The Effect of School Culture on Adolescent Behavioural Problems: SelfEsteem, Attachment to Learning, and Peer Approval of Deviance as Mediating Mechanisms

Abstract

Adopting a social ecological perspective, this study examined the role of adolescent personality and social traits as mediating mechanisms linking school culture with adolescent behavioural problems. Data were obtained from the self-reports of 1,100 grade nine students attending four southern Ontario high schools. Structural equation model results revealed that student exposure to an unfavourable school culture (marked by perceptions of low teacher and classmate support, student conflict, unfair school rules and disciplinary practices, and low student autonomy in school decision-making and affairs) was positively associated with low attachment to learning and peer approval of deviance each of which were positively associated with disciplinary problems, conduct disorder, oppositional-defiant disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity, and substance use. Low self-esteem emerged as a significant mediator in two models. Significant direct effects of school culture were found for most outcomes. Discussion focused on the significance of study findings for future program development and research.

Learning Within and Beyond the Classroom: Compulsory School Students Voicing Their Positive Experiences of School

“…For instance, implementing school health programs has been shown to improve students' chances for academic success (Murray et al, 2007;Strolin-Goltzman, 2010). Additionally, poor physical and psychological health among school children is considered to be negatively related to educational attainment (Chomitz et al, 2009;Fröjd et al, 2008), and positive learning environments can enhance students' abilities to reach set goals in schools (Bergmark, 2009;DeWit et al, 2000;Grosin, 2003;Perdue et al, 2009).…”

“…According to Ochieng (2010), educational curriculums, educational experiences, and pedagogic strategies on student development can have influence on students' well-being. Additional research shows that positive learning environments signified by, for example, respectful relations and appreciation, enhanced students' abilities to reach set goals in schools (Bergmark, 2009;DeWit et al, 2000;Grosin, 2003;Perdue, Manzeske, & Estell, 2009). Gardelli (2004) found in her study that people with disabilities experienced an increasing quality of life when they could participate in the development of their own life situation.…”

Does High Self-Esteem Cause Better Performance, Interpersonal Success, Happiness, or Healthier Lifestyles?

“…School disciplinary problems and related antisocial behaviors were the focus of a large survey by DeWit et al (2000). All students in four secondary schools in Ontario, Canada, were included in the study, for a total of a thousand participants.…”

An Interdisciplinary Model of School Absenteeism in Youth to Inform Professional Practice and Public Policy

“…At a tertiary level, youth psychopathology and/or parental/familial dysfunction intersect with broader contextual variables such as peer and limited school influences (DeWit et al 2000). A common example is a child who associates with deviant peers who create opportunities to engage in delinquent behavior.…”