Theoretical Predictors of Delinquency among Public School Students in a Mid-Southern State

• Author: Nathan C. Lowe,David C. May,Preston Elrod
• DOI: 10.1177/1541204008320259
• Published date: 01 October 2008
• Date: 01 October 2008
• Subject Matter: Articles

Theoretical Predictors of

Delinquency among Public School

Students in a Mid-Southern State

The Roles of Context and Gender

Nathan C. Lowe

David C. May

Preston Elrod

Eastern Kentucky University

Theoretical predictors of delinquency among a sample of rural and small town youths are

examined by testing the impact of numerous theoretical indices both within in-school and

out-of-school settings, while also examining gender, through the use of structural equation

models. Our findings suggest the impact of theoretical predictors on delinquency varies not

only by gender, but by social context as well. Implications for policy and future research are

discussed.

Keywords: predictors; delinquency; gender; school; rural youth

Numerous studies have examined predictors of delinquent behavior. These studies have

attempted to explain delinquency or serve as partial tests of various theoretical expla-

nations of delinquency and have focused on a wide variety of theoretical explanations,

including routine activities theory (Osgood, Wilson, O’Malley, Bachman, & Johnston, 1996),

social psychological theories (Bandura & Walters, 1959; Bushman & Anderson, 2001;

Johnson, Cohen, Smailes, Kasen, & Brook, 2002), social structural theories (Agnew, 1992;

Brooks-Gunn & Duncan, 1997; Morenoff, Sampson, & Raudenbush, 2001; Sampson &

Groves, 1989; Wallace, 1991), learning theories (Akers, 1998; Elliott, Huizinga, & Ageton,

1985; Matsueda & Heimer, 1987), and control theories, among others (Gottfredson &

Hirschi, 1990; Hirschi, 1969). More recently, efforts have been undertaken to develop

integrated (Elliott, Ageton, & Canter, 1979; Matsueda, 1992; Thornberry, 1987) or develop-

mental approaches (Catalano & Hawkins, 1996; Loeber, 1996; Moffitt, 1993; Sampson &

Laub, 1993; Thornberry, 1997) to understanding delinquent behavior and to more clearly

identify risk factors associated with delinquent involvement (Hawkins et al., 1998; Lipsey

& Derzon, 1998; Loeber & Farrington, 2001).

In this article, we build on existing delinquency theory in three ways. First, we focus on

theoretical predictors derived from social disorganization and control theories, learning

theories, and strain, culture conflict, and critical theories for a sample of rural and small

town youths. Second, we examine the salience of these theoretical predictors both within

and outside the school setting to determine the extent to which these predictors vary by

social context. Third, we compare the relationship of these theoretical predictors with

Youth Violence and

Juvenile Justice

Volume 6 Number 4

October 2008 343-362

© 2008 Sage Publications

10.1177/1541204008320259

http://yvj.sagepub.com

hosted at

http://online.sagepub.com

343

delinquency in separate models by gender to determine if the same predictors are significant

for males and females. Finally, we consider the policy implications of our findings.

In-School Delinquency: A Brief Review of the Literature

Although a number of studies have addressed delinquent behavior in a variety of social

contexts and have examined how various school factors are related to delinquency, a much

smaller number of studies have looked at delinquency committed in school settings.

Nevertheless, the studies that have examined delinquency within school settings have pro-

vided valuable insights on how schools contribute to the problems of school disruption and

delinquency. These insights are significant because there is considerable evidence that

school disruption and delinquency are frequent occurrences in many schools. According to

the most recent Indicators of School Crime and Safety report, in 2004 there were 863,000

thefts and 583,000 nonfatal violent crimes that occurred on school property (Dinkes,

Cataldi, Kenna, & Baum, 2006). Each year, one in five public schools experienced at least

one serious violent offense “such as rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault”

and almost half of all public schools reported property crimes (DeVoe, Peter, & Kaufman,

2003, p. viii). Coupled with data indicating that even higher levels of less serious delin-

quency, disruption, and victimization occur each year (Gottfredson et al., 2000), it is rea-

sonable to conclude that school disruption, delinquency, and victimization represent a

substantial social problem.

Disruption, delinquency, and victimization at school have deleterious effects on students

and teachers and seriously compromise the quality of the learning and working environment

that they experience. Concerns about school victimization can impair students’ ability to

concentrate, make them less eager to learn, and can lower academic performance (Lawrence,

1998; Lowry, Sleet, Duncan, Powell, & Kolbe, 1995; McDermott, 1980). However, youth

victimization is not limited to the school setting. Although youths are relatively safe from

serious violent attacks within school, they experience a higher rate of property crime victim-

ization in school (Dinkes et al., 2006). Additionally, time-of-day analyses of juvenile

offending and victimization indicates that these phenomena are more likely to occur from

3 to 7 p.m., after the end of the school day (Snyder & Sickmund, 2006). Thus, discussions

of delinquency should consider both school and community contexts.

Predictors of Delinquency In- and Out-of-School:

Theoretical Background

Predictors of delinquency identified in the literature represent a range of theoretical

perspectives and mirror predictors designed to explain general delinquency. Conceptually,

these predictors may be seen as representing key elements of social (school) organization,

control, environmental design, social interactionist, differential association, social learning,

strain, culture conflict, and critical theories.

344 Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice