Date of Award:

5-1990

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Human Development and Family Studies

Department name when degree awarded

Family and Human Development

Committee Chair(s)

Glen O. Jenson

Committee

Glen O. Jenson

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine a sample of LDS (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) adolescents from 9th - 12th grade to analyze how they spend their time on a given Sunday. The intent of the paper was to determine if adolescent time use was influenced by such independent variable as gender, age, living arrangements, work, school, perceptions of their family, and what time of the day the youth attend Sunday meetings on a specific Sunday. A questionnaire was given to 272 students who attend released school time seminary at a particular high school in Utah. Each student in the sample provided information relative to themselves and their family. They also provided information as to what they mostly did during 15 minute increments for a 24 hour period starting at midnight Saturday night and going through midnight on Sunday night. They were given 28 different items of time use common to adolescents and then were asked to determine what they did most during each 15 minute increment on the Sunday being examined. Simultaneously another similar study was being performed by another graduate student, at an alternative high school in the same area as this study, and the same questions concerning time usage were asked. Some of the most striking differences in time usage were that the alternative high school students spent far less time attending church and doing homework for school, and much more time working for paid employment, socializing with their friends, and using drugs and alcohol.

Some of the most significant findings of the study include: 1) males spent considerably more time watching TV and videos, hanging out, cruising and being with friends, working, and playing athletics whereas the females spent more time with personal grooming, talking on the phone and studying school assignments, 2) the time of day when church meetings were held did not influence significantly now when church meetings were held did not alter significantly the number who attended their Sunday meetings, and 3) the perceived degree of family strengths held by the youth did not alter significantly how they spent their Sunday time. Other significant findings include: 4) those youth over 16 spent more time with friends out of the home, less time watching TV and videos, and more time doing paid employment on Sunday, 5) youth who live with both parents spent more time doing school assignments and attending church meetings and 6) those adolescents who work on Sunday spent an average of almost two and a half hours working on Sunday, and they watched TV and videos more and spent less time with their family.

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