| Summary: | This case study focuses on the influence of certain sociocultural factors on
the ability of adolescent girls to fulfill their potentials. Specifically, the purpose of this
research is to advance an alternative perspective on the relationship between the
sociocultural influences of friendship, mother/daughter relationship, school experience,
and body image and a loss of potential among adolescent girls from a historical,
poststructural, postmodern-feminist perspective.
The dissertation is presented in the form of narrative from both the authorÂs and
girls and womenÂs perspectives in order to seek a rich and thick description.
Throughout the study, the author integrates moments from her own journey during
adolescence with the young girls and their mothers or grandmothers encountering the
oftentimes overwhelming negative sociocultural challenges existing today.
The data consist of interviews with four girls and four women; interviews with
two school personnel; and observations covering 7 weeks of guided discussion groups. Personal stories are closely examined with current and in-depth research to produce
valuable insight and recommendations linking sociocultural factors and potentiality
among adolescent girls.
In general, these data contribute to an existing body of knowledge as well as
advance educational theory regarding adolescent girls and potentiality. Moreover, these
findings bolster the argument that, although realistic approaches to create necessary
change require a certain resignation to the forces that exist within our culture,
educational psychologists will increase the disciplineÂs impact on students by conducting
comprehensive research that creates and supports genuine efforts to teach girls effective
strategies on ways to not relinquish control to relentless, disingenuous sociocultural
pressures. The case study indicates that, although many positive gains have been made to
support young girls, there remain many obstacles as well.
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