ELIAS NEWS

^{معضل افزايش تعداد پسران مجرد و هرگز ازدواج‌نكرده}

^{بر اساس نتايج آخرين بررسي‌هاي انجام شده در كشور، ميانگين سن ازدواج براي دختران 22 و پسران 26 سال است.}

^{دكتر شهلا كاظمي‌پور ـ معاون پژوهشي مركز مطالعات جمعيتي آسيا و اقيانوسيه ـ در گفت‌وگو با خبرنگار «جوانان» خبرگزاري دانشجويان ايران (ايسنا)، با اشاره به ايجاد تحول در سن ازدواج جوانان و به ويژه دختران در يك دهه اخير، گفت: اين تحولات باعث افزايش سن ازدواج در دختران شده، به طوري كه براساس آخرين سرشماري در سال 85، سن ازدواج دختران از 6/19 سال (در سال 1355) به 5/23 سال به طور ميانگين رسيده است، اما در مورد پسران اين افزايش سن تنها يك‌سال بوده و از ميانگين 26 سال به 27 سال رسيده است.}

^{وي افزود: اين در حاليست كه تحقيقات و منابع آماري مختلف، ارقام متفاوتي از ميانگين سن ازدواج جوانان ارائه مي‌كنند. به عنوان مثال سازمان ثبت احوال كه وظيفه ثبت واقعه ازدواج در كشور را بر عهده دارد، ميانگين سن ازدواج دختران را 5/21 سال اعلام كرده است.}

^{معاون پژوهشي مركز مطالعات جمعيتي آسيا و اقيانوسيه، آسيب‌هاي رواني و اجتماعي را از پيامدهاي افزايش سن ازدواج دختران عنوان و با اشاره به نتايج جديدترين مطالعه و تحقيق ملي در اين خصوص اظهار كرد: بر اساس بررسي‌هاي اخير در سطح كشور كه بر روي يك‌هزار و 200 زوج جوان 19 تا 40 ساله در دو ماه اخير توسط مركز مركز مطالعات جمعيتي آسيا و اقيانوسيه انجام شده، ميانگين سن ازدواج پسران 26 سال و دختران 2/22 سال بوده است.}

^{وي ادامه داد: مقايسه اين افزايش سن با سنوات زناشويي و ازدواج نشان مي‌دهد، ميانگين سن ازدواج در افرادي كه در يك سال گذشته ازدواج كرده‌اند، بالاتر است.}

^{به گفته دكتر كاظمي پور، 80 درصد از پاسخگويان مشكلات مالي و اقتصادي را مهم‌ترين دليل افزايش سن ازدواج پسران اعلام كرده‌اند.}

^{معاون پژوهشي مركز مطالعات جمعيتي آسيا و اقيانوسيه خاطر نشان كرد: همچنين پاسخگويان در اين تحقيق، متوقع بودن دختران و تجمل‌گرايي را با ميانگين آماري 40 درصد، اولين عامل افزايش سن دختران در كشور اعلام كرده‌اند و پس از آن مشكلات مالي و نداشتن جهيزيه مناسب (كه خود در نتيجه تجمل‌گرايي و چشم و هم‌چشمي است)، ادامه تحصيل، نيافتن همسر ايده‌آل از نظر اخلاقي و اعتماد نداشتن به پسران به علت شيوع بي‌بند و باري اجتماعي در برخي از آن‌ها، سخت‌گيري والدين، برآورده شدن نيازها از راه‌هاي نامشروع و تحولات اخير اجتماعي به عنوان دلايل افزايش سن ازدواج دختران ذكر شده است.}

^{وي با ارائه تحليلي از نتايج اين تحقيق، عنوان كرد: عوامل اجتماعي و فرهنگي بيش از ساير عوامل در افزايش سن ازدواج جوانان نقش دارد و در اين بين 50 تا 60 درصدعلل اين افزايش سن ناشي از خود جوانان و 40 تا 50 درصد علت آن به خانواده‌ها مربوط است.}

^{دكتر كاظمي‌پور تصريح كرد: برخي والدين امروز ما و جوانان ديروز، در مراحل گذار اجتماعي مطالبات كاذبي از جامعه انتظار داشته‌اند كه بسياري از آنان برايشان محقق نشده است. بنابراين اين خانواده‌ها مي‌خواهند اين مطالبات را در زندگي فرزندانشان محقق كنند، در نتيجه مي‌توان بسياري از رسم‌هاي تجملي و مهريه‌هاي سنگين ازدواج را ناشي از جبران كمبودهاي خانواده‌ها دانست.}

^{وي با اشاره به تصور عموم مردم مبني بر اين كه مشكلات اقتصادي و بيكاري مهم‌ترين مانع ازدواج به موقع است، اظهار كرد: اگر اين طور باشد، جوانان بي‌سواد و كم سواد كه مشكل بيشتري در يافتن شغل و حل مسايل اقتصادي دارند، اصلا نبايد ازدواج كنند در حالي كه نتايج مطالعات نشان مي‌دهد كه اين افراد بسيار زودتر از سايرين ازدواج مي‌كنند. در واقع اين موضوع ثابت مي‌كند كه ميزان تحصيلات با افزايش سن ازدواج رابطه مستقيم دارد، به طوري كه هر چه فرد تحصيلات بيشتري دارد، توقع بالاتري از اشتغال و سطح زندگي دارد بنابراين ديرتر ازدواج مي‌كند.}

^{معاون پژوهشي مركز مطالعات جمعيتي آسيا و اقيانوسيه، تحولات اخير اجتماعي، توسعه شهرنشيني، بالا رفتن سطح تحصيلات و تلاش براي حفظ و ارتقاي آنچه كه پرستيژ اجتماعي خوانده مي‌شود را از جمله عوامل مهم ديگري دانست كه در بالا رفتن سن ازدواج جوانان به ويژه دختران جوانان موثر بوده است.}

^{وي با اين حال تصريح كرد: اين افزايش سن ازدواج ادامه نخواهد يافت و از آنجا كه دامنه سن ازدواج براي دختران بين 20 تا حداكثر 30 سال است، ميانگين سن ازدواج در آينده ثابت خواهد شد و چنانچه بتوانيم كشور را به يك ثبات فرهنگي برسانيم، اين ميانگين سني دچار كاهش نيز خواهد شد.}

^{معاون پژوهشي مركز مطالعات جمعيتي آسيا و اقيانوسيه، با اشاره به پديده افزايش دختران مجرد، پيش‌بيني كرد كه اين مشكل اجتماعي به زودي رفع شود، اما از سوي ديگر جامعه در آينده دچار معضل افزايش پسران مجرد و هرگز ازدواج نكرده خواهد شد.}

Schoolboy father: Alfie Patten may take DNA test after two more teens claim paternity
The family of 13-year-old Alfie Patten have said he should take a DNA test to prove he is the father of his girlfriend's baby, after two more teenagers claimed they could be responsible.
 

By Lucy Cockcroft

Alfie Patten: Schoolboy father may take DNA test after two more teens claim paternity
Alfie Patten: The schoolboy is now father to 7lb 3oz Maisie Roxanne, born on Monday Photo: THE SUN

The schoolboy was reported to be Britain's current youngest father last week after Chantelle Steadman, 15, gave birth to 7lb 3oz daughter Maisie.

However, it has now emerged that two other boys, aged 14 and 16, claim they could have fathered the child.

Chantelle's neighbours in Eastbourne, Sussex, have also alleged that at least four boys had been allowed to spend the night in her room.

The schoolgirl and her mother, Penelope, 38, have insisted the claims are false.

Alfie, who stands just 4ft tall, also defended her.

He told The People: "Other stupid boys are lying, saying bad things, like they have slept with Chantelle too.

"But I am the only boyfriend she has had and we've been together for two years, so I must be the dad.

"When she found out she was having a baby, I asked her 'Am I the dad?' and she went 'Yeah' so I believe her.

"I didn't know about DNA tests before, but Mum explained it's when they do a swab in your mouth and it tells you if you're the dad.

"So, if I have that, they can all shut up. But I don't really care what people say. And I don't like them being bad about Chantelle."

However, some members of Alfie's family are questioning the paternity and have suggested he should have a DNA test.

His father Dennis, 45, a vehicle fitter who has eight other children, told The People: "A DNA test is the only way to settle this once and for all.

"I kept asking if she was sure because I thought a boy of his age wasn't capable of conceiving.

"But then these other lads have come out of the woodwork claiming they have gone with Chantelle too.

"I am not saying I believe them and I don't want to blacken the girl's reputation, but we have to know for sure – for Alfie, for her and for that baby."

It is also claimed that Alfie's mother Nicola Patten, 43, who has split from his father, would like him to take the test to settle the issue.

His aunt, Julie Patten, told the Sunday Mirror: "Nicola is distraught. She told me she wants a DNA test to prove if Alfie is the father.

"She wants the truth to come out now rather than months or years down the line after Alfie has bonded with the baby and become a proper dad.

"The family think Chantelle has had at least two boyfriends before Alfie."

Richard Goodsell, 16, a trainee chef, has claimed he often shared a bed with Chantelle over a period of three months around the time she became pregnant.

His mother Barbie-Jayne, 35, also backs his story

He told the News of the World: "I know I could be the father. Everyone thinks I am. My friends all tell me that baby has my eyes– even my mum thinks so.

"Only a DNA test is going to sort this out properly. If I am the father, I have the right to know."

Tyler Barker, 14, also claims to have had a relationship with Chantelle, who appears much older than her years.

He told the News of the World: "I slept with Chantelle in her bed about nine months ago and I'm really worried I could be the father.

"I hope it's not me. All my mates have been teasing me about it but this isn't funny, it's serious."

The news that 4ft Alfie conceived baby Maisie when he was only 12 renewed calls for better sex education for the nation's children.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "I think all of us would want to avoid teenage pregnancies."

Children's Secretary Ed Balls said; "You look at that young lad being a dad when he is so young - and also the teenage girl - and you think it's not right, this looks so terrible.

"Our first reaction has got to be to make sure that the young lad, the teenage mum and the baby get all the support they need.

"And it's also vital that we do everything we can to make sure that these kind of teenage pregnancies don't happen in the future."

He's 13. He scarcely looks 10. And according to a British tabloid, he's a father. Baby-faced and only 4 feet tall, the boy, Alfie, was just 12 when he impregnated Chantelle, now 15, The Sun reported Friday. Shown in a video posted Friday on the tabloid's Web site, the diminutive Alfie takes the newborn girl in his arms.

Asked what he would do to support the child financially, Alfie asks in a small, high-pitched voice, "What's financially?"

The girl was taking birth control pills but missed one, the newspaper reported. Friends and relatives left the family home near Eastbourne, about 70 miles southeast of London, Friday without speaking to reporters gathered outside. The teenagers could not immediately be contacted.

The Sun did not say whether any tests were conducted to prove the boy's paternity. The paper did not offer any immediate comment when asked whether it had paid the family for the story.

Police and child services in Eastbourne, in southeast England, said in a statement that they were "aware of a 14-year-old girl that had become pregnant as the result of a relationship with a 12-year-old boy," adding that they were offering support to both young people.

Alfie's front page picture has sparked renewed debate about teen pregnancy in Britain. The country has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in Europe, and government figures show that about 39,000 girls under age 18 became pregnant in 2006. More than 7,000 of those girls were younger than 16.

"I don't know the individual details of the case, but of course I think all of us would want to avoid teenage pregnancies," Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Friday.

Britain had 27 births per 1,000 women aged 15-19 between 2000 and 2005, according to a report published by Population Action International. Comparable figures are 10 per 1,000 for Spain, 8 in 1,000 for France, and 5 in 1,000 for The Netherlands.

Britain's teen pregnancy rate, however, is still far below that of the United States, which registers 44 births per 1,000 women aged 15-19 and are more line with English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand, which respectively have 17 and 27 births per 1,000 women between 15 and 19, according to the report.

Previous Research in Iran

     Over the last ten years in Iran, numerous psychological studies have shown that formation of a stable and positive creativity is one of the major developmental challenges of students. Mehrnaz MehrAfza (2004) conducted a research entitled: “ The study of creativity and academic achievement among 384 of students (boys and girls) examined in Tabriz high schools”. This research has been done in random and the data collected by Abedi’s questionnaire of creativity and CGPA is used for educational evaluation. The method used in this research was regression and the methods of descriptive statistics and regression Pearson and t-test used for data analysis. The statistical data analysis shows that there is no difference in creativity overall score between boys and girls. However, in middle of section boys are statistically higher than girls. But girls are statically higher in flexibility. Boys and girls are different in academic achievement and the average of academic achievement in girls was more than in boys.

Zahra Nouri (2002) studied the sex difference according to the type of relationship between creativity and academic achievement among high school of students in Shiraz city. There were 306 high school students (150 boys and 156 girls) in the research. To measure the rate of creativity she used Abedi questionnaire and CGPA for academic achievement. The result was analyzed by CGPA for academic achievement. It revealed that there is no significant relationship between creativity and academic achievement, but the result was different in the sex difference. The finding shows the significant difference in academic achievement of boys and girls. Academic achievement was more in girls than in boys and it is significant (p < % 1). Ali Karimi’s research in 2000 was about the study of relationship between creativity, sex and academic achievement among secondary school students. The result shows significant relationship among these variables is as follows:

There is a 25 relationship in level (p< % 1) between total creativity and academic achievement. Also, the comparison between girls and boys in creativity is indicative of the significant difference between these two sexes. The boys are strikingly excelled the girls in creativity. Besides, the parents’ education is significantly related to creativity.

At the end, Mohammad Taghi Mohammadi’s research (1998) entitled ‘’ personality features, creativity and academic achievement’’ was done among 106 students in Tehran. The result showed a significant relationship between creativity and academic achievement. Fatemeh Behroozi (1997) studied the relationship between personal features and creativity and also between creativity and academic achievement among 187 university students through Cattell questionnaire of creativity. The result showed no significant relationship between creativity and others variables.

1.4 This study

The major objective of this study was predictors’ creativity, age and gender relate to academic achievement of undergraduate students. The present study will provide a better estimate of the true association between academic achievement, creativity, age and gender by having creative perception inventory test as predictors and cumulative grade point average (CGPA), applied to undergraduate students.

1.4 Research hypotheses

We have two hypotheses for this study is:

·         There is relative-scored between academic achievement, creativity, age and gender.

·         There is predictors’ academic achievement on creativity and gender.

·         There is significance differences in academic achievement between males and females

1. Discussion

By and large, we found creativity, age and gender low predictors (R=.378, R –Square= .143) by academic achievement (CGPA) in the sample. But there is significance relation (F= 8.294, sig=000, P<0.01) between those variables and academic achievement. Another finding the relationship between age and academic achievement is decreased (r=.345). We also found the relationship between creativity (r=.157 is lowed by academic achievement in the sample, at the same time in the present study there was no significant differences between gender and academic achievement (t= -1.167 sig= .245)

Generally, previous research has produced mixed results between creativity, age, gender and academic achievement. (Aitken Harris, 2004) found that there existed a small to moderate positive correlation with an intelligence factor (which included the creativity scales), however (Asha, 1980) suggested that the relation between creativity and academic achievement could be different for males and females. According this finding there was highly significantly relation between creativity and academic achievement of males. However her study shows less significant than that for males, also include for females. (Asha, 1980) also found that creativity is related to academic achievement for both males and females. But in other words, Zahra Nouri (2002) in her study has explained that there was no significant relationship between creativity and academic achievement, unlike Mohammad Taghi Mohammadi’s research (1998), Ali Karimi’s study (2000) and Fatemeh Behroozi’s investigation (1997) have mentioned : there was a relation between creativity and academic achievement.

Next, previous finding shows different relation result between age and achievement. (Waldman, 1986) refereed the positive relationship between age and performance, but in another study (McEvoy, 1989) found that the age was largely unrelated performance.

Next, previous study mentioned that boys and girls are different in academic achievement. According to Mehrnaz MehrAfza’s study (2004), there was  significant differences between boys and girls. Her study shows the average of academic achievement in girls was more than in boys. Zahra Nouri (2002) also found the significant different in academic achievement of boys and girls. Academic achievement was more in girls than in boys.

1.1 Definitional Issues

·         Creativity

Researches have been concerned in the relationships between creativity, and academic achievement for numerous years. Though, studies investigative the relationships between these factors have not yielded consistent consequences. According to description (Ai, 1999) that investigate creativity and academic achievement has various results: a quantity of researchers reported that creativity was not related to academic achievement, but others established that creativity was related to academic achievement, and finally also a number of researchers reported that creativity was related to higher levels of academic achievement, when such achievement needed divergent and productive ability. However, creativity was difficult related to academic achievement. As a result relationship between creativity and academic achievement is most significant for education and teaching, and there is also a lack of data on the relationships of these variables among students (Behroozi, 2006).

·         Gender

(David E., 2001)cited that one of the areas of bias study that have been particularly dynamic in recent years is scoring differences that correlate with gender. Probably the most publicized differences are in the area of college aptitude, where test scores are supposed to predict the applicants’ subsequent college-level performance. Generally, the tests work well, but there are exceptions (p 320). In another study (Kesel & Linn, 1996) found that, in some instances, SAT data may underpredict college- grade for women in mathematics. The scores suggest that females’ performance in collage-level mathematics will be lower than they turn out to be. Although the underprediction may be comparatively minor, it provides impetus for continuing work with the instrument. It also underscores the need to rely on multiple criteria for making admission decisions(David E., 2001).

·         Age

Age is an independent variable for the present study. When we refer to age relationship to academic achievement (CGPA), we are referring to relation between students at one age and students at another age. Our purpose; is the relationship between age and academic achievement stronger or weaker than the relationship between creativity and academic achievement? And also is there any the predictor as creativity, age and gender on academic achievement? If yes, what’s the level of predictor (low, moderate or high)? These are some questions we try to answer to address this study.

1.2        Previous Researches

 Creativity, which has been subjected to many different definitions, academic achievement or academic ability is relatively more easily defined, measured and interpreted (A. K.  Palaniappan, 2005). A myriad of factors have been identified as being related to academic achievement, the three fundamental of which will be addressed in this study: creativity and gender (A. K.  Palaniappan, 2005; Palaniappan, 2007a, 2007b).      In current years, differential investigators have exposed growing interest in the relationship between creativity, gender and academic achievement, but there is a lack of data on the relationship between age and academic achievement.

(Struthers et al., 1996)studied psychology students. The participants were 313 male and female introductory psychology students at The University of Manitoba. This study examined the relationship between students’ attributions, action control and creativity and their subsequent motivation and achievement. As expected finding, this study shows the levels of action control and creativity in the unstable attribution condition translated into significantly different grades in students’ introductory psychology course. Despite initially being relatively high in motivation (unstable attributions), students who were either state-oriented and low in creativity, or state-oriented and high in creativity, produced lower course grades compared to action-oriented, highly creative students.

 This finding indicates a relationship between causal attributions, creativity, and action control orientations and students’ performance. Specifically, this shows that students who made unstable attributions for poor academic performances and who were highly creative and action-oriented, were buffered from performance deficits. In contrast, the students who made unstable attributions and who were high in creativity and state-oriented were inhibited from performance increments.

            (Fodor & Carver, 2000) examined undergraduate students. Participants for the experiment were students of both sexes in engineering and science from Clarkson University, a predominantly technological university. Students completed the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), which was scored for achievement motivation and also for Power motivation. They later participated in the experiment. There were 144 experimental participants, 48 in each of three experimental conditions: positive, negative, or no feedback concerning prior performance on an engineering problem. Achievement motivation correlated positively with creativity score in the positive and negative-feedback conditions (rs = .43 and .38) but not significantly in the no-feedback condition (r = .10). Power motivation correlated positively with creativity in the positive-feedback condition (r = .32), and negatively in the negative-feedback condition (r = −.25), but not significantly in the no-feedback condition (r = .17).

            (Aitken Harris, 2004) examined 404 adults of participants ( 203men and 201 women) completed four scales of a timed, group administered, intelligence test, 10 personality scales, and a creativity measures. Finding this study shows achievement has been small to moderate positive correlations with an intelligence factor (which included the creativity scales).

Finally, age is an independent (demographic) variable and is employed as such in our analyses (Ng & Feldman, 2008) refereed Previous research has produced mixed results between age and performance. According to (Ng & Feldman, 2008) there are three most cited quantitative reviews of this literature: one researcher found a moderate positive relationship between age and performance(Waldman, 1986), second,  (McEvoy, 1989)found that age was largely unrelated to performance, and the third(Sturman, 2003) found that the age and performance relationship took an inverted-U shape. (Ng & Feldman, 2008) found age was not significantly related to creativity