The Filipino Youth Today: Going Beyond

the Lines
“The youth is the hope of our future.” – Dr. Jose
P. Rizal
Just as our country seeks the help of the youth in solving the problems that it
faces, it seems that the youth themselves become the major dilemma of our
country at this very hour. The generation of the youth today is far different from
the past. Instead of engaging themselves to their family and studies, they usually
spend more time with their colleagues that sometimes brought them to danger.
Observing them, everyone can say that the Filipino youth become rebel and
liberated nowadays. The way they dress and act is different. They do what they
want to do even it can bring them into trouble. They fail to see what their priorities
are and it brings them to a senseless direction.

In the year 1996, the survey conducted by Social Weather Station said that
Filipino youth are proud to be a citizen of our country, easily declaring willingness
to defend the country in case of war. They put great importance on marriage and
family, friends, education, work, religion, society, and money, but not much
importance on recreation, hobbies, or politics. They are very sensitive to how
parents and children make personal sacrifices for one other. Not only are they
personally religious, but they actively participate in religious organizations very
regularly. But as time passes by, there’s an unexpectedly high incidences of
youth involvement in criminality, illegal drug use, and illicit sex. This fact
presented by SWS has been existing until the present time.
To prove this, it is often seen and watched in news programs that individuals
range from the ages 14-24 are ones who betrothed themselves to drugs, alcohol,
and smoking. In a study conducted in 1994, there are 2.75 M young smokers and
4.7 drinkers; While some have also case like teenage pregnancy, and when lack
in readiness leads to abortion. This leaves a question in every mind “Why is this
happen to Filipino youth? Why is the Youth seemingly misdirected?”
Still, there are some youth who are not victims of such acts, but only by working
at a very young age because of financial problem. This is proven by the July
1995 survey of the National Statistics Office (NSO) reports that there were 3.7 M
working children. 70% is engaged in fishing, agriculture and forestry; 24% work in
services and sales; and 5% work in industries.

Meanwhile, the most noticeable difference of youth today compared to the past is
their engagement in technology. Because of this, they prefer virtual interaction
like text messaging, e-mail, Internet chat, and surfing rather than personal
interaction. But according to Villar, ““The outcome is not generational; it is more
like a popular trend as Filipinos of all ages have easy access through cellular
phones and internet cafes.”

Every youth must be responsible of their acts whatever situation he has. Guided
by the cliché of Dr. J.P. Rizal, each and everyone must be involved and
empowered, and avoid apathy in the hardships face by the country. Filipino youth
must make an action to prove that we, youth, are the hope of our nation.

The youth today are so exposed in social media and it is verified by a study of
the University of Maryland in 2010 that suggested that social media services may
be addictive, and that using social media services may lead to a “fear of missing
out,” also known as the phrase “FOMO” by many students. According to Tata
Consultancy Services survey, most prefer communicating through Facebook and
Twitter. Seventy four percent of those surveyed said they use Facebook the most
to communicate while 54 per cent conceded to use SMS, both significantly higher
than the number of students who said they use voice calls (44 per cent) for the
same purpose. Challenges to youth in this new age of quick and easy social
media come in both the consumption of media and in the creation of media. One
of the greatest challenges that youth face in negotiating new media revolves
around sex. With the average adolescent watching television for 12 hours per
week and using the Internet for 12.5 hours per week, exposure to media that
depicts unhealthy sexual practices and attitudes is highly likely. Not only is
pornography more accessible than ever, but also even mainstream media tends
to depict sexual behaviors without any mention of risk or responsibility. This
creates a very real challenge for youth who may be relying on media to provide
them with guidance and information about sexuality and sexual practices. These
challenges of media use and accessibility are very real, and youth need guidance
from trusted adults to learn how to negotiate them in order to make the most out
of the opportunities that increased access creates. But, along with these
challenges come opportunities for youth to increase their knowledge and skills
and to share their own ideas more broadly.

 
Social media differentiates from traditional/industrial media in many aspects such
as quality, reach, frequency, usability, immediacy, and permanence.There are
many effects that stem from internet usage. According to Nielsen, internet users
continue to spend more time with social media sites than any other type of site.
The benefits of participating in social media have gone beyond simply social
sharing to building reputation and bringing in career opportunities and monetary
income, as discussed in Tang, Gu, and Whinston (2012).
Various reports suggest that about eighty-three percent of youth use their phones
for email, mobile internet and texting.  The report further states that these teens
send and receive text messages 144 times a day. If the teens are not texting,
they are usually on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter where they
chat, share photos and video and participate in gaming.
The negative effects of being this “plugged in” are beginning to take enormous
effect on kids. Because social interaction comes overwhelmingly online rather
than face to face, American youth are showing severe lack of social skills. They
are often more comfortable with technology than they are with talking to people.
They have not learned the proper communication and conversation skills, how to
deal with interpersonal situations and how to date and get to know other people
behind the screen. Researchers have found that the middle-school, high school
and college students who used Facebook at least once during a 15 minute period
get lower grades overall. Observing the Filipino youth today, their self-esteem in
expressing themselves in public is low and most put across their ideas and true
selves through social media. The more we see a person online, the lower their
performances in class. This is because they are so overwhelmed by the benefits
brought to them by social media and comes to the juncture that they become
addicted in dealing themselves with it.

   

The three major reasons why teens are so committed in social media are:
(1) parents are unaware of the issues involved in the online connections;
(2) parents don’t want to interfere in their children’s social lives; and
(3) parents are afraid to take a stand. Statistics has shown that 88% of
parents know that their teens typically use the internet to communicate with
people they don’t know in the offline world are not aware of its consequences,
while only 34% of parents check their child’s social network sites to know what’s
going on with their child and also to provide them protection.
In some studies, it is found out that 67% of teenagers say they know how to hide
what they do online from parents; 43% of teens say they would change their
online behavior if they knew that their parents were watching them; 39% think
their online activity is private from everyone, including parents; and 38% would
feel offended if they found out their parents were spying on them

In spite of the negative effects brought by social media, still many people say that
using social media is really helpful to our lives. According to Amy Mitchell,
“Facebook news users get more news from friends and family and see it as news
they might well have gotten someplace else if Facebook did not exist. For Twitter
users, though, the news links come from a more even mix of family and friends
and news organizations. Most of these users also feel that without Twitter, they
would have missed this kind of news”. Thus, social media results in teens being
more well-informed about national and global news than they would be otherwise

Social media has become part of the modern teenage lifestyle. It makes our life
so much easier and much more efficient. It has become an essential part of our
communication culture that cannot be taken away easily, because we are so
dependent on it. Without social media we wouldn’t be able to connect with the
people the way we do now.
Although the exponential growth of the Internet in conjunction with the
tremendous success of social media is no longer debated, researchers
remain polarized by the ongoing discussions pertaining to the potential of the
Internet in actualizing social change. Skeptics who do not ascribe to
the possibility of the Internet in actualizing social change draw their conclusions
from a number of studies (Baumgartner & Morris, 2009; Grossman 2004). 
Others
instead point out that the effect of the Internet on civic participation and political
engagement is highly dependent on the individuals themselves, although the
opportunities for engagement are present (Banaji & Buckingham, 2010;Zhang,
Johnson, Seltzer, & Bichard, 2010). There are clearly many examples of those
who doubt that the Internet can facilitate meaningful activism, let alone social
change. In another vein, there are a growing number of studies that oppose the
above claims. Their results suggest that the potential of current technologies and
specifically, social media, are being effectively utilized by young activists who are
formalizing new modes of activism (Bachen, Raphael, Lynn,McKee, & Phillippi,
2008; Delli Carpini 2000; Harris & Wyn, 2009; Juris& Pleyers 2009). These
critics, besides being more hopeful, firmly believe in the Internet and social
media’s potential to bring about social change, and subscribe to non-traditional
forms of youth activism. In fact, what has emerged for Wilson (2006) is that this
“new” virtual world should not be differentiated from the “real” world. According to
Wilson, for young people (and countless adults nowadays), the virtual is as real
as offline relationships and experiences (p. 316). Thus, it stands to reason that
since offline and online “realities” have become intrinsically intertwined, a
disconnect no longer exists between the two. And as Valenzuela, Park, and Kee
(2009) postulate, “The development of SNSs dedicated to fostering civil and
political engagement among users, particularly young people, speaks in a loud
voice to the potentialities of social media as a tool for collective action” (p. 879).
Hence, in order to precipitate meaningful changes in today’s world, young
people’s use of social media must play a large part in actualizing those changes.
Furthermore, in the book “Networked – The new social operating system” by Lee
Rainie and Barry Wellman, they said that social media is used to document
memories, learn about and explore things, advertise oneself and form
friendships.

In the research conducted by Browser Media, Socialnomics, MacWorld in

November 12, 2012, statistics revealed that the total percentage of 18-24 years
olds who are already using social media is 98%. The Philippines got the sixth
rank in the top ten most engaged countries in social media.

The youth is living with technologies and seems that it becomes part of their
learning. Instead of using books as a primary reference in studying, they use
technologies and other gadgets to search information and facts. Until at present,
it has been argued if technology is a boon or bane in the lives of people.
Interviewing students, most of them say that they cannot survive and succeed
without the presence of technologies.

In the article “Digital Technologies Boost Student Success Rates” by John Baker
and John Smallwood published in June 26, 2013, young students much prefer
approaches that are driven by new technologies. They’ve grown up in a digital
world. They’ve used social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube,
online video games and texting to share thoughts and coordinate activities. They
want interaction and immersion in their learning experiences because this is how
they interact and learn when they are not involved in conventional classroom
settings.

Many educators would agree that a vital indicator of student success is students’
ability to develop both skills and an interest for lifelong learning. If this is the
objective, however, then it follows that the modes of teaching that must be
employed and the overall educational experience and environment should
reinforce these skills. As believed by Ludmila Smirnova of Mount Saint Mary
College, the use of technology has emerged as a keystone issue with regard to
lifelong learning. Labeled by some as “digital natives” ( J. Brown, S. Parpert, M.
Prensky), the computer and its electronic offshoots are so integral to their modes
of thought, information acquisition and communication – indeed, central to their
core behavioral repertoire — that they literally live in a virtual vernacular world.
Traditionally, education focused on the three “Rs” of “reading, `riting and
`rithmetic.” But these core skill sets must now be matched by an additional 3 Rs
of information literacy: rigor, relevance and relationships. Rigor refers to the
developed skill of discerning the accuracy and validity of information accessed on
the Internet, along with meeting the demands of copyright, protection of
intellectual property and creative commons requirements. Relevance involves the
ability to identify online information that relates directly to the topic of study or
research using a full array of online information sources and tools, while avoiding
the potential for disruptive tangents that the Web offers. Relationship refers to the
ability to network and identify communities of like-minded people and to
collaborate and contribute to an informational commons. This new set of skills
and its vast potential for collaboration offers new hope for an informed global
society with a civic view of the goals of education. While therefore serving the
prospects for democracy, this new reality complicates outmoded notions of
individual achievement.

Integrating technology into the classroom to support instruction is not a new

concept. For years, students with special needs have been equipped with
technology to assist them in functional skills.  However, using technology to
support the individual needs of students in the general education population is an
evolving pedagogy. Today’s educators have either been immersed in technology
in college and are embracing it with eagerness, or are witnessing a complete
paradigm shift in how they view teaching and instruction with technology. Few
students are entering school without a solid ground of experience using
technology in the home environment. It is becoming imperative that educators
are prepared to use available technologies to engage students in the learning
experience.

 
In the light of Joshua M. Larson of University of University of Utah, technology
only complements academic advising to impact student success when it is used
as a tool to achieve a Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs). It is important that
technology is used within an assessment rubric because though technology is
ubiquitous in today’s institutions, I could find little evidence that technology
impacts student success. Because technologies are nearly an infinite resource in
today’s world, finding cool technologies is easy but relatively unimportant to
student success. It is more important that divisors understand how, why, and
when to implement technology in advising. Implementation of technology can be
effortless when advisers understand that technology complements academic
advising when used as a tool to achieve Student Learning Outcomes. When we
view technology as a tool, great innovation is not in the technology itself but in
how it alters or impacts how we advise. Thus, the greatest impact technology has
on academic advising is that it leads us to find new ways to achieve our
outcomes and help students succeed.

Technologies and the people involved in the lives of the youth are not enough to
say that learning really takes place. Definitely, teachers have one of the biggest
roles in helping the students to achieve who and what they want to be. Guiding
the students in discovering their “hidden treasures” is also the responsibility of
the teachers. Their expectations are perceived to play a strong role in academic
achievement. In the study of Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson in 1968, it
was proven that, the teacher produces a level of academic achievement because
of the teacher’s expectations of the student’s ability. The study reported
increased student achievement for those students where the teachers had higher
expectations, self-fulfilling prophecy. Their research was investigated by Snow
1969; Thorndike 1968; Wineburg 1987 and found technical defects serious
enough to cast doubt upon the accuracy of its findings. Trouilloud, et al (2002)
and others demonstrated that teachers have accurate expectations of student
learning abilities and therefore do not have false expectations. In addition,
student self-perceived abilities have a mediating effect on the self-fulfilling
prophecy (Trouilloud, et al 2002).

Some researchers say that student learning can be positively impacted by the
encouragement of teachers to their students.  A teacher’s ideas and expectations
of his or her students’ capabilities have an effect on student academic
performance and achievements.  If teachers believe in their students, their
students begin to believe in themselves.  Students take into effect the beliefs
their teachers have on them and accept it as part of who they are and their
abilities.  When students are viewed in a negative way by their teachers such as,
being lazy, unmotivated and having no abilities, they take on those beliefs about
themselves.  Many teachers may not be aware of their actions towards particular
students in the classroom but their students become aware of them.
Therefore, teacher expectations of academic achievement have little impact on
student achievement. However, teachers do have a significant impact on student
achievement outcomes. They have this impact through teacher behavior.
Education is an important tool that can shape an individual and allow creativity,
opportunity and growth.  As a teacher, it is necessary to motivate students and
help them recognize their strengths and weaknesses.  Educators are important
role models for students and have a big impact on helping shape, create, support
and establish students’ strengths, goals and knowledge.  Therefore, it is essential
to be aware of the effective qualities, skills and characteristics that one brings
into a learning environment. Moreover, good quality teacher preparation is
important to student academic achievement.  Prepared graduates have a higher
likelihood of remaining teachers and providing quality service to their students
and to the schools they work in.

Teacher-efficacy is a teacher’s confidence in their ability to help students to

learn.  Research shows that teacher-efficacy has an effect on his or her students’
academic performance.  It is important that teachers believe in themselves and in
their abilities as a role model and educator, because it plays an important role on
their student’s self-perception and performance.  It also helps a teacher
communicate more effectively with students as well as with the overall perception
of their student’s strengths and weaknesses.  Teachers with self-efficacy have a
positive impact on their students’ academic performance.  It is something that all
teachers need to build, because it is believed to have an important role on
students’ academic performance.

In the article “Teachers who Influence High Academic Performance in Students”

by Karen Sonja- Carey Ashley in January 14, 2012, students assigned to high
value-added teachers are likely to become successful adults over the long-term.
They are more likely to progress through the top colleges and settle into higher
income jobs. In contrast, the impact of a low value-added teacher on students is
one of uncertainty in career path and personal growth. Based on the study, such
students are more likely to become teenage parents, without a tertiary education
or potential for higher earnings (Raj Chetty). They play a crucial role in
educational attainment because the teacher is ultimately responsible for
translating policy into action and principles based on practice during interaction
with the students (Afe, 2001). In their study, Wright, Horn and Sanders (1997)
concluded that the most important factor influencing student learning is the
teacher. Teachers stand in the interface of the transmission of knowledge, values
and skills in the learning process. If the teacher is ineffective, students under the
teacher’s tutelage will achieve inadequate progress academically. This is
regardless of how similar or different the students are in terms of individual
potential in academic achievement. According to Rivkin, Hanusheck and Kain
(2005), there has never been consensus on the specific teacher factors that
influence students’ academic achievement. Researchers have examined the
influence of teacher characteristics such as gender, educational qualifications
and teaching experience on students’ academic achievement with varied
findings. Akiri and Ugborugbo (2008) found that there was a significant
relationship between teachers’ gender and students’ academic achievement.
This is contrary to Dee cited in Akiri and Ugborugbo (2008). Yala and Wanjohi
(2011) and Adeyemi (2010) found that teachers’ experience and educational
qualifications were the prime predictors of students’ academic achievement.
However, Ravkin et al (2005) found that teachers’ teaching experience and
educational qualifications were not significantly related to students’ achievement.
Etsy (2005) study in Ghana found that the teacher factors that significantly
contributed to low academic achievement were incidences of lateness to school,
incidences of absenteeism, and inability to complete the syllabi. Oredein and
Oloyede (2007) concluded that teacher management of homework and
assignments given to students have an impact on student achievement
especially when it is well explained, motivational, corrected and reviewed during
class time and used as an occasion for feedback to students. According to
Ankomah, Koomson, Busn and Oduro (2005), teacher factors that have an effect
on academic achievement include the number of teachers on post, teacher pupil
ratio, teacher qualifications and the personal characteristics of the individual
teacher. The personal characteristics include academic qualifications,
pedagogical training, content training, aptitude, and years of service/experience.
A teacher brings these characteristics to class to facilitate the learning process.
The extent to which other inputs can improve the quality of education is directly
related to the extent to which teachers effectively use the inputs to improve the
teaching and learning process. According to Sifuna and Sawamura (2011), the
process quality is therefore the quality of the teacher-pupil interaction in the
teaching learning process.

In this modern world, the Filipino Family is far different a chunk of centuries ago.
We are now living in the modern era where in everything is fast paced and is
machine ready. But one thing is for sure, the Filipino Family still embarks love for
each other and support for one another. A few of the characteristics of a Filipino
Family are as follow: The Filipino Family humbly attends Sunday masses,
attends to one another’s needs, supports each other in every way, joins together
during special occasions especially holidays and is forever supportive of their
relatives.

Commensurate by some youth, families nowadays are not close bonded.

Teenagers usually want to be with their friends and tell them about anything and
everything under the sun. Some parents have only a little knowledge about the
situation of their child. According to some researches on Guidance and
Counseling, those teenagers want to spend more time with their friends because
they feel that they are being left behind by their parents who are busy working
every day. +

In Queena Lee-Chua’s article “Filipino families face today’s world” published on

the Philippine Daily Inquirer, it is written that parents’ action can reshape the
behavior of their children and need to give them unconditional positive regard,
enough time and attention, and to teach them to affirm and care genuinely for
one another. Communication with their children is the answer. Getting in touch
with and through to teens can be tricky, especially for midlife parents, and we
look at ways to connect with them.

Based on observation, some youth possess disruptive behaviors and so hard to

deal with. It is not simple for them to confide their personal issues because of
developed mistrust within themselves and towards other people. Some are
violent, and some are easily depressed without articulating the reason. When
they are asked about the problems existing within them, they usually say it is
because of family. Most are products of the unready family. Those interviewed
students belonging to this kind of family live only with their other relatives and
until now they have been “craving” for the love and guidance of their parents who
broke up. This issue, when not given solution, will eventually lead the youth to
the wrong paths of life. It is, indeed, that family has the largest contribution in the
development and success of the youth. What actions or deeds do they see from
their parents, whether it is a good or passive one, creates an impact on an
individual.

Filipino families face many tough issues, and we look candidly at some of their
biggest challenges. We listen to the traumatized children of the poor, and look at
how their feelings are expressed in their drawings. We tackle sexual abuse, and
look at ways to prevent it. We talk about autism, the OFW (overseas Filipino
worker) phenomenon, and unhappy teens, and give recommendations on how to
deal with them.

Analyzing the whole study, it is clear that the youth today is the product of all the
factors involved in his life. Social media plays an important role in teenagers’ life
and helps strengthen relationships among teens. Social networks have provided
people with the opportunity to connect with others and build better relationships
with friends with whom we are unable to meet personally, and letting them know
about our life and take input about their lives and events happening with them
(Ali).  Yet, according to studies, social media lessen the closeness of the youth to
their family. Moreover, it also affects the performance of students on their classes
for they spend more time dealing with social media rather than focusing first on
their studies and becomes it as their least priority. In the light of some
researches, youth become so irresponsible in sharing their emotions, pictures,
and information in social networking sites. The guidance of the parents is strictly
recommended.

It is also evident that technology plays a large part on the academic success of
the students. Because we are now living in a “digital world”, students preferred to
use technology in the learning process for the researchers believe that it is now
the key to make the students more motivated in learning. Furthermore, according
to the American studies, students will surely become competent when using
techies in learning for our world nowadays is invaded by different kinds of
technologies.
In addition, the teachers who have the responsibility to enrich the minds, values,
and skills of the students must be aware how they are going to motivate and
nurture the intelligence and talents the students have. Teacher-efficacy,
encouragement, motivation, and expectations impinge on the students’ learning
process.

Lastly, the Filipino family must always be involved in the lives of the youth.
Parents should give more attention to their kids, teach them good values, and
guide them in every situation they face. There is only lack of understanding in the
family when there is less or no communication. In spite of the challenges faced
by Filipino families today, it has still a possibility to overcome such when they
only help one another and not be defeated by the modern system our world has
today.

To solve the youth’s issue regarding the social media, it is better if they put
limitations on what they post or do in social networking sites. If there were
personal problems exist within them, then they must seek the help of their
parents and not to tell the whole world about the current situation they have to
avoid judgment. Social media is created mainly to be updated with friends, to
meet new people, and to communicate with distant relatives; but seems that the
benefits brought by social media have been abused. The youth must be
responsible in using the social media and do not involved themselves to
cybercrime or cyber bullying. What we posts on social networking sites reflected
who we are. What we are is a reflection of how our country has raised us. At the
end of the day, not only the youth but the Philippines itself could be judged
around the globe.

On the other hand, in using technology, the youth must have limitations also.
They must not only rely in technology as a primary source of learning. Using the
traditional references like books and encyclopedia can also be helpful. Teens
should not think that they can’t survive without technology. It must not be
overused. As teachers, it is good to know what tools can be used to make the
students motivated in reaching their goals. Teachers must steer students in using
technology and always remind them about the disadvantages of it. Use it mostly
in learning, not in unnecessary things.

Teachers are the second parents in schools. Therefore, they should be aware
what are the strengths and weaknesses of the students to adjust their teaching
styles and pedagogies. If we want our students to succeed in attaining the
objectives and know the purpose of learning a certain lesson, we must set our
expectations and standards first so they’ll strive to reach it. It is said that
teachers’ attitude and behavior matter. Consequently, they should show
enthusiasm and dedication to students for them to know that there’s always
someone who believes in them. To prove this, do not only embark students by
words of mouth, but they must be involved in some activities where their
intellectual skills and capacities are suited. What students see in the behavior of
teachers affects their view in learning.

Among the factors, parents must have the largest part in shaping the youth. They
first learn from their parents. No matters how old are they but they always need
the guidance of their parents. With regards to the issues arising with the use of
social media, parents must get off the sidelines and get involved and must have
the responsibility to protect their children and be aware of what is going on in the
online world.  Investigate and help your child adjust privacy settings.  Be aware of
who can see what they post, and what is being posted about them.  Take with
them about online safety. Aside from teachers, technologies, and the people
surrounding the youth which learning occurs, parents should be the ones to
teach them first. They must always monitor their children and always be there
when they have problems for them not to feel unimportant and excluded. Always
be there when they need advice. Have a bonding with your children. Remember
that parents are one of the persons who boost the trust of the youth within
themselves.

To sum up all, the Filipino youth must be given proper guidance and be a priority
above all. All the factors mentioned really impinge on the youth; but absolutely, it
depends upon them how would they respond to such and how they will deal with
the issues they face. Every youth should seize discipline and concern for the
each individual and hold hands in helping each other to change the passive
behaviors exist in them.

*This article was not written based on my own opinion. All the information were
backed-up by researches, theories, and evidences. My personal encounters,
experiences, and observations were also included. I wrote this for us not only to
be aware what’s happening with the Filipino youth today, but also what is going
on with the young citizens around the globe. This is not a problem of the
Philippines, but the dilemma that must be solved by the world.*

Reference: https://bluestpassiveeye.wordpress.com/2013/10/29/the-filipino-youth-today-going-
beyond-the-lines/