RACE, ACHIEVEMENT, AND DELINQUENCY - A FURTHER LOOK AT DELINQUENCY IN A BIRTH COHORT

• NCJ Number: 36445
• Journal: American Journal of Sociology Volume: 82 Issue: 2 Dated: (SEPTEMBER 1976) Pages: 379-387
• Author(s): G F Jensen
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 9 pages
• Corporate Author: University of Chicago Press
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS PAPER OUTLINES THE CONSEQUENCES OF METHODOLOGICAL ERROR - INCONSISTENT PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS - IN THE USE OF TABULAR ANALYSIS IN WOLFGANG, FIGLIO, AND SELLIN'S 'DELINQUENCY IN A BIRTH COHORT' (NCJ-08732).

Abstract

IN THE ORIGINAL BIRTH COHORT STUDY, IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT RACE AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS WERE MORE STRONGLY RELATED TO DELINQUENCY THAN OTHER BACKGROUND VARIABLES AND THAT THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN VARIABLES SUCH AS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND DELINQUENCY ARE 'SPURIOUS' DUE TO THEIR COMMON ASSOCIATION WITH RACIAL OR SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS. THROUGH A RECONSTRUCTION AND REANALYSIS OF SOME OF THE DATA PRESENTED, THE PRESENT AUTHOR FINDS THAT THE VERBAL MODEL PROPOSED IN THAT WORK CONCERNING THE INTERRELATIONSHIPS AND RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF SEVERAL VARIABLES WAS IN ERROR. HE SUGGESTS THAT AN ALTERNATIVE MODEL FITS THE DATA MUCH BETTER AND SUPPORTS CONCLUSIONS IN MARKED CONTRAST TO THOSE STATED. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT, CONTRARY TO THE MODEL SUGGESTED IN 'DELINQUENCY IN A BIRTH COHORT,' THE RELATION BETWEEN ACHIEVEMENT LEVEL AND DELINQUENCY IS NOT A SPURIOUS ONE DUE TO A COMMON ASSOCIATION WITH RACE. IN ADDITION, ACHIEVEMENT IS INDICATED TO BE AT LEAST AS STRONGLY RELATED TO DELINQUENCY STATUS AS RACE AND SOCIAL CLASS. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)