Citation

McFadden AC, Marsh GE, Price BJ, Hwang Y. Educ. Treat. Child. 1992; 15(2): 140-146.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1992, West Virginia University Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to assess race and gender differences in the occurrence and treatment of school children's (a) rates of referral for disciplinary action, (b) types of rule violations, and (c) types of punishments administered for those violations. The sample consisted of 4,391 discipline files, representing all pupils (Grades K through 12) receiving disciplinary action in a nine-school south Florida school district between August 1987 and April 1988. The following data were collected from each disciplinary record: school, grade, race, age, gender, nature of rule violation, frequency of referrals, disciplinary actions taken, and follow-up actions taken. All data were analyzed using an SPSS computer program for the chi-square. Seven categories of misbehavior accounted for 80.5% of all rule violations. Males represented over three-fourths of all discipline referrals. Black pupils received more corporal punishment and were suspended from school more frequently; white pupils received more in-school suspensions. Black pupils had higher referral rates, disproportionate to both their percentages of school enrollment and rates of disciplinary recidivism. The results are discussed in terms of the changing nature of schools in the United States.

Language: en