School Misconduct in a Unified System: Norwegian 10th Graders in Bergen

This article describes the experiences of four young people aged 18 to 25 years whose fathers were absent during their adolescent years. The study, located in regional Western Australia, sought to investigate how young people experience father absence, their needs and preferences in regard to any help seeking, and their evaluation of the effectiveness of supports used. Participants were found to share a combination of risk factors which were linked to negative psychosocial outcomes. Problems identified by young people included no one to talk to about problems and a lack of available services. Participants disclosed involvement in substance use, school misconduct and anti-social behaviour, and all reported early home leaving. Male and female participants reported using similar coping styles and a hierarchy of preference in help-seeking was found with friends and family preferred over counselling. Counselling was considered helpful when offered online or via drop-in services not requiring an appointment. Ethical constraints, however, were found to limit young people's participation in research.

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About Ethnicity, Fitting In, and Acting Out: Applying the Person–Environment Fit Framework to School Misconduct

Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology ◽

10.1891/1945-8959.15.2.293 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 293-319 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Jannick Demanet ◽

Lore Van Praag ◽

Mieke Van Houtte

Keyword(s):

Ethnic Minority ◽

Minority Students ◽

Teacher Support ◽

School Context ◽

School Belonging ◽

Ethnic Minority Students ◽

Person Environment Fit ◽

School Misconduct ◽

General School ◽

Ethnic Congruence

Starting from a person–environment fit framework, this study investigates whether ethnic congruence—the percentage of co-ethnics in a school—relates to school misconduct and whether congruence effects differ between ethnic minority and majority students. Moreover, we investigate whether eventual associations are mediated by friendship attachment, perceived teacher support, and general school belonging. Multilevel analyses of data from 11,759 students across 83 Flemish secondary schools show that higher ethnic congruence is associated with lower levels of school misconduct but only for ethnic minority students. This effect was not mediated by friendship attachment, nor by teacher support, but it was mediated by general school belonging. We conclude that ethnic minority students in schools with a higher percentage of peers of co-ethnic descent are less likely to break the school rules because they feel more contented in the school context, which is congruent with the person–environment fit framework.

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