UNICEF
Egypt Country Office
Tel: 526 5083 through 526 5087
Fax: 526 4218
Activity Title:
Study entitled: “Dialogue with the Future:
Findings of a study on Adolescents in three Egyptian Governorates”.
Prepared By:
Dr. Farag Elkamel
Date:
2001
Objectives/Goals:
The main objective of the study is to identify problems, opinion, and ambition of Egyptian adolescents, who represent an important segment of the society. The long – term objective is to utilize the findings in planning and producing a new television program, as there are presently no TV programs that particularly target adolescents.
Brief:
The Report describes the findings of a study conducted on adolescents in three Egyptian Governorates. The study was commissioned by UNICEF and implemented by the Center for Development Communication (CDC). It is considered an important pioneer study because it is the first such study to be carried out on Egyptian adolescents using qualitative research methodology (focus group discussions), on a sample that represents Upper Egypt, the Delta, and Metropolitan Cairo. The study is unique in adopting a communication perspective, as it focuses on different aspects of human interaction between adolescents and “significant others” such as peers, siblings, friends, parents, and teachers.
The study has utilized a qualitative research methodology known as Focus Group Discussions (FDGs), suitable for research on sensitive issues such as adolescence. The sample consisted of 24 groups (6-8 persons each) divided equally between males and females. The groups were divided equally between junior adolescents (12-15 years old) and older adolescents (16-18). The 14 groups were further divided into three subgroups, where one-third was taken from Upper Egypt (Menya), another from the Delta (Dakahlia) and the final from metropolitan Cairo area, including Cairo and Giza.
The methodology of the study required female researchers to moderate discussions with female groups, and male researchers to moderate similar discussion with male groups. The FDG methodology utilized in this study is mostly for investigating opinions, attitudes, behaviors and deep-rooted motives. FDGs are different from individual interviews in at least two ways: first, FDGs are typically done with a group of participants, while interviews involve one respondent at a time. Second, The FDGs moderator uses a “moderator’s guide” which contains an outline of key issues around which the discussion takes place, while individual interviews typically use a structured questionnaire to be strictly adhered to, word for word, by the interviewed. In addition, the final outcome of FDGs consists of qualitative insights with regards to ongoing trends, ideas, or behaviors, rather than specific percentage or definite statistical relationships that are obtained through field surveys. It lasts around 90-120 minutes and is usually moderated by an experienced researcher with background in psychology, anthropology, or sociology.
Conclusion:
Major Findings:
1. Youth have acquired / adopted a vocabulary of secret “youth language”, consisting of expressions which they use in their daily conversations, without grown-ups knowing what they mean.
2. Girls and boys do not get the same treatment from parents. Boys are given more latitude in their relationships with peers, and friends of the opposite sex, while girls are not allowed to have any relationships with boys, and even their relationships with girl friends are closely monitored.
3. Both girls and boys in the sample prefer to have their friends from their own sex. On the other hand, girls and boys in this age group find ways to develop other kinds of relationships with the opposite sex.
4. Teenagers have a number of burning issues, which they dare not discuss with their parents. Among these issues are their fears of failure at school, lack of family resources to afford private tutoring and surroundings that are not conducive to concentration and studying.
5. The most annoying source of stress for the young generation, however, is school teachers, who have absolutely no time to discuss any of their problems.
6. The relationships they have with their parents are no better either. Most of them are not even on speaking terms with their parents.
7. When most of the boys reached puberty, they have new experiences, which their parents never prepared them for. Very few kids mentioned that they had had any information on such development from their fathers.
8. Within this group, there is acute lack of information on good nutrition. While girls have reasonable knowledge of nutrition, most boys identify malnutrition as eating polluted food!
9. All focus groups in the three areas of the country reported use of drugs with “some” of their peers. They reported that cigarette smoking was only the tip of the iceberg, as most of the kids who were cigarette-smokers also took drugs with it, especially “Bango”.
10. Since the study is intended as a guide tool for the design of a model television programs for youth, the groups were asked to discuss their television viewing attitudes and behaviors. Almost all of them reported watching only entertainment-type materials, such as movies, television series, and video clips. With regard to youth programs, they indicated that there were no such programs for their age group. Existing programs either target children, or older youth who are in their twenties. The groups felt that there was a kind of vacuum with respect to programs that address teenagers like themselves.
11. The groups were asked to identify the parameters of a “good” television program which teenagers would find interesting and worthy to watch. They enthusiastically indicated that such a program would have to be very straightforward and address real issues that face youth. They listed about 25 such issues, including: respecting the opinions of youth, how to take good friends, better relationships between kids and parents, problems of emotional relations between girls and boys, equality between the sexes, real stories of youth problems, style, and sports. In terms of format, they prefer a combination of a dramatic situation followed by frank discussions with youth and perhaps experts.
Recommendations:
The study has yielded significant results with regard to kinds of problems and challenges facing the adolescent segment of the population. Most significant was the finding that these youth have developed their own subculture, complete with its communication symbols and vocabulary. Adults are not allowed to enter this “world”. Youth are in effect “withdrawing” from the communication process with adults, as a result of repeated unpleasant frustrations. Consequently, these youth are “energized” to develop their unique subculture. Many of the expressions in their vocabulary, which were identified, reflect their apathy and unwillingness to continue the dialogue with adults, who look at them as children. The end result of all this is considerable lack of essential information, life skills, and even worse, the absence of a clear set of values for life. The situation is quite problematic. Youth are in many ways confused and ill adjusted. In short, they need help. However, they are not getting such help from parents, teachers, or even urgent media programs. It is highly recommended, therefore, that a number of priority interventions and genuine efforts would be undertaken by a number of relevant institutions.
Activity Title 2:
Transitions to Adulthood:
A National Survey of Egyptian Adolescents.
Prepared By:
Published by: The Population Council - January 2000
Group:
Adolescents 10-19 years old
Objectives/Goals:
1. To look at adolescence holistically;
2. To understand the social context in which young people grow into adulthood;
3. To understand the variability of experience as one move from early adolescence to later stages;
4. To investigate schools and the experience of schooling on young lives, as well as the role of work and the workplace in shaping attitudes and behavior.
Brief:
Most of the literature on Egyptian adolescents focused on issues of sexual behavior, unwanted pregnancy, and exposure to sexually transmitted diseases. However, in addition to being inappropriate to the conservative milieu in Egypt, the literature also seemed to miss many of the crucial aspects of adolescents’ life the result either in deprivation or enhanced opportunities for the future. In order to undertake such a task, it was necessary to draw upon expertise from a wide array of actors. The program of work became known as Adolescence and Social change (ASCE) team. This was culminated in a proposal to conduct a major national survey that would address the important aspects of adolescents in Egypt. It would attempt to link the information gained about adolescents to important societal trends-in education, health, employment, and family formation and thus provide a baseline of data for those conducting development efforts on behalf of adolescents.
Conclusion:
The summary report covers all major topics included in the survey, providing descriptive statistics and some analysis of important background variables. While not every survey item is analyzed, the authors have attempted to show the breadth of possibility for future analysis. This means that in some cases, important issues are raised without delving fully into their correlates. Subsequent publications shall include multivariate analyses, an in-depth look at the interesting sample of boy-girl / sibling / pairs included in the sample, and linked analyses of the survey with other sources of qualitative and quantitative data on schooling experience, marriage negotiation and youth livelihoods.
This report intended to stimulate discussion and further research and suggest many areas for program intervention to improve lives of young Egyptians. The existing partnership between government agencies, NGOs and researchers helped the formulation of a national strategy. There are several promising initiatives that are addressing the needs of adolescents for reproductive health information and services, as well as campaigning to eliminate the practice of female circumcision.
