Kids struggling to manage stress
Kiwi parents say their kids are struggling to manage stress, personal problems and digital distractions, according to a new study.
The ASG Parents Report Card, which surveyed more than 800 Kiwi parents or guardians, found 54 per cent of parents feel their child is not taught how to manage stress well at school, while 47 per cent believe their child becomes angry when they feel they can’t control things.
The study from ASG and Monash University is in its second year, and measures parents’ perceptions of state education in New Zealand and Australia.
Wellington father Patrick McKibbin thinks schools need to do more to prepare students for the stresses outside the secondary school gates.
McKibbin’s sons, Ben, 18 and Tim, 16, are sporty, and not the types to be prone to stress, he said.
However he was concerned about Ben heading to university next year, where he planned to study engineering, because of the potential difficulty of the transition, and what he saw as a lack of advice for school-leavers making big decisions.
‘‘Schools could do a lot more in terms of preparing kids going between school and further education ... I’ve been involved in that process and the money side of things is a concern – I’ve talked to kids who’ve got thousands and thousands of dollars of debt, that they didn’t realise they were racking up.
‘‘No-one is giving them proper career advice, it’s a problem in the sector that could be addressed.’’
McKibbin was also generally concerned about his son being away from home and suddenly exposed to all the different opportunities that existed, and the situations students could find themselves in.
ASG chief executive John Velegrinis said it was important to remember the findings reflected parents’ perceptions, however, the feedback suggested more needed to be done to improve Kiwi kids’ emotional wellbeing.
Schools needed to strike a balance in the curriculum of addressing students’ academic, social and emotional education, he said.
‘‘It’s essential that parents, teachers and education policy makers work together to ensure academic excellence doesn’t come at the expense of basic life skills.’’
When it came to making sure his sons could get access to the tertiary education they wanted, McKibbin felt there needed to be a way parents could keep a closer eye on NCEA results and credits, to make sure students were getting the credits they needed for the next step of their schooling.
‘‘I worry about parent’s involvement in the NCEA process, it’s quite hard for parents to understand where kids are at ... there are tools for the kids to use, but they’re not tools which are necessarily easily available to parents.’’
McKibbin had been taking time out to sit down with his boys to check in with them and make sure they were on track, but thought there was room for schools and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority to make it easier for parents to access kids’ progress.
Dr Sivanes Phillipson of Monash University Faculty of Education said constantly being connected via a digital device was stressful for children.
Parents were also concerned about how children interacted online, especially when it came to social media and the potential for cyberbullying, Phillipson said.
‘‘Influences such as the use of digital technology and access to screen time have now become part of everyday life for children. They have also become part of a daily struggle for parents,’’ she said.
Screen time was something that was tricky to manage for the McKibbin family, with the boys’ school having a bring-your-own device policy, which meant most work was done on a tablet or laptop. This made it particularly difficult to manage.
"Schools could do a lot more in terms of preparing kids going between school and further education ..." Wellington father Patrick McKibbin