Adolescent Behavioral, Affective, and Cognitive Engagement in School: Relationship to Dropout

BACKGROUND: High school dropout represents an important public health issue. This study assessed the 3 distinct dimensions of student engagement in high school and examined the relationships between the nature and course of such experiences and later dropout.
METHODS: We administered questionnaires to 13,330 students (44.7% boys) from 69 high schools in the province of Quebec (Canada). During 3 consecutive high school years, students reported their behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement to school. Information on later dropout status was obtained through official records.
RESULTS: Although many adolescents remained highly engaged in high school, one third reported changes, especially decreases in rule compliance, interest in school, and willingness to learn. Students reporting low engagement or important decrements in behavioral investment from the beginning of high school presented higher risks of later dropout.
CONCLUSION: School-based interventions should address the multiple facets of high school experiences to help adolescents successfully complete their basic schooling. Creating a positive social-emotional learning environment promises better adolescent achievement and, in turn, will contribute to a healthier lifestyle.     

Reliability and validity of the Student Perceptions of School Cohesion Scale in a sample of Salvadoran secondary school students

Background  

Despite a growing body of research from the United States and other industrialized countries on the inverse association between supportive social relationships in the school and youth risk behavior engagement, research on the measurement of supportive school social relationships in Central America is limited. We examined the psychometric properties of the Student Perceptions of School Cohesion (SPSC) scale, a 10-item scale that asks students to rate with a 5-point Likert-type response scale their perceptions of the school social environment, in a sample of public secondary school students (mean age = 15 years) living in central El Salvador.     

School Practices to Foster LGBT-Supportive Climate: Associations with Adolescent Bullying Involvement

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth experience disproportionate rates of bullying compared to their heterosexual peers. Schools are well-positioned to address these disparities by creating supportive school climates for LGBT youth, but more research is needed to examine the variety of practices and professional development opportunities put in place to this end. The current study examines how school practices to create supportive LGBT student climate relate to student reports of bullying. Student-level data come from the 2013 Minnesota Student Survey, a state-wide survey of risk and protective factors. Ninth and eleventh grade students (N = 31,183) reported on frequency of physical and relational bullying victimization and perpetration and sexual orientation-based harassment. School administrators reported on six practices related to creating supportive LGBT school climate (N = 103 schools): having a point person for LGBT student issues, displaying sexual orientation-specific content, having a gay-straight alliance, discussing bullying based on sexual orientation, and providing professional development around LGBT inclusion and LGBT student issues. An index was created to indicate how many practices each school used (M = 2.45; SD = 1.76). Multilevel logistic regressions indicated that students attending schools with more supportive LGBT climates reported lower odds of relational bullying victimization, physical bullying perpetration, and sexual orientation-based harassment compared to students in schools with less supportive LGBT climates. Sexual orientation did not moderate these relations, indicating that LGBT-supportive practices may be protective for all students, regardless of their sexual orientation. Findings support school-wide efforts to create supportive climates for LGBQ youth as part of a larger bullying prevention strategy.     

The Joint Effects of Neighborhoods,Schools, Peers,and Families on Changes in the School Success of Middle School Students*

Abstract: Longitudinal self‐report data from 4,071 students are used to examine the degree to which students’ perceptions of their social environments (people and places) are associated with changes in 3 school success outcomes: school engagement, trouble avoidance, and grades. Specific variable dimensions within the neighborhood, peer, and family domains had significant effects on one or more of these school outcomes. Implications of the findings for further research and intervention practice are discussed, including the availability of a Web‐based resource for linking these findings with evidence‐based intervention and prevention strategies.     

School climate for the internally displaced children (IDPs) in Manila,Philippines

ABSTRACT

The article aims to examine the spheres which help create positive school climate suitable for the integration of internally displaced children (IDPs). The paper looks at how the experience of IDP children affects their overall school life as perceived by their own teachers. Data from this study were taken from nine (9) elementary school teachers who participated in the focus group discussion (FGD). The participants, all from a particular school in Manila, handled the IDP students as they continued their studies after displacement. Results suggest that the spheres of safety, supportive and inclusive environment have created a positive school climate for the IDP students. The paper argues that school integration of IDP children requires the positive fulfillment of these spheres. Feeling secured, being surrounded with supportive social network, and learning in inclusive environment are all non-negotiable features of a school climate that facilitates successful school integration. Results of this study provide insights as to what components have to be improved and focused on by host schools when receiving IDP school children.     

Association Between School Engagement and Disclosure of Suicidal Ideation to Adults Among Latino Adolescents

We examined associations between Latino adolescents' school engagement and their likelihood of disclosing suicidal ideation (SI) to adults and of asking for help for SI. A first set of analyses was conducted on a total sample of 14 high schools, and a second set of analyses was conducted on 8 "Latino-representative" high schools. The criterion for Latino representation was that ≥10?% of the school's total student population was Latino. Across all 14 high schools, 17?% (110/663) of Latino students reported SI in the past year, compared to 13?% (359/2,740) of non-Hispanic White students and 11?% (78/719) of African American students. Of Latino students with SI, 24?% (26/110) told an adult and 35?% (38/110) sought help. In the 8 Latino-representative schools, higher levels of reported school engagement were associated with a greater likelihood of seeking help (OR?=?6.17) and disclosure of SI to an adult (OR?=?7.64) for Latino males. For Latinas, however, school engagement was not associated with either disclosure of SI to an adult or seeking help. Additional research is needed to clarify the processes, including social connectedness, that contribute to the disclosure of and help-seeking for SI among Latino adolescents.     

3 620名农村中学生暴力遭遇及其危险因素分析

目的探讨农村中学生暴力遭遇及其危险因素,为中学生暴力干预提供科学依据。方法采用横断面研究方法,对随机选择的3620名农村中学生进行询问调查。中学生遭遇暴力的危险因素分析采用logistic多元回归分析方法。结果在3620名被调查者中,41.0%的被调查者从小至今遭遇过暴力,其中,情感暴力、躯体暴力和性暴力的发生率分别为27.4%、30.6%和3.2%。33.8%的被调查者过去一年中遭遇过暴力,情感暴力、躯体暴力和性暴力的发生率分别为21.5%、24.3%和2.0%。多因素logistic回归分析结果表明:不论从小至今,还是过去一年,年龄相对较大的农村中学生容易遭遇暴力(17～18岁组除外);女生遭遇暴力的危险性低于男生(ORs=0.49和0.51);经常泡网吧者遭遇暴力的危险性高于不或极少泡网吧者(ORs=1.39和1.27);同样,经常玩电游者(ORs=1.50和1.49)、经常吸烟者(ORs=1.82和2.03)、经常欺负他人者(ORs=3.78和3.28)、经常目睹父母吵架者(ORs=1.34和1.39)遭遇暴力的危险性均较高。学习成绩中等者遭遇暴力的危险性相对较高(ORs=1.41和1.44);自评自尊水平中等和低等者遭遇暴力的危险性高于自评自尊水平高等者(ORs=1.48、1.24和1.63、1.36)。结论农村中学生暴力遭遇的发生率较高,年龄、性别、是否泡网吧、玩电游、吸烟、欺负他人、目睹父母吵架以及学生学习成绩、自评自尊水平等因素与暴力遭遇密切相关,在农村中学生中,应开展针对上述危险因素的暴力预防策略。     

Clustering of Internet Risk Behaviors in a Middle School Student Population

BACKGROUND: Internet safety is a growing public concern especially among adults and youth who live in an "instant messaging" world of technological communication. To better understand how early adolescents are using the Internet, a study was undertaken to more clearly identify the online general use, safety knowledge, and risk behaviors of middle school students.
METHODS: This exploratory study adapted from Finkelhor et al's (2000) Youth Internet Safety Survey to identify the usage and characteristics of online youth, solicitation of youth, and searching for pornography or delinquent behaviors. The 404 students who were recruited from public and parochial schools consisted of both boys and girls with a mean age 12 years.
RESULTS: These students reported the beginnings of high-risk Internet behavior, specifically, giving out personal information, using the Internet to harass or embarrass another person, and for a small number of students, chatting with strangers and starting relationships. The students who posted their picture online were more likely to have sent their picture to someone, made rude comments to others, played online jokes, harassed or embarrassed someone, and sought out pornographic sites.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that middle school students who are early adolescents are beginning risky behaviors on the Internet. Risk-taking behavior is not unique to adolescents, but the consequences can be detrimental to their development. Educators, clinicians, health care providers, and other professionals need to be informed of Internet behaviors in order to assess for children at risk, to make referrals, intervene, and to educate parents.     

上海市初中学生屏幕时间现况及影响因素分析

[目的]掌握初中学生屏幕时间现状,了解屏幕时间的影响因素,为相关健康问题的干预提供依据。[方法]采取整群抽样的方法于2010年12月随机抽取上海市6所中学初中部的全部学生及其家长为研究对象接受调查,共收到有效问卷2549份。观察初中学生的屏幕时间,并采用有序多分类logistic回归,分析其影响因素。[结果]调查学生在调查前1周的屏幕时间平均为2．83h／d,周末的屏幕时间是上学日的2．06倍。致使屏幕时间延长的危险因素为非毕业班、男孩、卧室摆放电视机、不约束看电视时间、拥有自己的电脑、中学生特质焦虑分数高于平均分、经常在看电视和用电脑时吃零食、母亲屏幕时间平均〉2h／d、认为屏幕时间对健康没有影响。[结论]电子屏幕使用是上海市初中学生生活中的重要内容之一,屏幕时间延长受到多种因素影响;其也是初中学生多种健康问题的危险因素。屏幕时间的控制需要社会、家庭、个人等多方面的的共同努力。     

Bullying Climate and School Engagement in Ninth‐Grade Students

BACKGROUND: Many authorities agree that bullying has a widespread impact on school climate, affecting bystanders as well as victims. This study tested the contention that a climate of bullying can have a schoolwide impact on student engagement in school. METHODS: Hierarchical linear modeling assessed the relations between student perception of bullying climate and student engagement at the individual and school level in a statewide sample of 7058 ninth graders randomly selected from 289 schools participating in the Virginia High School Safety Study. Student engagement was assessed by self‐report scales measuring commitment to school and involvement in school activities. RESULTS: Individual differences in perception of school climate characterized by bullying were associated with lower commitment to school, but not less involvement in school activities. School‐level differences in student perceptions of bullying climate were associated with both lower commitment to school and less involvement in school activities, after controlling for the effects of gender, race, school size, proportion of ethnic minority students in the school, and individual‐level perception of bullying climate. CONCLUSION: Efforts to improve student engagement should consider the schoolwide impact of bullying on all students.     

H市某中学学生肥胖现状及影响因素的研究

目的了解H市中学生肥胖流行病学情况及其影响因素。方法依据H市某中学提供的体检资料中身高、体重等数据,按照身高标准体重判定出肥胖症。随机抽取41名肥胖学生作为病例组,52名正常体重学生为对照组,进行病例对照研究。用问卷调查学生的家庭情况、饮食习惯、运动习惯等相关因素。结果H市某中学学生肥胖率为5.7%,男女肥胖率差别有显著性(P<0.01)。病例与对照组青少年在性格、遗传、进食速度、看电视时间上分布不同,差别有显著性(P<0.05)。Logistic逐步回归分析显示:性格,进食速度,看电视被引入回归方程,说明与肥胖有关。结论H市某中学肥胖发生率男性高于女性;性格内向、父母肥胖、进食速度快、看电视长等是肥胖的影响因素。     

The Role of the School's Social Environment in Preventing Student Drug Use

Correlational and intervention studies of school environmental factors associated with student drug use and prevention are summarized. Major factors that emerge in the correlational studies are school supportiveness, sense of community, and opportunities for students to interact and to exert influence. Similar factors are involved in the intervention studies, with the development of a sense of community and attachment to school central, although the means by which these are approached differ across projects. A common conclusion seems to be that a supportive environment increases students' attachment to school and thereby their inclination to abide by the school's norms and values.     

Improving the School Environment to Reduce School Violence: A Review of the Literature*

BACKGROUND: School violence can impact the social, psychological, and physical well‐being of both students and teachers and disrupt the learning process. This review focuses on a new area of research, the mechanisms by which the school environment determines the likelihood of school violence. METHODS: A search for peer‐reviewed articles was made in six databases and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's report on school‐violence interventions. Twenty‐five articles that attempted to understand the influence of either the school social or physical environment in determining teacher and student perceptions of safety and experiences of violence were included. RESULTS: Most of the included articles were cross‐sectional surveys of junior high or high school students and staff. As articles used different measures of the school physical and social environment, a classification system was created. Using this system, studies show that schools with less violence tend to have students who are aware of school rules and believe they are fair, have positive relationships with their teachers, feel that they have ownership in their school, feel that they are in a classroom and school environment that is positive and focused on learning, and in an environment that is orderly. CONCLUSION: The school social and physical environment appears to offer intervention opportunities to reduce school violence. However, the lack of consistency in school environment variables as well as the lack of longitudinal and experimental research designs limits the applicability of these findings.     

Family Stress and School Adjustment: Predictors Across the School Years

There is a well recognised relationship between life events and adjustment but research relating to stress has largely failed to compare the relationship between background variables, life events and school adjustment across different age groups. Two path models of Predictors of Adjustment to School (for each level of school - primary and secondary school) were developed and tested. Data from 207 randomly selected families provided demographic information along with details regarding stressful life events and psychological well-being for both adults, children and adolescents. The students' teachers rated their adjustment to school. Children (and adolescents) were separately interviewed regarding stressful life events, attitude to school and coping with stress. Results revealed a different interplay of factors across the age groups influencing adjustment to school. The Primary school model analysis indicated that more difficult temperament, higher number of child's reported stressful life events and child sex (male) were predictive of teachers rating children as poorly adjusted to school. The Secondary school model analysis showed that a less cohesive family environment, adolescent's reported stressful life events, and their reports of coping directly impacted on poor adjustment to school, while family stress and parent's rating of the adolescent's stress coping indirectly influenced adjustment through the child stress variable. The outcomes of this study help to clarify the links between stressful life events in families and children's and adolescents' adjustment to school.     

1 902名高中学生危害健康行为及其相关因素分析

目的 了解中学生危害健康行为的流行特征并探讨其相关因素。方法 采用现场问卷调查方式，整群抽取合肥地区2所中学的1902名高中学生进行最近1年内危害健康行为及其相关因素的调查。结果 危害健康行为在中学生中普遍存在，伤害行为中，以骑车带人（61.7%)。去非游泳区游泳（17.7%)和认真考虑过自杀（17.1%)行为的发生率较高；不良生活方式中，吸烟率和饮酒率分别高达52.3%和84.2%,59.0%的学生报告缺乏体育锻炼；5.7%的学生报告有不恰当控制体重行为，逐步回归分析结果表明，中学生危害健康行为的发生与社会心理因素有关，尤其与中学生抑郁情绪有关。结论 应联合学校，家庭，社会，积极采取有效措施，加强中学生健康教育，提高其心理素质，以防止或降低中学生危害健康行为的发生。     

2019年上海市青浦区中小学生健康危险因素分析

目的 了解上海市青浦区中小学生的健康危险因素,为学校和相关部门制定健康政策提供参考.方法 采用横断面研究方法,对青浦区13所学校2,063名中小学生进行问卷调查.结果 青浦区中小学生的健康因素按合格率占比从低到高依次为:体育活动(4.7%)、BMI(31.6%)、睡眠(43.8%)、抑郁(43.8%)、被动吸烟(49.0%)、营养合格(58.6%)、压力(58.8%)、人际支持(66.1%)、使用电子产品(62.9%).男女生间的BMI、营养、使用电子产品、睡眠习惯、被动吸烟情况有显著性差异(P<0.05).除被动吸烟外,其他健康危险因素在中、小学生之间的分布差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05).结论 体育活动合格率低是青浦区中小学生的主要健康危险因素,制定健康政策应考虑到健康危险因素在男生和女生、中学生和小学生之间的差异.     

达翰尔族初中生心理健康状况测评

应用症状自评量表（SCL-90）对3所达翰尔族中学的241名达翰尔族初中生进行测评，并与265名汉族初中生比较。结果表明，达翰尔族和汉族初中生在SCL－90各因子上均无显著性差异（P＞0．1），并且达翰尔族和汉族初中生均与中国成人常模在恐怖和精神病性两因子上有非常显著性差异（P＜0.01）.     

Enabling youth participation in school-based computer-supported community development in Canada

Schools are a main setting for health promotion for youth. A qualitative case study was undertaken in an inner-city, Canadian school. It explored factors that enabled and constrained youth in the process of a school-based computer-supported community development (CD) project. Nineteen grade seven and eight students worked with four adult facilitators for 12 weeks. They completed a community assessment, planned and implemented actions to improve their school environment. Data were collected by: youth and adult interviews, participant observation, content analysis of online postings and two surveys. Constant comparison and triangulation from various data sources and methods were used to verify themes. Themes were categorized as intrinsic or extrinsic enabling and constraining factors. Intrinsic enabling factors were youth' s perceptions that they were making a difference, and feeling recognized for and having ownership of their work. Extrinsic enabling factors included flexibility in youth's choice of activities, supportive adults and community members and the use of incentives. Intrinsic constraining factors were the perceived slow pace of the CD process, and difficulties in getting group consensus/decision-making. Extrinsic constraining factors included: school disruptions and schedules, a lack of 'buy-in' from teachers and parents, and resource demands-people and computers. Relationships between these factors are noted. Research and practice implications regarding school-based CD to promote youth resiliency are discussed.     

The Impact of School Socioeconomic Status on Student Lunch Consumption after Implementation of the Texas Public School Nutrition Policy*

BACKGROUND: This study compares the impact of the Texas Public School Nutrition Policy on lunch consumption of low‐ and middle‐income students in sixth through eighth grades. METHODS: Students in 1 middle socioeconomic status (SES) and 1 low SES school completed lunch food records before (2001/2002) and after (2005/2006) implementation of the Texas policy. Students recorded amount and source of foods/beverages consumed. Two‐way analyses of variance with year and school SES as factors were performed to compare consumption by school SES before and after implementation of the Texas policy. RESULTS: Regardless of year, the low SES group consumed less fat, sweetened beverages, and candy and more vitamin C and calcium than the middle SES group. There were more significant improvements in dietary patterns for the middle SES school students post‐policy, particularly from the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) meal. The middle SES school students reported significantly higher percentages of less healthy items from home post‐policy. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, low SES school students consumed more healthy lunches at school compared with middle SES school students, and the Texas policy improved middle SES school student dietary intakes. Whether the dietary behaviors in school influence dietary intake for the entire day is unknown.     

初中学生沉溺电脑游戏行为及其影响因素研究

目的 了解初中学生沉溺电脑游戏（包括电子游戏机）行为及其影响因素。方法 对某大城市城区6所中学共3499名初中学生进行无记名问卷调查。结果 13.1%的初中学生沉溺电脑游戏和电子游戏机（男生为13.4%，女生游戏，电子游戏机行为与家庭环境因素（父母亲具有大专及以上学历，未反对学生玩电脑游戏，父或母亲也玩电脑游戏，不良的家教方式，双亲关系紧张，父母与学生关系不够融洽，学生每月零用钱大于100元等），学校环境因素（课外活动单调，有要好的同学伙伴沉溺电脑游戏等）相关联。结论 初中学生沉溺电脑游戏行为的预防教育和干预应尽早开始，并需要社会，家庭，学校全方位参与和共同行动。