Exploring the Connectedness of South African Adolescents in View of Cultural Differences

Abstract

Abstract The research explored the connectedness of a group of South African adolescents. The sample comprised of 835 students of different cultural groups enrolled at four urban secondary schools. The students completed The Hemmingway: Measure of Adolescent Connectedness (MAC) to determine their connectedness at three ecological levels: (i) to others (for example, parents and friends); (ii) to society (for example, community and school); and (iii) to themselves (for example, self-in–the-present). Data analysis was carried out through the comparison of means and standard deviations, and the testing of the dependency of connectedness with culture. The results revealed that the adolescents were highly connected to the future, self-in-the-present, their parents (especially their mothers) and religion. Significant differences were identified among the three cultural groups, for example with regard to kids of other cultures and reading. The study’s limitations were pointed out and recommendations for improving adolescent connectedness in some instances were made.