Despite evidence of the psychosocial heterogeneity of school dropouts, empirical studies have rarely directly addressed this issue. The general goal of this research was to explore the heuristic value of a typological approach for preventing and studying school dropout. The specific objectives were to build empirically a typology of dropouts based on individual school experience, to test the typology's reliability by replicating the classification with two different longitudinal samples, and to examine the typology's predictive and discriminant validity. The results led to a 4-type solution: Quiet, Disengaged, Low-Achiever, and Maladjusted dropouts. The results support the internal and external validity of the typology and highlight important different profiles with regard to personal and social risk factors. The discussion underscores the theoretical and clinical utility of a typological approach by assisting the study of the different paths in the etiology of school dropout and the adoption of a differential prevention strategy.Forty years ago, Tesseneer and Tesseneer (1958) noted that the study of the dropout phenomenon and its causes is difficult because "the same factors may influence different pupils in different ways and even affect the same pupil in different ways at different times" (p. 143). Since that time, empirical studies have shown very consistently that adolescents who leave school before graduation are more likely to present behavioral, academic, social, and attitudinal vulnerabilities and to suffer from deprived or inadequate social and school environments (

The study identified independent individual, family, and neighborhood correlates of children's physical aggression and prosocial behavior. Participants were 2,745 2-11-year olds nested in 1,982 families, which were themselves nested in 96 Canadian neighborhoods. Hierarchical linear modeling showed that the total variation explained by the three-level model was 28.03% for physical aggression and 17.57% for prosocial behavior. For both childhood behaviors, approximately 66% of this explained variance was between individuals and up to 30% was between families. The smallest amount of observed variation was between neighborhoods. Significant individual-level predictors common to both childhood behaviors were child's sex and maternal hostility toward the target child. Specifically, boys had more mother-reported physical aggression and less prosocial behavior. Children who experienced greater-than-average maternal hostility (compared to siblings) were more physically aggressive and less prosocial. At the family level, significant common predictors were mother depressed mood and punitive parenting. Children had higher levels of physical aggression and lower levels of prosocial behavior in families where mothers had greater depressed mood and used more punitive parenting practices. At the neighborhood level, greater perceived problems and lower poverty level were associated with higher levels of physical aggression. Results are discussed with reference to past and future studies of multilevel effects on children's socialization.

This study examined the controversial practice of grade retention and children's academic and behavioral adjustment using data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children. We employed an autoregressive modeling technique to detect the impact of being held back during primary school on subsequent academic performance and behavioral development until age 12 years. The results indicate both a short- and long-term negative influence on academic performance for boys and girls. Children's anxious, inattentive, and disruptive behaviors persisted and, in some cases, worsened after grade retention. These prospective associations were long lasting and more pronounced when grade retention occurred early in primary school. Boys were more vulnerable to the negative influence of grade retention on academic performance and classroom disruptiveness. Disruptive behavior in girls was comparatively less associated with long-term consequences than boys. Nevertheless, girls experienced both short- and long-term academic performance problems in the aftermath of grade retention. Children's prosocial behavior appeared unaffected by grade retention. These results are independent of what would have been expected by the natural course of academic and behavioral development.

Cognitive-neuropsychological tests were given to adolescent boys (N = 177) to investigate processes associated with physical aggression. Factor analysis yielded 4 factors representing verbal learning, incidental spatial learning, tactile-lateral ability, and executive functions. Physical aggression was assessed at ages 6, 10, 11, and 12, and 3 groups were created: stable aggressive, unstable aggressive, and nonaggressive. The authors found main effects for only the executive functions factor even when other factors were used as additional covariates in a step-down analysis; nonaggressive boys performed better than stable and unstable aggressive boys. The covariates family adversity and anxiety were both related only to the verbal learning factor. This study highlights the importance of deficits in executive function in the expression of physical aggression relative to other cognitive-neuropsychological functions.