Abstract
This paper compares predictors of in-school and out-of-school delinquency and is based on data collected from 2,011 subjects at two elementary, one middle, and one high school in a rural school district. Predictors were derived from a variety of theoretical perspectives including social organization and social control; interactionist theory; differential association and social learning; strain, culture conflict, and critical theory. In addition, several demographic variables were included in the analysis. Regression results revealed that negative peer influence, victimization experience, attachment to school, gender, general strain, alienation, and the student’s self-reported response to a weapon at school were significant predictors of delinquency both in and out of school. Moreover, the relative contribution of each predictor in explaining delinquency was similar in the in-school and outside-school models. The paper concludes with a discussion of the policy implications of these findings for the schools studied.
Recommended Citation
Elrod, Preston, Irina Soderstrom, and David May. 2008. "Theoretical Predictors of Delinquency In and Out of School Among a Sample of Rural Public School Youth." Journal of Rural Social Sciences, 23(2): Article 8. Available at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/jrss/vol23/iss2/8
Publication Date
12-31-2008
