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Runnung Head: TWEENS AND PUBERTY

Research Proposal: Tweens and Puberty

Kella Ortega, Regina Julia Garcia, Kathlyn Sanga, & Francheska Buban

De La Salle University Manila

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Tweens and Puberty

According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2002), tweens

are children aged between 8 - 12 years old who are still in their late childhood, but have yet to

reach adolescence. People have considered this stage to be the stage wherein children who are

too old to be children but are still too young to be considered teens or adolescents are classified

under.

Puberty is an inevitable process. Every one of us will go through this process when we

reach the age 10-12. This is when our body undergoes the process of sexual maturation. Even

though puberty involves changes in the biological or physical sense, it can also have an effect on

the psychosocial and emotional development of tweens. This change can be confusing to tweens

because their mood, body, interests, and even family dynamics change. It would be ideal if

parents would also be able to understand what their child is going through when their children

undergo this stage.

Having defined what a tween is and what puberty may entail, the research question what

happens to female tweens and to their way of thinking or behaving when they reach puberty?

was reached. This query seemed to have importance in that if the effects of puberty to tweens are

known, people, most specifically their guardians, will be able to see if the tweens are currently

undergoing their puberty. Knowing that their wards are currently experiencing puberty will

enable their guardians to know that they should help their children through this period. Also, as

girls mature, physically and emotionally, they become increasingly curious about their sexuality

and their own bodies. As such, there should be someone they can talk to regarding these matters

so that they do not get confused. Parents, guardians, and caregivers should be prepared when
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their children change, and guide them through those times. Following this, the stage of tweens

could probably pass as one of the crucial stages in the human development. In this span of time,

different drives of developmental shifts take place in ones body system. It is important for us to

be able to understand and relate to how they respond to these issues because this can be used as a

stepping stone to unlock further knowledge and dispel different ideas about why they respond to

certain changes that affect them. Besides, this knowing the response of tweens to the changes

they experienced is even more important than knowing the effects these changes have on them.

In knowing the response to the changes they went through, their guardians, and even the people

around them, will be able to understand their sudden changes in action, manner, and speech. By

understanding the cause of their changes, their guardians will be able to give a more proper

response to their changes. In giving better feedback to the tweens' changes, problems like

misunderstandings between the child and the guardian may be avoided. This is essential because

these kinds of conflicts may eventually lead to complications with the child's development.

The importance of researching this topic is also seen as a study in relation to it was also

conducted in the past. In the year 1996, a national survey was conducted in Canada about tweens

and their relationship with friends, and their capability of accessing computers and the internet.

The survey was conducted for a cable channel YTV. Their respondents were an estimate of 2.4

million, nine to 14 years old Canadians. Aside from surveys, they also held a one-on-one

interview with 685 tweens. Based from the data they gathered, tweens were more exposed to the

computer compared their predecessors. Their results had exposed a lot of changes when the

children reach the tween stage. The more exposed they were to computers, the more likely for

them to have changed. This survey served as an implication for the government as to how they

will they implement anti-smoking campaigns. Since children at this stage experience a lot of
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changes within, they were more likely to lean towards vices. Also, the survey found out as to

how tweens view drugs and sex. Older tweens (13-14) were more open to the topic and were able

to indicate that they want a stable relationship. Furthermore, the results showed that a high

percentage of tweens were able to say that they will have a stable job in the future. Female

tweens of this generation would not settle down with the stereotypical female jobs; instead,

they were more rational in their careers than male tweens. Basically, results of the survey

concluded that tweens are at a stage where they want to be independent and gain a lot of

experiences; however, they are still too young for it.

Following this, the hypothesis suggested is that when female tweens experience puberty,

they become more conscious of their social surroundings and develop behaviors unlike those that

of their pre-puberty stage as a response to the changes they experience. In this context, the social

surroundings of tweens are mainly made up of their friends or peers. Most of the time, tweens

are grouped with the same gender but are interested in the opposite gender. Their peers or groups

are made up of those with the same interests or hobbies. Most of the time, the girls categorized

under this category talk about the boys they like and also other girls (Jayson, 2009). On the other

hand, the behaviors inferred by the proposed hypothesis are exhibited by tweens and are mostly

caused by their emotional change, thus, making tweens very conscious of their surroundings.

According to O'Donell (2007), tweens become more environmentally aware and look for more

attention. Because of the sudden changes in their physique, they change the way they look. More

often, tweens like to look the same as their friends to fit in but, at the same time, they also want

to feel unique. Being aware of their surroundings, most tweens want to look older than they

really are. Although they become socially conscious, they are more self-conscious and most

often think about how other people see them.

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To support the proposed hypothesis, according to the American Social Health

Association (2013), puberty is the bridge between being a kid and being an adult. Once a girl hits

the puberty stage, different physical and emotional changes within the body are experienced.

Physical changes include developing of breasts (effect of a hormone called estrogen), gaining

weight or having a larger appetite, development of curves, thighs and hips might get a little bit

wider, hair growth on unusual areas like the armpits, pubic area and legs and experiencing

growth spurt or sudden increase in height. These physical changes are normal yet it causes

confusion for the tweens, as this is all new to them.

As an effect of the different physical changes, emotional changes are experienced as a

way of adjusting to it. These include moodiness caused by the production of estrogen,

consciousness of how they see themselves and how others might perceive them, feeling awkward

and embarrassed especially with the changes in their body, a more frequent and sudden sexual

curiosity and attraction with the opposite sex and the most drastic change, especially for parents,

is a yearn for independence. This eagerness for independence can lead to rebellion if demanded

too much or if deprived of it. This can also cause a struggle and constant search for individuality.

Moreover, todays tweens have a need for acceptance by their peers but they also possess more

independence than their predecessors. They struggle into thinking that they are mature but cannot

accept the fact that they cannot be just yet.

These statements support our hypothesis for they clearly state that the tweens

consciousness, search for individuality and sudden way of thinking are ways of coping and

adjusting to the changes that they experience.

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Method

Participants

The participants for this research will be 120 female adolescents (17 21 years old) from

De La Salle University. The age group of 17 21 years old was chosen because its range is

beyond tweenhood and those categorized under this range have a more unbiased outlook of their

days as tweens. However, this age range is still somehow near to the age group of tweens to

ensure that the correspondents will still have an accurate recollection of their days as tweens.

Materials and Apparatus

Surveys that intend to find out what the correspondents felt during their puberty.

Procedure

Surveys will be distributed, either by individual or by group. These surveys may also be

conducted through the internet.

Data Analysis

The data gained will be analyzed through the use of different statistic methods.
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References

Andrew Duffy, S. N. (1996, Oct 14). Tweens: Tuned into friends, computers and

money. Calgary Herald. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/244524866?accountid=28547

Chaet, H. (2012, June 25). The Tween Machine. Adweek. Retrieved February 6, 2013, from

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/tween-machine-141357?page=3

Growing up: Information for girls about puberty. (n.d.). Caring for Kids Home. Retrieved

February 6, 2013, from

http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/information_for_girls_about_puberty

Jayson, S. (2009, February 4). It's cooler than ever to be a tween, but is childhood lost?. USA

Today. Retrieved from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-02-03-tweens-

behavior_N.htm

O'Donnell, S. (2007, April 13). As kids get savvy, marketers move down the age scale. USA

Today. Retrieved from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/advertising/2007-04-11-

tween-usat_n.htm

Puberty. (n.d.). I Wanna Know. Retrieved February 6, 2013, from

http://www.iwannaknow.org/teens/sexualhealth/puberty.html

Tweens. (n.d.). The Free Dictionary. Retrieved February 6, 2013, from

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Tweens