ERIC Number: ED211241
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1978-Apr
Pages: 32
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
A Comparative Analysis of Life Situations of Rural Youth from Two Different Cultural Settings: Northern Taos County, New Mexico, and Eastern Holmes County, Ohio.
Kuvlesky, William P.
A comparative, interpretive analysis of the social organization of contrasting groups of rural youth from New Mexico ad Ohio was approached from an ethnomethodological perspective, relying on direct observation, intensive personal interviews, and key informants to produce a broader understanding of particular youth coping with their social contexts. Subjects were six Spanish American youth of Northern Taos County, New Mexico, and five youth from predominantly Mennonite and Amish Eastern Holmes County, Ohio. Informally organized same-sex peer groups formed the most valued social structure for both youth. Except for the academic aspects of school programs, all youth had little or no involvement in formal extracurricular or sport activities. Parents were a major problem to both groups, perceived as being both too strict and not caring. More intense parental-child conflict occurred in Holmes County, where parents were extreme in attempting to enforce rigid moral and social norms. While Holmes youth were more mobile, all had work roles permitting less leisure time than Taos youth. Alcohol and pot were easily attainable in Taos County and used from a relatively early age. Dramatic differences existed in religious orientations: Taos youth did not view themselves as religious and did not attend church regularly, while the opposite was true for Holmes youth. (NEC)
Descriptors: Amish, Comparative Analysis, Culture Conflict, Family Influence, Hispanic Americans, Individual Needs, Leisure Time, Moral Values, Occupational Aspiration, Parent Influence, Peer Groups, Quality of Life, Recreational Activities, Religious Factors, Rural Youth, School Involvement, Secondary Education, Social Environment, Social Values, Sociocultural Patterns, Spanish Americans
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Texas A and M Univ., College Station. Texas Agricultural Experiment Station.
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ohio
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A