CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE PREPARING EIGHTH GRADE GIRLS in CATHOLIC SCHOOLS for SUCCESS a Graduate Project Submitte
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CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE PREPARING EIGHTH GRADE GIRLS IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS FOR SUCCESS A graduate project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Science in Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy By Emma Jaegle December 2016 The graduate project of Emma Jaegle is approved: _________________________________________ ______________ Kim Appel, LMFT Date _________________________________________ ______________ Mary Kay Munroe, M.A. Date _________________________________________ ______________ Shari Tarver Behring, Ph.D. Date _________________________________________ ______________ Mark Stevens, Ph.D., Chair Date California State University, Northridge ii Dedication To all the girls who have dreams, May you become women with vision. iii Acknowledgements I’d like to thank my amazing mother, Marcella Heslov, for being my biggest support throughout my life. Without you, I would not have pursued my dreams. Here’s to becoming “a woman of independent means.” Thank you to the entire CSUN EPC department. I have learned more in the last 2 years than I have in my lifetime. Most relevantly, thank you to my committee chair, Mark Stevens. This project has been quite the journey, and I truly appreciate your patience and guidance. Thank you to my awesome Monday/Wednesday cohort. I have never experienced such genuine, good people. You bring hope to the world. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank the love of my life, the cheese to my macaroni, my ride-or-die, my biggest fan, my cat, Milo. Especially through grad school, you have been by my side during the overwhelmed days, the long nights of writing, the inconsolable tears from rough days at my field site, the inadequate boyfriends who came and went, the odd jobs at odd hours, the attempts of balancing my social life with my career. You have shown me unconditional love. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS SIGNATURE PAGE ii DEDICATION iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv ABSTRACT vi CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1 Statement of the Problem 2 Importance of the Problem 3 Purpose of the Project 4 Terminology 5 Summary 7 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE 8 Introduction 8 Catholic Values 8 Catholic Homes 10 Marriage 11 Discipline 11 Abstinence 12 Substance Abuse 12 Developmental Processes 13 Biological 13 Social-Emotional Challenges 15 Developmental Tasks 16 Media’s Role in Peer Pressure, Bullying, and Self-Image 19 Cyberbullying 21 Female Bullying 24 Protective Factors 26 Self-Esteem and Relationship Authenticity 26 Environment 28 Parental Impact 29 Synthesis of Literature Review 33 CHAPTER III: PROJECT AUDIENCE AND IMPLEMENTATION FACTORS 34 Introduction 34 Development of Project 34 Intended Audience 36 Marketing 37 Special Procedures Associated with The Project 37 Personal Qualifications 38 v Environment and Equipment 38 Formative Evaluation 38 Project Outline 39 CHAPTER IV: PROGRAM EVALUATION AND CONCLUSION 42 Evaluator Credentials 42 Summary of Evaluator Feedback 43 Incorporation of Feedback 47 Conclusion 49 REFERENCES 52 APPENDIX A: THE WORKSHOP 57 APPENDIX B: PARENT MEETING MATERIALS 76 APPENDIX C: WORKSHOP MATERIALS 90 APPENDIX D: QUESTIONS FOR PROGRAM EVALUATORS 99 vi Abstract PREPARING EIGHTH GRADE GIRLS IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS FOR SUCCESS By Emma Jaegle Master of Science in Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy This project develops an informational workshop for parents and three-day workshop for their eighth grade daughters at Catholic schools before embarking on their high school experience. The girls will be educated on changes that occur during their teenage years physically, emotionally, and socially based on the theoretical model, 10 Developmental Tasks of Adolescence (Simpson, 2010). In addition to the challenges of navigating the developmental tasks of adolescence, Catholic-schooled girls may be burdened with additional emotional conflict because of the expectations associated with Catechism. Catholic education during teenage years means potentially feeling “Catholic guilt” or shame for engaging in what society views as typical teenage behavior to discover one’s identity. The goal of the workshop series is to have the girls walk away with a higher sense of self-esteem as they take on some of the most challenging years of their lives as a Catholic female. There is hope that this project will be put to action under the Los Angeles Archdiocese. vii Chapter I: Introduction to the Project Introduction “Adolescence is society’s permission slip for combining physical maturity with psychological irresponsibility.” –Terri Apter Adolescence can arguably be the hardest years in a woman’s life. The onset of puberty starts a ten-year journey of changes- hormones are pumping, adult bodies are developing not-so-gracefully, more responsibilities are being entrusted, and peer pressure is omnipresent. Self-esteem is bound to decline during this awkward phase, but because of society’s expectations of females, girls actually struggle twice as much as boys do (Robins, Trezesniewski, Tracy, Gosling, & Potter, 2002). Teenagers naturally have a self- centered mindset because their brains are still developing, which can make them feel like they are going through their experiences alone. A few of the biggest concerns that parents have for their children are peer pressure, bullying, and the possibility of them engaging in unhealthy decisions because of the many dangerous influences their children are exposed to in the world as they start to gain personal independence. The quality of the parent-child relationship is related to children’s self-esteem and susceptibility to peer pressure (Chan & Chan, 2011). Not all parent groups have the same concerns. Catholic parents want to make sure that their children are safe and practicing morality when they are not around, which is why the idea of sending their children to Catholic school is so appealing and popular. Coleman & Others (1982) researched the cognitive outcomes of Catholic schools compared to public schools. In public schools, children are able to choose easy classes, whereas Catholic schools hold the same high expectations for all, promoting success in passing classes and securing college admission. 1 The study also found that Catholic schools have successful students because they offer more structure and discipline, as well as provide guidance and a community, which promotes cognitive growth (Coleman & Others, 1982). Many parents work hard to afford Catholic schooling for their children, or have their children apply for scholarships so that they can get the best education possible while being in a protected environment. What one does not reflect on is how protected their children could be from modern reality. In addition to the challenges of navigating the developmental tasks of adolescence, Catholic-schooled girls may be burdened with additional emotional conflict because of the expectations associated with Catechism. The workshop created from this project aims to prepare 8th grade girls in Catholic schools for their transition to Catholic high school by providing emotional and cognitive tools they need to navigate the next phase of their adolescent development. Statement of the Problem There are many outside social-emotional intervention type programs that come to public school campuses and create a sense of cohesion with girls, boost their self-esteem, and create empowerment. Examples of this are: The Girls Empowerment Workshop, REALgirl, and FearlesslyGiRL. However, Catholic schools do not employ such modern interventions that address the social-emotional needs of their students. Catholic-schooled girls need to address the aspects of being raised Catholic, while undergoing the transition to adulthood, within the context of the challenges that are not typically addressed through their Catholic education. For example: when learning about changes in their bodies, girls are not taught that females can masturbate. Other topics might include: discovering 2 sexuality, sex or pregnancy before marriage, the commonality of divorce, homosexuality, etc. These girls need to know that though they have expectations to uphold as a Catholic, they also have developmental tasks that they must accomplish to become an adult, which may or may not cause what would be considered “sin.” This workshop will create a sense of normalization among the girls so that they will know that they are not alone in their feelings, and thereby lessen any sense of shame that may occur. In addition to that, this workshop is intended to teach girls how to relate to each other authentically and avoid girl bullying or drama, and interact in the manner prescribed in the Catholic scriptures. Importance of the Problem Eighth grade girls in Catholic schools need preparation for what they may be faced with in high school such as relational changes with friends and family, discovering their own identity, gaining more responsibilities, etc. The transition from eighth grade to high school is drastic; they are coming from middle school, usually the same campus where they attended kindergarten, to a new, bigger school as full-fledged teenagers. This could potentially be a fresh start as most Catholic high schools are not attached to middle schools and not all classmates decide to attend the same Catholic high school. It would be beneficial if these girls reflected on what four more years of Catholic education will hold for them. These girls need tools to identify and monitor their feelings regarding how their school is structured, and develop coping skills to deal with