geordieboy
18th May 2006, 01:44 PM
The nursery rhyme says they're made from sugar and spice, but little girls are ahead of boys for bad behaviour according to a new survey.
And the study also claims that the much-maligned youth of today are actually better behaved than their parents were 20 years ago.
When it comes to drugs, drink and sex, girls have overtaken boys for bad behaviour in today's society.
Children of parents who smoke are also more likely to get involved in anti-social behaviour such as fighting, binge drinking and unprotected sex.
The research by Colin Pritchard, of Bournemouth University's Institute of Health and Community Studies, and Richard Williams, social inclusion co-ordinator for the university, is published in the book Breaking the Cycle of Educational Alienation.
They repeated a survey in 2005 that was originally conducted in 1985 involving Year 10 and 11 secondary students.
The results were used to compare and contrast today's adolescent behaviour with that of their parents 20 years ago.
"The good news and, perhaps, unexpected is that the 2005 youngsters have less problematic behaviour than the 1985 cohort and even with the problematic behaviour, drugs, drink and sex, this is still a minority activity," said Prof Pritchard.
"The bad news, however, is that 20 years ago boys drugged, drank, smoked, truanted, stole, vandalised and fought more than girls. Today it is very different. Girls now significantly smoke and binge-drink more than boys.
"They truant, steal and fight at similar rates to boys but have started under-aged sex earlier than boys with 17 per cent of lads in Year 11 having their First-Sexual-Intercourse (FSI) whereas 31 per cent of Year 11 girls have had their FSI, indicating they are going with older boys."
Children of smoking parents are four times more likely to smoke themselves, and twice as likely to steal, get into fights and become sexually active at an early age.
They are also two-and-a-half times more likely to take drugs and/or binge drink, and four times more likely to have unprotected sex than children of parents who do not smoke, according to the research.
"It is not that smoking causes the student's behaviour, but it reflects something of their personal, family and social relationships," said Prof Pritchard.
A questionnaire was sent out to 10 schools along the south coast, with 824 pupils aged 14 to 15 completing it in 1985 and 854 pupils of the same age completing it in 2005.
The almost identical questionnaires had around 30 questions on truancy, vandalism, theft, fighting, drinking, drugs and sex.
Students had half an hour to fill in the answers anonymously in an exam setting.
Questions about under-age sex were not allowed on the 1985 form so the results of the 2005 group were compared to other research and national patterns of sexual behaviour in the Eighties.
so sorry but your all bad girls;lol:gogirl: :gogirl: :gogirl:
And the study also claims that the much-maligned youth of today are actually better behaved than their parents were 20 years ago.
When it comes to drugs, drink and sex, girls have overtaken boys for bad behaviour in today's society.
Children of parents who smoke are also more likely to get involved in anti-social behaviour such as fighting, binge drinking and unprotected sex.
The research by Colin Pritchard, of Bournemouth University's Institute of Health and Community Studies, and Richard Williams, social inclusion co-ordinator for the university, is published in the book Breaking the Cycle of Educational Alienation.
They repeated a survey in 2005 that was originally conducted in 1985 involving Year 10 and 11 secondary students.
The results were used to compare and contrast today's adolescent behaviour with that of their parents 20 years ago.
"The good news and, perhaps, unexpected is that the 2005 youngsters have less problematic behaviour than the 1985 cohort and even with the problematic behaviour, drugs, drink and sex, this is still a minority activity," said Prof Pritchard.
"The bad news, however, is that 20 years ago boys drugged, drank, smoked, truanted, stole, vandalised and fought more than girls. Today it is very different. Girls now significantly smoke and binge-drink more than boys.
"They truant, steal and fight at similar rates to boys but have started under-aged sex earlier than boys with 17 per cent of lads in Year 11 having their First-Sexual-Intercourse (FSI) whereas 31 per cent of Year 11 girls have had their FSI, indicating they are going with older boys."
Children of smoking parents are four times more likely to smoke themselves, and twice as likely to steal, get into fights and become sexually active at an early age.
They are also two-and-a-half times more likely to take drugs and/or binge drink, and four times more likely to have unprotected sex than children of parents who do not smoke, according to the research.
"It is not that smoking causes the student's behaviour, but it reflects something of their personal, family and social relationships," said Prof Pritchard.
A questionnaire was sent out to 10 schools along the south coast, with 824 pupils aged 14 to 15 completing it in 1985 and 854 pupils of the same age completing it in 2005.
The almost identical questionnaires had around 30 questions on truancy, vandalism, theft, fighting, drinking, drugs and sex.
Students had half an hour to fill in the answers anonymously in an exam setting.
Questions about under-age sex were not allowed on the 1985 form so the results of the 2005 group were compared to other research and national patterns of sexual behaviour in the Eighties.
so sorry but your all bad girls;lol:gogirl: :gogirl: :gogirl: