The research article “Gender and adolescent development” which is authored by David G. Perry and Rachel E. Pauletti was published in the Journal for Research on Adolescent in 2011. The authors are faculty members at the Florida Atlantic University. The main purpose of the article is to summarize and criticize any recent trends in research as well as theory on the role played by gender in adolescent development (Perry & Pauletti, 2011).
The study was conducted through the use of secondary data and information summarized and critiqued by the writers. Through the collection of different research studies, the authors were able to determine the role played by gender in the growth and development of adolescents.
Based on the scholarly article, the authors used some articles which could be categorized as primary sources. The study was specifically concerned with sex, gender, and adolescence. The authors reviewed the literature of other authors were related to the issue of gender and adolescence.
The study was more of a review of past and recent trends in theory and research regarding the issues of adolescence and gender. The paper is organized in such a manner that it addresses each issue articulately. As part of methodology, both secondary and primary sources were used for the review which has been used interchangeably throughout the paper.
The authors have organized different themes such as gender identity, gender typing, and gender stereotypes to form the major gender constructs. In addition, gender theories are also summarized as part of the methodology.
One of the major findings of the paper is that there is a linkage between gender activity/trend in childhood which is replicated in adulthood as a result of the role played by gender during child development in adolescence (Perry & Pauletti, 2011). The authors conclude that adolescence is a vital link between childhood and adulthood, an observation that other past studies appear to concur with.
The article titled “Media cited for showing girls as sex objects” appeared on the US Today on February 19, 2007. The paper which is placed under the health and behavior section focused on the role media plays on adolescences especially girls. According to the article, girls are more encouraged to focus on the sexuality and looks after seeing adverts and media images which may have physical and emotional harm on them.
Based on the article, the use of dolls may have a sexualization motive since they are made for such. To the teen, they may not seem harmful as seen by the adults. The major argument made by the article is that girls may have mental health problems resulting from the use and view of the sexualized items during their development stages.
The article argues that the behavior of a child can be influenced by images projected by the media in addition to encouraging girls sexually objectify their bodies (Jayson 2007). Issues like bulimia, low esteem and depression can result from the same.
The contributing sources are genuine as they are from researches conducted by well know researchers. For example, it quotes reports by American Psychological Association, a psychology professor at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, and an associate professor at New York University who seem to have carried research on the issue (Jayson, 2007). The article is well organized with the views from different sources arranged in such a manner that the intended message is conveyed to the targeted groups.
The two articles are more concerned with the development of child during adolescence and the role different aspects play in modeling them. In addition, the articles address some of the negative issues that this group of people undergoes such as low self esteem, bulimia, and depression.
The two articles are based on past research materials which can either be categorized as either primary or secondary. In terms of differences, the article authored by David G. Perry and Rachel E. Pauletti is scholarly while the other by Sharon Jayson is more of news article. The first article is peer reviewed while the newspaper article is not which makes it less academic.
The newspaper article is a direct paper which talks on the findings of the issue at hand while the scholarly article is arranged in different sections such as abstract, introduction, findings and conclusions. Furthermore, the newspaper article has no list of references compared to the scholarly article. The newspaper article focuses on the issue of sexuality but based on the female gender while the scholarly article touches on both gender.
Both articles add knowledge on the issues of sexuality based on gender especially during adolescence development. They are enlightening to the consumers on some of behaviours which are common to adolescences. The aspect of learning through imitation and copying arises on both articles.
The major con of the presentation of the information in the scholarly article is the professional based research format which can be said to be articulate, well organized, deep, and formulated while the newspaper article is short, precise and to the point.
The scholarly approach is a better way of communicating the information because it is based on researched information which is specifically made for academic purposes. The popular media, commercialized approach is also better since other than reaching a large group, it also acts as a form of entertainment. This means that it can be read by anybody unlike the scholarly article.
Based on the analysis, professors tout peer-reviewed and professional publications and force students to incorporate them into their written work when the other means of handling sexuality are so popular because they are based on research and are dependable resources.
Despite the presence of sources related to sexuality on the internet, peer reviewed and publication have a basis of argument and the information contained is less likely to be changed or discarded in the near future.
To sum it up, scholarly articles are more detailed compared to popular or media articles although the latter reaches a large number of population in a short period. The two forms are dependable, well organized and supported by other past and recent research studies. They both address the issues under study although from different perspectives.
Based on the analysis, the scholarly approach which is peer reviewed is more dependable and touted by professors. Compared to the newspaper article, the scholarly article is deeper in detail, organized in sections, and with numerous reference sources.
While the mass media article can be used for educative reasons like scholarly article, it also plays the role of entertainment tool. Lastly, both sources are dependable as they give information on sexuality although scholarly article is more interesting and the information feels more reliable.
Reference List
Jayson, S. (2007). Media cited for showing girls as sex objects. Web.
Perry, G. D., & Pauletti, R. E. (2011). Gender and adolescent development. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(1), 61 – 74.