47 - Wednesday, October 9 1985 - North Shore News Looks, athletic talent help popularity A MAJOR research study in- to public education has revealed that young people in North America view good looks and athletic prowess as the prime determinants of peer popularity. By contrast, students possessing academic talents were rated as the most popular by only seven per cent of their fellow students—~one per cent less than the popularity vote given to gang members. The research project, by B.C. native Dr. John Goodiad, now a visiting pro- fessor at the University of Washington, recently told the B.C. School Trustees ‘Association (BCSTA) that thousands of students were surveyed in an attempt to determine what determines peer popularity, and what students see as the best things about their schools. Goodlad said the impor- tance placed on good looks and athletics, and the Jack of emphasis on academics, is not surprising given the decline of the family and the tremendous influence of the media. “It’s not surprising that these young people chose - good looks and_ athletic abilities as the major con- tributors to peer popularity. They chose them because we (adults) chose them,” said Goodlad. ** If we think our schools can be countervailing to the adult society, we're kidding ourselves. It is adults who make the decisions to pay our top athletes hundteds of thousands of dollars, and it is adults who bring magazines home from the supermarket which depict enticing photos of so and so who is likely in- volved in a scandal.’’ On the question about the. best thing in school, both junior and senior secondary students chose ‘‘games and sports,’’ and ‘‘my friends.’’ Again, Goodlad said this shouldn't be surprising. “What was surprising was that such a.large percentage of the student body chose CLASSIFIEDS |. 986-6222 Registration cut-off for J.M.C. (4-5 years) Oct. 12 Space still available © Junior Music Courses (4-5 years) * Piano Prep Course (6-8 years) @ Electone School (organ) (6-9 years} * Piano & Organ (8-adult) Private & Group) Yamaha Music Courses exclusive to Tom Lee Music § locations to serve you. Tom Lee Yamaha Music School 204-133 East 14th St. N. Van. these responses. So much so, in fact, that only a fractional nuinber of students selected any Of the other six alternatives. One of the other alter- natives about what was best about school was ‘nothing’ and one per cent more students chose ‘nothing’ than ‘the classes I’m taking.’ “The interesting thing about all of these questions is that the dominant forces to be overcome through the pedagogical process, the school, and the teaching pro- cess, are these peer group values which young people inherit from an adult society. “In our guilt we think that the schoois will make it all - tight and that we will pro- duce youngsters with dif- ferent kinds of values. | believe the chances of this are extraordinarily slim. 1 believe as well that we will never get young people willingly in- volved in the learning process until we transcend pre- occupations that interfere.” Goodlad said it is evident that parents are deeply con- cerned about the personal development of their children, but it is clear as well that many people do not ap- preciate how much young people are influenced by their environment. 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