The International Observatory on Academic Achievement - Documentary search

File number :
POEE-PC-02e

Bibliographic reference :
Bowditch, C. (1993). Getting Rid of Troublemakers: High School Disciplinary Procedures and the Production of Dropouts. Social Problems, 40 (4), 493-509.

Abstract :

In this article, the author assesses the disciplinary policies applied in a school in the United States. She attempts to demonstrate that the suspension and interschool transfer procedures used in the case of students with behavioural problems perpetuate academic inequalities and prompt students with problems to quit school sooner.

Methodological Approach
This qualitative research study was conducted between 1984 and 1987 in an inner-city school in the U.S. where segregation, poverty, single parenting, street gangs, unmarried mothers, etc. were prevalent. The research included observation of routine disciplinary procedures, frequent discussions with teachers and non-teaching staff, discussions with students with behavioural problems and a few parents, along with analysis of the disciplinary records used by the school.

Disciplinary Policies Applied to Troublemakers
In the course of her research, the author observed that this school had a well-established disciplinary policy and that the staff implementing agents, or "disciplinarians", were required to keep the records of students who misbehaved up to date. The teaching staff, non-teaching staff, school administration, security staff, students and parents were all involved in the school's disciplinary policy. However, these people had very little authority because they could not really punish students other than to reprimand them verbally or send them to the discipline office. As a rule, students with behavioural problems were basically sent to the discipline office, where the penalty would be determined.

Disciplinary Penalties
In this school, suspension was a frequently-used way of dealing with troublemakers. Nine behavioural problem categories could lead to a student's suspension: disruption of the school, destruction or theft of public (school) property, destruction or theft of private property, attack or assault on a staff member, attack or assault on a student or other person not employed by the school, possession of weapons or dangerous instruments, possession or use of drugs or alcohol, repeated violation of school rules, and use of violent language or uttering of threats.

Behavioural Problems
In the suspension records, the author noted that the most frequent cause of suspension was repeated violation of school rules (35.2%). In second place came reasons not given in the list. According to the author, this showed that students were often penalized for threatening the school's authority rather than its security.

In the school studied, students who misbehaved were defined as those whose behaviour deviated the most from the norm in terms of school discipline. According to the author, conflict caused by discipline stemmed from the fact that the school had a problematic and ambiguous definition of what constituted a behavioural problem. Since the school did not ask students the reasons for committing wrongdoings, it could not improve on its disciplinary policy or intervention. Instead, it limited itself to asking the students their age, grade, career plans, address, etc.

Parental Involvement
The student suspension policy enabled the school to contact parents and get them involved in the process of disciplining their children. This procedure was designed to show parents that they had to discipline their children, not punish them.

Conclusion
The author points out that students with problems were easily labelled as troublemakers. According to this reasoning, youngsters from ethnic minorities often lost out because the troublemaker label was based on other characteristics they were likely to exhibit such as poverty, absenteeism, gang involvement, suspensions, academic failures, etc. Furthermore, this label had the effect of increasing their risk of dropping out and perpetuated, through the school, the regulation of social mobility.

Links :
This journal is also available in electronic format

Key Words :
Disciplinary Policies, Penalties, Suspension, Transfers, Parents, School Dropout, Educational Inequalities, Underprivileged Environments, Qualitative Analysis, Observation, Secondary/High School

Monitored Countries :
United States