Vol.1,Issue.XI/May 2012pp.

1-4 ISSN No-2231-5063

Research Paper
The result reported that the Female students are highly Social Matured than their counterparts as well as the
students belonging to rural area are seems to be highly Social Matured than the students from urban area. No significant
differences were observed between the students from Arts, Commerce and Science discipline, all they are equal on the basis
of Social Maturity.
KEY WORD- SOCIAL MATURITY-
Development is essential aspect for the individual as well as the process of socialization. It is also true that maturity
marks the end of growth and development. Development depends upon the maturation and learning which is concerned with
the force, inside as well as outside of the individual. Generally there are three types of maturity viz., physical, psychological
and social maturity. So a person who has characteristics of awareness of his roles in the group desire, to keep pace in social
life may be called as socially mature person. If the adolescent is unable to behave as his age appropriate in the society he may
become socially immature. The small child can be accepted if he is socially immature, but not the Higher Secondary School
Learners, who are known as adolescents. An immature adolescent creates problems with his social and family relations.
Thus the socially matured person is well accepted by the peers as well as society. Thus Social Maturity has various aspects of
social abilities as self-efficacy, occupational activities, communication, self direction and social participation. There are
many different sorts of maturity and Social Maturity is one of them. Social Maturity is what enables us to function as healthy
adults. A high degree of Social Maturity has something to do with a high degree of Social Skills.
Social Maturity is a term commonly used in two ways like with reference to the behaviour that conforms to the
standards and expectations of the adults and secondly, with reference to the behavior that is appropriate to the age of the
individual under observation. Thus, Social Maturation permits more detailed perception of the social environment which
helps adolescents to influence the social circumstances and develop stable patterns of social behaviour. If an individual is
slow to adopt these patterns of social behavior, he is judged as being retarded in social development. So it is necessary for
adolescents to acquire more matured pattern of behavior to be accepted by society and to be socially matured.
Raj M. defines Social Maturity , is a level of social skills and awareness that an individual has achieved relative to
particular norms related to an age group. It is a parameter of an individual's interpersonal relationship behavior,
appropriateness, social problem solving and judgment. Srivastava (1987), has defines Social Maturity, is the behavior that
conforms to the standards expectations of the adults and is appropriate to the age group.
Robert Kegan has suggested the stages of Social Maturity in his book 'Social Maturity' (1982).the stages are listed as-
1.Incorporative- In the early days babies are subjective and have no appreciation of anything objective, therefore they don't
have self-awareness. This is called Incorporative.
2.Impulsive- The child uses its senses and reflects a lot on things. It helps in its mental development. Whenever the child
learns language and uses it to fulfill its needs. This reflection is called Impulsive stage.
3.Imperial At this stage the child learns that it has need but it is totally unaware of the fact that other people have needs too.
It has needs and doesn't hesitate to express be called Imperial stage.
4.Interpersonal When the child is able to understand the people in his environment and takes their needs into account is
called Interpersonal stage.
5.Institutional When the child can be said to have values or commitments to ideas and beliefs and principle which are
larger and more permanent than its own. This realization and commitment to values is called Institutional stage.
Dr. Nalini Rao has explained three main components of Social Maturity. They are-
1.Personal Adequacy- it has three subcomponents- work orientation, self direction and ability to take stress.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE SOCIAL MATURITY AMONG
ADOLESCENT LEARNERS FROM VARIOUS DESCIPLINES
OF NAVAPUR TEHSIL
ABSTRACT
The present study is aimed at studying the Social Maturity among Higher Secondary School Students and to
see the gender and locale differences between the students from Arts, Commerce and Science Discipline. The study
was conducted over a sample of 300 (150 boys and 150 girls belonging to urban (150) and rural (150) area) Higher
Secondary Students studying in 11th class from Arts (50 students), Commerce (50 students) and Science (50 students)
discipline in different schools of Navapur Tehsil. Dr. Nalini Rao's Social Maturity Scale was used to measure Social
Maturity of the selected sample.
Dr. LATA SUBHASH MORE
SHRI.SURUPSING HIRYA NAIK COLLEGE OF EDUCATION,
NAVAPUR DIST- NANDURBAR.
Please cite this Article as :
ADOLESCENT LEARNERS FROM VARIOUS DESCIPLINES OF NAVAPUR TEHSIL : Golden Research Thoughts (MAY ; 2012)
Dr. LATA SUBHASH MORE , A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE SOCIAL MATURITY AMONG
Vol.1,Issue.XI/May 2012;
2.Interpersonal Adequacy It includes communication, enlightened trust and cooperation.
3.Social Adequacy It has three subcomponents, they are social commitment, social tolerance and openness to change.
The components given by Nalini Rao have resemblance with the stages by Robert Kegan.
Working downwards from the assumption that the environment provided in the school is an increasingly important
arena for socialization; which is christened as Social Maturity. It is supposed that school is the ground where social maturity
blossoms. The school environment then should be enriched in order to achieve Social Maturity index among learners.
The present study attempts to investigate the Social Maturity among Higher Secondary School Learners. As today's
students hold the reign of a better future, they are would be leaders and social reformers. So their Social Maturity will
determine the future society. Taking this into consideration some questioned aroused in the mind of the researcher. Is there any
difference between the boys and girls students, in relation to their Social Maturity? Do disciplines and locality affect the
Social Maturity of Adolescents? To get satisfaction of these questions the researcher felt the need to be studied the problem.
Therefore the study became highly significant.
The Literature reported so far indicated the relationship between Social Maturity and scholastic achievement,
gender differences and significance of locality on the basis of Social Maturity scores, Rao (10), Asthana (2),Sabpathy (11),
Mulia (6), Ramlingam and Mani (8), Swarupa (9), Sujit Sing and Praveen Thukral (1) etc.
OBJECTIVES
The objective formed for this study are-
1.To find out the Social Maturity scores of Higher Secondary School Learners belonging to Arts, Commerce and Science
disciplines.
2.To compare the Social Maturity scores of Higher Secondary School Learners belonging to Arts, Commerce and Science
disciplines.
3.To compare the Social Maturity scores of Higher Secondary School Learners among the sub samples based on gender and
locale.
HYPOTHESIS
1.There is no significant difference between the Social Maturity scores of students belonging to Arts and Science discipline.
2.There is no significant difference between the Social Maturity scores of students belonging to Science and Commerce
discipline.
3.Students from Arts and Commerce discipline do not differ significantly in relation to their Social Maturity.
4.Male and female students do not differ significantly in relation to their Social Maturity.
5.There is no significant difference between the Social Maturity scores of the Urban and Rural students.
METHOD
For the present study Survey Method was followed to find out the Social Maturity among students from Higher
Secondary Schools belonging to Navapur Tehsil of Nandurbar District, Maharashtra State.
SAMPLE
The sample for the present study consisted of 300 students of standard XI from five Higher Secondary Schools of
Navapur Tehsil. The multistage random sampling technique was used to select the sample for data collection. Out of 300, 100
students each from Arts, Commerce and Science faculty including boys (50+50+50) and girls (50+50+50) belonging to both
Urban and Rural(150+150) locality.
TOOL USED
For data collection Rao's Social Maturity Scale (RSMS) standardized by Dr. Nalini Rao was used.
ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
To tests the hypothesis and examine the Social Maturity Scores of selected sample Mean, Standard Deviation and t-
value were computed in tables. The description is shown in the following tables.
Table No. 1 shows the Mean Scores of the students from Arts (212.68) and Science (217.56) discipline and the S.D
was 34.78 and 22.25 respectively. The t- value obtained was 1.18 which is not significant at 0.05 levels, because the obtained t-
value (1.18) is less than that of table value (1.96). So the hypothesis-'There is no significant difference between the Social
Maturity scores of students belonging to Arts and Science discipline' is retained. And it is clear that the students from Arts and
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE SOCIAL MATURITY AMONG............
Table No. 1-
Mean, S.D and t-value scores of the Higher Secondary Students of Arts and Science
discipline.
Discipline N Mean S.D t- value Level of Significance
Arts 100 212.68 34.78 1.18 N.S.at 0.05 level
Science 100 217.56 22.25

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ADOLESCENT LEARNERS FROM VARIOUS DESCIPLINES OF NAVAPUR TEHSIL : Golden Research Thoughts (MAY ; 2012)
Dr. LATA SUBHASH MORE , A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE SOCIAL MATURITY AMONG
Vol.1,Issue.XI/May 2012;
Science discipline are equal in relation to their Social Maturity.
Table No. 2 reveals the Mean Scores of the students from Science (217.56) and Commerce (223.08) discipline and
the S.D was 22.25 and 27.32 respectively. The t- value obtained was 1.56 which is not significant at 0.05 levels, because the
obtained t-value (1.56) is less than that of table value (1.96). So the hypothesis-'There is no significant difference between the
Social Maturity scores of students belonging to Science and Commerce discipline' is accepted. Therefore the students from
Science and Commerce discipline do not differ significantly in relation to their Social Maturity.
The Mean Scores of the students from Arts (212.68) and Commerce (223.08) disciplines are shown in Table No.3.
The obtained t- value was 2.35 which is significant at 0.05 level because it is greater than that of Table t- value i.e.1.96. This
shows the two groups are equal in relation to their Social Maturity.
When the Social Maturity among Male and Female students of Higher Secondary Schools are compared the
obtained Mean Scores were 223.66 and 282.21 respectively. The t-value obtained was 16.12, (Table No.-4) which is highly
significant at both 0.01 and 0.05 level, because the obtained t-value (16.12) exceeds the limit set for significance at 0.01(2.58)
and 0.05 (1.96) levels. This reveals that the Male and Female students differ significantly in relation to their Social Maturity.
So the hypothesis was rejected. High Social Maturity in Female students may be due to the fact that girls are more mature than
boys of the same age group and our society set up is like that girls are submissive, nurturing, sensitive, expressive and act
more matured adults whereas boys are expected to be active and aggressive.
Table No. 2-
Mean, S.D and t-value scores of the Higher Secondary Students of Science and
Commerce discipline.
Discipline N Mean S.D t- val ue Level of Significance
Science 100 217.56 22.25 1.56 N.S.at 0.05 level
Commerce 100 223.08 27.32

Table No. 3 -
Mean, S.D and t-value scores of the Higher Secondary Students of Arts and
Commerce discipline.
Discipline N Mean S.D t- val ue Level of Significance
Arts 100 212.68 34.78 2.35 Significant at 0.05
level
Commerce 100 223.08 27.32

Table No. 4 -
Mean, S.D and t-value scores Male and Female students of the Higher Secondary
Schools.
Gender N Mean S.D t- val ue Level of Significance
Male

150 223.66 26.30 16.12

Significant at both
0.01 & 0.05 level
Fe male 150 282.21 35.91

Table No. 5 -
Mean, S.D and t-value scores of the Higher Secondary Students Belonging to Urban and
Rural Locality.
Locality N Mean S.D t- val ue Level of Significance
Urban 150 227.09 32.82 11.54 Significant at both 0.01
& 0.05 level
Rural 150 275.91 40.21

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE SOCIAL MATURITY AMONG............
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ADOLESCENT LEARNERS FROM VARIOUS DESCIPLINES OF NAVAPUR TEHSIL : Golden Research Thoughts (MAY ; 2012)
Dr. LATA SUBHASH MORE , A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE SOCIAL MATURITY AMONG
Vol.1,Issue.XI/May 2012;
1.Table No. 5 reveals the Mean Scores of the students from Urban (227.09) and Rural (275.91) locality and the S.D was 32.82
and 40.21 respectively. The t- value obtained was 11.54 which is highly significant at both 0.01 and 0.05 level, because the
obtained t-value (11.54) exceeds the limit set for significance at 0.01(2.58) and 0.05 (1.96) levels. So the hypothesis-'There
is no significant difference between the Social Maturity scores of students belonging to the Urban and Rural Locality' is
rejected. Therefore the students from the Urban and Rural locality do differ significantly in relation to their Social Maturity.
The students belonging to Rural area are reported more Socially Matured than that of their counterparts, the Urban students.
In Rural setting the environment is more pleasant, which brings the feelings of oneness, and helps to develop the behavior,
attitude, habits and sense of belongingness. All these factors may cause the difference between Social Maturity Scores of the
Higher Secondary Students of Urban and Rural locality.
FINDINGS -
1.The students from Arts and Science discipline are equal in relation to their Social Maturity.
2.The students from Science and Commerce discipline do not differ significantly in relation to their Social Maturity.
3.Students from Arts and Commerce discipline are equal in relation to their Social Maturity.
4.Female students are found to be highly Social Matured than that of their counterparts.
5.The students belonging to Rural area are more Socially Matured than that of the Urban students.
On the basis of above findings it can be concluded that the environment and gender make difference in the Social Maturity
index. It is said that after the family schools are playing the role of secondary socializing agents. In order to promote the
Social Maturity among learners' special efforts should be taken.
REFERENCES:
1.Aggarwal, Vijaya Laxmi. (2007).Social Maturity of Adolescents In Relation To Cognitive and Non Cognitive Variables.
Ph.D. Thesis Chandigarh, Punjab.
2.Asthana .A. (1989). A Study of Social Maturity among School Going Children In The City Of Lucknow. Lucknow,
University.
3.Keith Punch. (1998). Introduction to Social Research, Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches. London, Sage
Publications.
4.Rani Swarupa, G. and Prabha Rathna,C. (2008). Social Maturity Levels of Adolscents Belonging to Different
Parenting Styles. Psycho-Lingua, Vol. 38 (2) 185-188. Psycho Linguistic Association of India.
5.Robert Kegan (2007). Theory of Social Maturity. www.mental healp.net
6.Rao Nalini (2006). Rao's Social Maturity Scale. Agra, National Psychological Corporation.
7.Surjit Sing, Praveen Thakral. (2010). Social Maturity and Academic Achievement of High School Students. Canada,
Canadian Journal on Scientific and Industrial Research. Vol 1.
8.Tuckman, B.W. (1972).Understanding Educational Research: An Introduction, New York, Mc Graw Hill.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE SOCIAL MATURITY AMONG............
Please cite this Article as :
ADOLESCENT LEARNERS FROM VARIOUS DESCIPLINES OF NAVAPUR TEHSIL : Golden Research Thoughts (MAY ; 2012)
Dr. LATA SUBHASH MORE , A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE SOCIAL MATURITY AMONG