Can Parents Answer Any Question That A Preteen Might Have?

By Author: Alyry Yesong
Total Articles: 10
Comment this article

Through the interviews, tweens revealed that they engage in several regulating behaviors in the information-seeking process. Many behaviors revolved around the social cost of information-sharing. The act of asking questions can be a socially awkward act, and tweens were especially attuned to the issue of "embarrassment" in revealing their knowledge gaps. They also actively assess the quality of their questions for the circumstance. Brooke (University) revealed some conditions under which tweens will not ask a question: "They might be too embarrassed to ask, too proud to ask, or they just don't think it's important enough to ask." Tweens also told us that they feel more in control of their curiosity as a result of maturation. Adam (School) stated: "That's true, because I don't like to ask as many questions like little kids do. 'Cause when you're little, you're really, really curious, so you blurt out whatever you're thinking. Now that you're a preteen, you think about what you're gonna say before you say it." Tweens explained that they need to regulate the information that they take in from others and that sometimes information ...
... directed toward them is unwelcome. Brooke (University) stated that ill-timed information can be an impediment to certain processes: "We don't like information when we don't need it because it seems to Juicy Couture Necklaces clutter up the way, get in the way of what we're doing." Austin (University) provided a sophisticated view of knowledge provided by teachers, specifically feedback on assignments. He explained that some knowledge is appreciated temporally and that his opinion of the advice may change over time (long-term vs. short-term meaning of the same information given):

I usually like it when I'm given information, unless it's criticism. And then I'll like it in the long run, but not in the short run. Not while it's happening will I like it. If you write a paper for English, if it's harsh criticism, I don't like it. If they say Juicy Couture Watch you misspelled this, then that's all right. But if they say, "Man, this paper sucks, what were you thinking" I'd say, "What's wrong about it" And they'd say, "Well it's a terrible subject, you obviously don't know what you're writing about, and I think you'd be better selling your computer and getting a turtle farm." That's the kind of information that doesn't click with me. The tweens also suggested that they were not only aware of their own knowledge regulation behaviors but were keenly aware of others regulating knowing as well. The following dialogue with Amber (School) illustrates how knowledge is sometimes held back from tweens and that they are cognizant that adults are motivated to do so:
Interviewer: Can parents answer any question that a preteen might have?
Amber: Probably not. Because they might not understand it or they might not know the answer. And they might not want to tell you. So it's one of those things, like, they know but you don't know that they know, so they might say, "I have no idea." Course they know, but they don't wanna tell you.

The interviews revealed that tweens are aware of their knowledge dispositions and motivations as well as the motivations that may lie behind different types of information-seeking and sharing. While the focus of this study was everyday information, references to school work invariably surfaced. Trevor (School) explained that "looking up" information in books is only valuable when there is a specific kind of need, either one prompted by a school assignment or by intense personal curiosity. Otherwise, as in the example he provided ("What year was Henry Ford born in"), a simple answer ("A long time ago.") is sufficient. This is often referred to as "satisficing" when a precise answer is not necessary due to constraints of time, motivation, or access to knowledge.