Impacts of the School Context on Victimization in a Sample of Chinese Adolescents: A Multilevel Approach

Although the impacts of the school context on victimization in adolescents are well researched in Western societies, empirical testing of the contextual impacts are lacking in China. The present study examines both violent and property victimization in adolescents in the Chinese setting from a lifestyle/routine activity perspective using a multilevel approach. These data are collected from a sample of 3,628 high school students in a southern city of China. The results of a hierarchical logistic regression model reveal that school contextual variables including school type, level of bonding to school, and school history are significant predictors of violent victimization while student-staff ratio is significant in predicting property victimization in adolescents. At the student level, a higher level of perceived school disorder and delinquency with friends is related with higher odds of both violent and property victimizations; bonding to parents and schools tends to reduce the odds of both violent and property victimizations, net of demographic factors. The results lend support to lifestyle/routine activity theories. Implications of the findings are highlighted in the section “Discussion and Conclusion.”

School Disorder and Dropping Out: The Intersection of Gender, Race, and Ethnicity

A growing body of research is exploring the affects school disorder has on educational progress. It is also known that educational success and failure are linked to gender, racial, and ethnic disparities. Other issues, however, remain less explored. For example, how do perceptions of individual adolescents about disorder affect behavior? Or whether or how school-level physical and social disorder are related to gender, racial, and ethnic disparities. Do any of these factors affect the likelihood of dropping out? This study draws from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, with a focus on a subsample consisting of Black/African American, Latina/o American, Asian American, Native American, multiracial American, and White American public school students in 580 public schools. We analyze the role school disorder has on dropping out, among racial and ethnic minority adolescents. The results suggest that, in general, school disorder has greater influence among racial and ethnic minority youth.

School Disorder, School Connectedness, and Psychosocial Outcomes: Moderation by a Supportive Figure in the School

The current study examined whether students’ perceptions of school disorder influenced their psychosocial outcomes directly and indirectly via connectedness to school. The current study also explored moderation by the presence of a supportive figure in the school and investigated gender differences. Participants were 28,104 high school students. Results indicated that students’ perceptions of school disorder predicted more externalizing behaviors and internalizing symptoms directly and indirectly via reduced connectedness to school. Perceived school disorder also indirectly predicted lower academic grades. The presence of a supportive figure in the school lessened the detrimental influence of school disorder on student outcomes. Results also indicated that male students may stand to benefit more from the protective influence of a supportive figure in the school.

Neighbourhood deprivation, school disorder and academic achievement in primary schools in deprived communities in England

There is growing concern about violent behaviour in schools, involving students, staff and/or parents. A survey of 1777 primary schools (for children aged 5 to 11) throughout England, most in areas of social and economic deprivation, found more disorder in neighbourhoods with greater deprivation. More disorder was also observed when there was more school-level disadvantage (e.g. students receiving free meals), larger school size and more children in need of special education services. Despite difficulties in drawing causal inferences from correlational data, the fact that more disorder significantly predicted lower school achievement for students at 7 and 11 in standardized English, mathematics and science assessments even once school characteristics and neighbourhood deprivation were taken into account is judged noteworthy. Potential confounding factors are considered in the discussion.