The purpose of this study is to investigate ecological system variables affecting adolescent happiness and to analyze the relative impacts among them.
To examine the study, ecological system was categorized into organism, microsystem, exosystem, and ...
The purpose of this study is to investigate ecological system variables affecting adolescent happiness and to analyze the relative impacts among them.
To examine the study, ecological system was categorized into organism, microsystem, exosystem, and macrosystem. Additionally, each subordinate ecological system variable was classified as follows: organism variables (gender, gratitude, optimism, achievement-efficacy, social efficacy, self-satisfaction of appearance, health, and humor), family background microsystem variables (family support, parenting, economic standard, and family relations), school environment microsystem variables (teacher support, friend support, pleasure of learning, grade, and grade gap), leisure condition microsystem variables (free time activities, and volunteer activities), exosystem variable (cultural facilities for adolescent in local society), macrosystem variables (individualism, collectivism, and social trust).
The subjects participating in the study were 824 high school students in Seoul and Gyeonggido. The assessment scales used were the gratitude, humor styles, health, appearance, self-efficacy, parenting, socal support (family, friend, teacher), pleasure of learning activities, leisure activities, individualism and collectivism, social trust scales, oxford happiness questionnaire, and other questionnaires related to gender, parents' academic background, economic standard, family relations, grade, volunteer activities, cultural facilities for adolescent. Questionnaires were mainly used for data collection, which were analyzed by one way ANOVA, multiple regression analysis and hierarchial regression analysis.
The major findings of this study were as follows: firstly, there was no difference of the adolescent happiness by gender. Secondly, the subordinate variables of each ecological system affected the adolescent happiness. Specifically, the subjects who considered them as optimistic, highly humorous and healthy, and were satisfied with their appearance, and had high self-efficacy and full gratitude tended to be happy. As for the relative impact among organism variables affecting adolescent happiness, the satisfaction of their appearance influenced the subjects most, followed by gratitude, humor, optimism, health, achievement-efficacy, and social-efficacy in sequence.
In the family background microsystem variables, the happiness of the subjects increased depending on enough family support, good relations, and high economic standard. Especially, family support affected the subjects' happiness three times more than family relations and financial conditions. However, parenting did not have an influence on their happiness. In the aspect of school environment microsystem variables, the happiness of the subjects increased when they were supported by teachers and friends, enjoyed learning activities, and had small score gaps between their actual scores and the expected ones. However, their grades in school did not affect their happiness. As for the relative impact among variables, the friends support had a greatest influence on their happiness, followed by pleasure of learning activities, teacher support, and grade gap. In terms of leisure conditions, the subjects participating leisure and volunteer activities actively tended to be happy and leisure activities had an influence on their happiness four times more than volunteer activities. In light of exosystem variable, the subjects who could get more benefits of cultural facilities were much happier. As for marcosystem variables, the subjects who had both individual and collective tendencies and strong social trust were happier.
Thirdly, organism variables had a greatest impact on the subjects' happiness among ecological system variables. As all ecological system variables were employed and the relative impacts were examined, the subjects' happiness was affected by all variables in organism variables, leisure activities, pleasure of learning, and family relations in the microsystem, social trust, individualism, and collectivism in the macrosystem. However, the exosystem did not have an influence on their happiness.
Based on the findings of the study, the most effective way to improve the adolescent happiness is to enhance the personal character strength. As result, it is necessary to develop leisure activities, promote pleasure of learning activities, and understand collectivism as one of Korean cultural features and adolescent individualism properly and adequately.
Therefore, it would be worth exploring the adolescent happiness inclusively through a variety of variables in ecological system approach reflecting Korean cultural features in this study. Moreover, it could be possible to find out the features of the adolescent happiness by the relative impacts of ecological system variables affecting the adolescent happiness.
Key Words : adolescent happiness, Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, gratitude, optimism, self-efficacy, self-satisfaction of appearance, health, humor styles, leisure activities, individualism, collectivism, social trust, ecological system variables,