Search

In this paper, we explore high school students’ intrapersonal experiences regarding their leisure activities, and whether it is justified, on the basis of their perception, to make a distinction between active and passive leisure. The data were collected by 24-hour time diary method (description of experiences regarding the stated activities) and the thematic content analysis method was applied. The comments embedded in students’ descriptions (unit of analysis) were classified into four categories: aims/importance of activities, mental effort, motivational value and experience of engagement. The sample of 922 high school students was structured by the region, age (I-IV grade) and type of school (grammar and vocational schools). As expected, extracurricular activities and hobbies are significantly more often described as mentally demanding and important for the development of competencies and identity, compared to passive leisure activities - watching entertainment shows and movies, reading for pleasure, listening to music and playing computer games. For these latter activities, there are significantly more positive comments on their motivational value. There is no significant difference regarding the experience of engagement, partly because of the unexpectedly large number of positive comments on watching entertainment shows and movies. The implications of these findings are discussed from the perspective of positive youth development. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 179018: Identifikacija, merenje i razvoj kognitivnih i emocionalnih kompetencija važnih društvu orijentisanom na evropske integracije]

The way the young perceive educational activities is important not only for understanding the developmental processes that take place in the context of these activities, but also their developmental effects. That is why we wanted to supplement the findings about the quantity of time that high-schoolers spend in educational activities with the data how they perceive their activities at school and studying at home, considering mental requirements, motivational values and aims/importance of these activities. Spontaneous descriptions of the students, compiled by the method of keeping 24-hour diary were analyzed by the method of content analysis. The research included 922 high school students, divided into groups according to the region, age and the type of the school. The analysis showed that high-schoolers perceive educational activities mainly as mentally demanding and tedious, not as challenging and motivating, while their aims and importance they see exclusively from the instrumental point of view. Not a small number of positive comments indicate that some themes (school subjects) and educational activities (teachers) succeed to stimulate intrinsic motivation, and that academic attainments are significant sources of their sense of competence and self-respect. Pedagogic implications of the findings were considered from the perspective of positive development of the young and the influence of the students' experiences upon academic achievements.

The aim of this study was to examine how young people in Serbia are using free time and how their activities are beneficial, from the standpoint of a positive development. We have analyzed the amount of time youth daily spend in a different categories of activities, based on the degree of mental and physical engagement, the primary purpose of the activities and the degree of structured ness. The 24-hour time diary method was applied: subjects chronologically described, at half-hourly intervals, their activities in one working and one weekend day. The data analysis was based on a typical day reconstruction approach. The research was conducted on a representative sample of high school students (N = 922), stratified by region, age and type of school. The analysis revealed that young people spend most of their leisure time in activities that do not require a particular mental or physical engagement. In a hypothetical average day of Serbian teenagers, the most represented activities are aimed at fun and relaxation, as well as unstructured socializing with peers. Far less time is spent in individual or organized activities, aimed at the actualization of creative potentials and development of interests and competencies (extracurricular activities, hobbies, volunteering, etc.). It is evident that young people spend most of their free time in unstructured activities, without supervision and systematic guidance by adults. We believe that a gloomy picture of youth leisure time could be, at least partly, attributed to the lack of socio-cultural support for more developmentally enriching ways of spending time, in the form of organized activities at school and in the community.