made a breakthrough for celebrity culture to influence as a lot affecting our views and way of life. Celebrities and all other media characters are influential in terms of attitudes and the mind sets of teenagers. Korean Pop or KPOP are one of the most prominent celebrity icons and personalities that are being idolize by Filipino teenagers nowadays. Filipino teens are addicted to KPOP idols and to their KPOP songs understanding the Korean language, imitating their fashion, and collecting pictures and posters of them. But KPOP is only one of the icons that teens are addicted into. Teenagers tend to imitate and impersonate not only celebrities appearance but also their attitude and lifestyles. Aside from social Medias like televisions, radios, etc; Social networking is now the most addictive thing that most people are into. Some of the widely internet accessed programs or social networking sites are Facebook, Twitter, Skype, etc. Particularly the youth or the teens are the ones that are so much updated in these social networking trends. In accessing the internet most of the youths times are spent in updating their status, liking photos and posting comments in Facebook than reading yahoo news and updates.

Some Filipino youth actively engage in community involvements. These involvements help them grow as good citizens of the society. Somehow an involvement entails responsibilities where one learns. Most of the youth today actively take part in church activities. Youth get involve in church activities not just to find a place to spend their leisure times, but this involvement is also an avenue for them to meet and interact with others. Church involvement is another aspect of developing characters. Aside from enjoying the company of others, developing good characters and values is another fulfillment in church involvement. Youth will gain moral values that are significant in living. Like all other factors of the characteristic diversity of Filipino youth, a big factor is also on how youth spent most their free times must also be considered. Characters also depend on the mode of doing things. Each person has their own different types of things that they do. Modes of doing things may be also be the reason of how and why youth had their own certain characters. Thesis Statement: Characteristics of the Filipino Youth varies depending on how they were influenced by the community around them and in how they spent most of their time.

Research Questions: This study ought to answer the following questions: 1.) What are the factors that influence in the modernization of the Filipino youth? 2.) How vital is the role of the community in molding the characteristics of the youth? 3.) What are the trends in our generation? 4.) Do media affect the mind setting of the Filipino youth? 5.) How does some Filipino youth spend most of their time?

Significance of the Study This study about the youth would considerably bestow to the overall development of the country. Since youth is the future inheritors and leaders of our society they must be molded well for them to be prepared for these responsibilities. The young people of today

will be the adults of tomorrow. They will soon be the father and mother of their own generation. As what Dr. Jose Rizal said, the youth is the hope of our nation, so they must be given full attention. The second reason for studying the youth is that this will enlighten the minds of their elders to understand the things and the difficulties the youth undergoes. This will also serve as an opportunity for parents and the community as well, to help develop the diverse characteristics of the youth.

CHAPTER II Analysis and Discussions

a. Family upbringing The underlying base of the character of the youth is their family. It is always with reference to the family that reflections in life and movements for change have been affected. It has been said that values are better if they were caught and taught. But it is entirely possible for youth to have a clear knowledge of right versus wrong while at the same time living a life totally opposite to what they know. Parents play the most critical role in the moral development of a child. They are the first moral teachers and role models that young people replicates. By the time we first open our eyes up to our last breath, they are the people who was by our side. Before, Filipinos are known for close family ties; most of the young continue to value highly their family. However, a study conducted by Nimfa B. Ogena (1992) shows that only 58% of the Filipino youth are assured of the presence of both father and mother in the family. The Traditional Filipino family is breaking up and it can no longer guard and protect the youth. According to Dionisio (2012), The esteem of youth is heavily dependent on the perception that they are loved by their parents. Quality time spent with your kids is very important; it is a key factor in raising them to be happy and well-adjusted individuals. In their minds, if their parents spare time for them, then they must be of value more important than work, deadlines or other people. The attention given by parents to their kids gives them the indelible impression that they are important. Spending quality time with them was just like telling him that he is loved and he is valuable. Getting to know the child and sealing the bond of parent-child relationship lays the foundation of their being. Lastly, quality time with kids, gives the children a sense of family. Thus, this helps build their identity, their values and views in life. And as this serves as an opportunity for parents to develop these important matters, at the same time it also builds in the perception of the youth. Which what he brings with him to adulthood, and thus builds his character.

b. School/education Aside from parents who have been referred to as the moral teachers of our youth, school teachers are also regarded as one of the significant adults in their lives starting from the pre-school years. The school is considered as one of the very influential factor in the growth of youth. It is the stepping stone in which teens see a clearer vision of their horizon and on the world they are living. They help children understand their character and values; they also pose desirable character traits in the students both within the school setting and in the larger society. Young children often idealize their teachers, watch them closely and also try to emulate their behaviors. In other words, teachers are models to the students. The knowledge they impart doesnt only go on the head, but also builds to the overall personality of an individual. The school has been identified as a vehicle of direct instruction (Pekausky 1998). Since, they are directly involved in teaching behaviors, student would consider them as a person of authority, thus they will have that tendency to follow their trail. Teaching the importance of honesty, dedication and right behavior are some of the responsibilities of teachers. Methods of educating executed and evaluated by the teachers are some of the keys of succeeding and learning, hence education and the teachers have relevance in the moral development of the child.

c. Technology Another factor that also influenced the Filipino youth of today is the rampant growth of the technology world. The fact that technology is shaping the younger generation in a harmful way is so disturbing. Starting at the cradle and moving on up to the matured age, our generation are affected greatly by the world of technology. It has dramatically changed the way Filipino's live, affecting everyone; taking its hardest hits on the young ones. The love of technology these days was not just for leisure time, it became a daily routine which makes people always crave for it. It also has impact not only on the young ones, but dynamically every age group as well. Despite the benefits of technology, everyone doesnt sees the declining emotional and social effects it places on the ones who have grown up with it, the youth. From toys to computers the teens of today have been surrounded by technology, leaving a less desirable outcome.

According to Amanda Lenhart (2012); 93% of teenagers 12-17 are onlinethe largest percentage of any age group. 75% of all teens have a cell phone. 73% of teens are on social Internet sites (like Facebook).

This means every week, kids spend over 53 hours listening to music, surfing the web, watching TV, taking in a movie, thumbing through a magazine, playing video games, enjoying mobile apps on their cell phone at the same time. Since kids tend to media multitask for example, watching TV while listening to music at the same time Amanda inquired about that tendency, and found that kids actually cram a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes of different media into the span of 7 hours and 38 minutes. On average, a teenager uses his or her cell phone more than 100 times per week. Technology is becoming an addiction. It accommodates every human needs and wants. While new technologies provide advances for humanity it can also have versatile impacts at the same time. Our youth is the most vulnerable to any undesirable bearing technology may bring. Todays youth crave instant satisfaction, and our desires are met easily by technology. Because the world around us is changing rapidly it is expected that within the next five years the majority of the internet traffic will be mobile. Though ironic, but if we type Jesus in Google, we only get 642,000,000 results, but if we type porn we get more than 1,320,000,000 results. This simple illustration shows that our generation connects, acts, and thinks differently. And that they prefer to idolize the common but wrong things in this world, than what is right. Indeed our teens are slowly being discipled by the world through our technologies.

d. Idolization Youth of today are better known for being good imitators. They have the capability to easily impersonate and adapt behavior into their own. By just looking at someone or something they would be able to portray their acts. Since most of our youth spend most

of their time by watching television. Almost everyone in the world has their own celebrity idol. This is shown when teens today portray their body image to mimic a medias icon. Youth inclines to be like the characters of their idols on the television programs or movie without thinking whether their idols project good or bad things. Not only that, Korean Pop or better known as KPOP has also made a great bang in our society. In recent years, Korean pop culture has succeeded in presenting a fresh perspective on the universal themes contained in their music and dramas. Its main purpose in the entertainment industry has never failed. Youth were totally get hooked by the KPOP invasion. Filipino teens are addicted to KPOP idols and to their KPOP songs understanding the Korean language, imitating their fashion, and even collecting pictures and posters of them. Different dance crazes such as Gangnam style, Harlem Shake etc., have also been created which made more and more Filipino youth act like weird. Otaku-ism or culture of anime fans idolizing Japanese anime characters is also widespread these times. Weve been totally infected by a virus thats very difficult to cure! Because of their desire to be socially accepted, youth are totally preyed by the media and by the society around them. They easily have a passionate feeling of fascination that often quickly evolves into idolization. They are too obsessed with trending things which turns out to be their object of self worth. They believe that this personalities or things might bring value to their life. They try to fill that little hole inside them which they think might satisfy such emptiness.

e. Church A family that prays together stays together. This might seem irrelevant but it is as influential as all the other. Emotional and Spiritual support from the church and other community groups is an important component of a persons being. If a youth does not know that there is God who cast all his cares, he might perceive all his disappointments to the world and will continue to live a life without hope. If a youth is busy being involve in many church activities, he will be able to divert all his attention to things that really matter. He will not be curious of the wrong things this world conforms. His faith for God, his family, his community and even for himself will increase. He will also have a

greater perspective for his life realizing that it is what God plans for him. He will pursue in becoming a significant person, thus through this he will be able to build his character as a teenager.

CHAPTER THREE Results and Discussion

The researchers conducted a survey having fifty correspondents. The survey was about how they spend most of their free time and what factors influence their character as youth. They were asked to rank them according to their choice, having one (1) as their first priority and the last number as the least.

Figure 1 (shows the average ranks in how youth spend most of their time)

Averaging of the Ranks in How Youth Spend most of their free time
14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

LEGEND: (x-axis) 1-Eating 2-Social Networking 3-Surfing 4-Watching TV/Movie 5-Sleeping 6-Reading/Studying 7-Mall hopping 8-Texting 9-Family Bonding 10-Playing online games 11-Doing Sports 12-Playing Instruments 13-Listening to music 14-Doing Chores

Based on the chart, it shows that most of the youth prefer to eat and sleep during their free time. Figure 2 (shows the average ranking of the most influential factors of youths character)

Averaging of Ranks of What Influence Youth's characters most

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

LEGEND: (x-axis) 1-Technology 2-Family Upbringing 3-Education 4-Modernization 5-Idolization 6-Poverty 7-Friends/Peer Pressure 8-Church Involvements 9-Vices

REFERENCE:

Dr.Allan Dionisio (2012) How important is quality time with the children? , lifestyle section March 4, 2013 from http://www.philstar.com/sunday-life/2012-08 05/834899/how-important-quality-time-children

Nimfa B. Ogena (1992) How are the Filipino Youth Changing? UP Diliman Journals, February 26,2013 from http://www.journals.upd.edu.ph/index.php/pssr/article/viewFile/1282/1619

Amanda Lenhart (2012) Digital Divides and Bridges: Technology Use Among Youth February 26, 2013 from http://pewinternet.org,

CURRICULUM VITAE

NAME: GALGO, Faith Mavel A. BIRTHDAY: June 21, 1996 PARENTS: Alma and Roberto Galgo SIBLINGS: Rey Albert, Rey Kenjie, Rey Emmanuel & Rey Justine

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT ELEMENTARY: Macasandig Elementary School HIGH SCHOOL: Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive High School

CURRICULUM VITAE

NAME: MANLANGIT, Kenneth Jane C. BIRTHDAY: March 25, 1996 PARENTS: Nenita and Marcelo Manlangit SIBLINGS: Phoebe, Mars Jay, Joshua, Daniel & Hosea

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT ELEMENTARY: City Central School HIGH SCHOOL: Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive High School