On the Usefulness of Merton's Anomie Theory - Academic Failure and Deviance Among High School Students

• NCJ Number: 88529
• Journal: Youth and Society Volume: 14 Issue: 3 Dated: (March 1983) Pages: 259-279
• Author(s): J Figueira-McDonough
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 21 pages
• Grant Number(s): 79-JN-AX-0030
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study found an inverse relationship between school achievement (grades) and all types of delinquency involvement, suggesting that more attention should be given to the strain of school failure as a motive force for delinquency.

Abstract

The study hypotheses were as follows: (1) failing students are under high strain because of the generally shared acknowledgment of the importance of school education for future status; (2) failing students who reject the educational goal will show higher levels of delinquency than failing students who do not; (3) failing students who reject the educational goal but who maintain a high success self-esteem (rebellious) will be more involved in any type of delinquency than other failing students; (4) failing students attached to the school-education goal and with a high level of success self-esteem (ritualists) will be highly involved in subcultural delinquency; (5) failing students attached to the school-education goal but with low success self-esteem (utilitarians) will 'specialize' in property offenses; and (6) failing students who reject education goals and who have low success self-esteem (retreatists) will be highly involved in self-destructive delinquency. A 1980 survey was conducted in six public and three parochial schools of 4 communities in a Midwestern county. A total of 1,735 10th graders, males and females, representatively sampled from each school, completed a self-administered questionnaire dealing with behavior, norms, self-concept, relationship with the school, family, etc. The first hypothesis was supported. It was also found that within each grade level, students' lack of commitment to the school-educational goals had a differential impact on the various types of delinquency considered. Generally, students detached from the school-education goal had significantly higher levels of delinquency involvement than those still committed to such goals. The hypotheses regarding the delinquency involvement of the ritualistic and utilitarian goups were only partially supported. Tabular data, 30 references, and 8 notes are provided.