1. The Student Stressors and Assets
Survey:
An Assessment of the Developmental Assets™ of
Students in the Bernards Township School District
Based on a Report Prepared By:
Kirk C. Harlow, Dr.P.H.
decisionstat@eartlink.net

2. Study Process
Focus on assessing the presence among students of the Search
Institute’s eight developmental assets
 Support—support from family, school, and community
 Empowerment—valuing of young people by the community
 Boundaries and expectations—clear expectations and limits
 Constructive use of time—enriching activities in which young
people can participate
 Commitment to learning—lifelong commitment to learning
and education
 Positive values—guiding values for choices
 Social competencies—Skills equipping young people to make
effective choices
 Positive identity—Sense of purpose and worth.

3. Questionnaire Design
25 questions drawn from
Search Institute
Remaining questions
developed specifically for
project
Parental permission gotten
for each student
completing questionnaire
Distributed in classrooms
Distributed to all 6th, 8th,
10th, and 12th graders

4. Response Rates
Table 1. Response Rates by Grade and
Gender
Grade Males Females Total
6th 56% 62% 59%
8th 31% 33% 32%
10th 77% 84% 80%
12th 48% 63% 56%
Total 53% 60% 56%

5. Demographic Characteristics of
Respondents

6. Respondent Class Grade by Gender
Slightly more females than males responded,
especially in the 12th grade

7. Student Age and Ethnicity
Student ages corresponded The majority of
to the class grades respondents were White

8. Other Demographic Information
85% had grades of As
and Bs or better
84% lived with both
parents
70% lived in current
household ten or
more years

9. Survey Results

10. Summary Mean Scores for Seven
Developmental Asset Categories by
Grade
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Asset Categories Mean Mean Mean Mean Mean
Support summary 4.1 3.8 3.7 3.9 3.9
Boundaries summary 3.8 3.7 3.6 3.4 3.6
Commitment to learning
4.1 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.0
summary
Positive identity summary 4.1 3.8 3.4 3.6 3.7
Social competency
3.7 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.7
summary
Positive values summary 4.0 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.8
Empowerment summary 3.2 2.8 3.0 3.0 3.0
Scores are based on a 1 to 5 point scale in which 5 is highest.

11. Athletic Involvement
Asset 8-Constructive Use of Time through Activities
Have you participated in Athletics/Intramural sports?
Yes No
Grade in School
Row N % Row N %
6th 76.9% 23.1%
8th 80.2% 19.8%
10th 80.7% 19.3%
12th 74.9% 25.1%
Total 78.3% 21.7%
If yes, how worthwhile do you think your participation was?
Somewhat
Not worthwhile worthwhile Very worthwhile
Grade in School Row N % Row N % Row N %
6th 3.4% 22.7% 73.9%
8th 12.0% 32.6% 55.4%
10th 9.5% 29.7% 60.8%
12th 7.3% 33.0% 59.7%
Total 8.4% 30.1% 61.5%

12. Alcohol Use
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Column N % Column N % Column N % Column N % Column N %
In the past 3 months, have you drunk
beer, wine, or “hard” liquor, not
counting religious occasions?
Never 93.6% 82.0% 39.5% 19.8% 50.1%
1 or 2 times 5.3% 11.7% 27.9% 20.6% 19.4%
3 or 4 times 0.6% 3.1% 14.4% 18.6% 11.4%
5 or more times 0.6% 3.1% 18.2% 41.1% 19.1%
In the past 3 months, how many times
have you gotten drunk?
Never 98.8% 92.1% 62.2% 40.0% 66.9%
1 or 2 times 0.0% 4.0% 18.9% 20.4% 13.8%
3 or 4 times 0.0% 1.6% 10.6% 15.7% 8.8%
5 or more times 1.2% 2.4% 8.3% 23.9% 10.6%

13. Drug Use
Grade in School
6th 8th 10th 12th Total
Column N % Column N % Column N % Column N % Column N %
In the past year, how often used a
drug other than alcohol to get
high?
Never 98.3% 91.4% 74.2% 53.9% 73.4%
1 or 2 times 1.7% 3.8% 8.1% 14.1% 8.5%
3 or 4 times 0.0% 1.0% 4.2% 5.9% 3.7%
5 or 6 times 0.0% 1.0% 1.7% 3.1% 1.8%
More than 6 times 0.0% 2.9% 11.9% 23.0% 12.6%

14. Summary of Findings
There is a cause for concern about alcohol use. The
results indicated higher alcohol use among students in
athletics compared to others. A similar result was found
in the 2005 survey.
There also was an indication that some students are
riding in cars in which they perceive the driver as being
drunk.
While parental support was high, about one-fourth of all
students indicated feeling too much pressure from
parents to do well. Students who felt too much pressure
also indicated feeling less support from parents.
About half of the students indicated getting support from
teachers, but only 30% of all students indicated feeling
that teachers cared about them.

15. Summary of Findings
Students indicated feeling that school rules were clear, but
not necessarily family rules. In addition, it appeared that
punishment for breaking family rules was not consistent.
An inverse relationship between the clarity of family rules
and involvement in risk behavior such as alcohol or drug
use was found.
Students indicated knowing how to set limits, but they also
indicated acting without thinking. There is the potential for
impulsive behavior to override self-regulatory behavior.
By 10th grade over 25% of the students indicated cheating on
a test two or more times in the past year. About two-thirds of
10th and 12th graders indicated copying homework two or
more times in the past year.

16. Implications of Findings
The significant use of alcohol among students, especially
among athletes, suggests that a concerted effort may be
needed to address the risk associated with alcohol use
among these students. The results indicate that some of
the underlying factors may be related to social norms.
The evidence that some students are riding in cars in
which the driver is drunk suggests the need for increased
efforts to prevent driving while drunk.
There were clear, positive relationships between the
Developmental Assets and lower involvement in risk
behaviors. While many students have high scores for the
assets, exploring measures that may strengthen the assets
for at-risk students should be considered.

17. Implications of Findings
Cheating in school has become a national problem, and the
survey’s results indicate the problem is also present in these
students. It may be useful to explore approaches to reduce
cheating.
There was an identified relationship between thrill seeking and
impulse control, and high-risk behavior. Developing programs
that focus not only on resistance, but impulse control, may be
worthwhile. Targeting higher risk students, such as those with
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, may be of value.
The results of the survey, in an appropriate format, should be
made available not only to adults in the community, but also the
students. Sharing the results is empowering, and an opportunity
to open discussion about the issues examined in the survey.