It's for teachers and other interested professionals working directly with children and adolescents. The NDSU Extension Service is committed to bringing the resources of the university to you. If you have questions about any of the information, please call your county office of the NDSU Extension Service for assistance. Sharon D. Anderson, Director of Extension and University Outreach Research at North Dakota State University Laura De Haan, assistant professor of child and adolescent development at NDSU, surveyed eighth graders in two rural Red River Valley communities and analyzed psychological and behavioral outcomes. The focus was on economic circumstances, relationships with parents and how adolescents choose to spend their time.
Unstructured time can be very risky.
The study revealed that rural eighth graders have a lot of unstructured time and that this time is typically filled with watching TV or hanging out with friends. Even though they're with friends, many adolescents reported an increase in loneliness. We need to know more about how rural adolescents spend their time, why they make the choices they do, whether or not these are active choices or are they simply choosing the activities because they have nothing else to do. Gaining insight into these questions can help us prevent future problems. De Haan thinks the points to be gained from the research are that active parental involvement, not just being in the same room watching TV, in their children's lives is an important deterrent.