Race, Age, Gender and High School Teens at-Risk for Violence



ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In loving memory of Blanche F. Jackson; additionally, I would like to offer my sincere gratitude for everyone who has afforded me support and guidance throughout this journey.

DECLARATION

I adjudge that the entire content of this thesis is entirely my own work; the content used in this thesis has not been submitted before in any educational institution and represents my own opinion.

Signed __________________ Date _________________

ABSTRACT

Youth risk behaviors related to drugs, sexual behaviors, and violence is commonly studied as key indicators of child and adolescent well-being.  Many governmental agencies, such as the Center of Disease Control (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of Education collect data regarding these and other child trends associated with the well-being of youth.  According to Brener (1999), “Violence-related behaviors such as fighting and weapon carrying are associated with serious physical and psychosocial consequences for adolescents.”  Other behaviors (i.e. drug use, multiple sex partners, and combining alcohol use and sexual activity) may also lead to an increase in disease and even death of teens in high school (www.cdc.gov).  In addition, the “meaning making” and “decision making” processes of youth may be directly associated with a construction of reality that influences a current trend of risk taking behaviors by adolescents in the U.S. (Canada, 1998, and Wilson, 2009). Theoretically, symbolic interactionism, and differential association theory will be examined in this study as an analytical way to frame the social realities of high school youth in the U.S. that impact their decision to engage in risky behaviors.  Methodologically, this study examines personal factors (i.e., race, sex, and grade) as influences of violence; youth risk behavior. Measures of violence that the principle investigator is concerned with refer to the incidence of high school students carrying weapons, carrying guns, and carrying weapons to school.  After reviewing literature on the topic the following hypotheses will be tested in this study:  1) race is expected to influence whether high school students carry weapons in general, carry guns, and carry weapons at school, 2) sex is expected to influence whether high school students carry weapons in general, carry guns, and carry weapons at school, 3) grade is expected to influence whether high school students carry weapons in general, carry guns, and carry weapons at school, and 4) the relationship between race and sex as influences of violence will hold when controlling for grade of the respondent. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTii

DECLARATIONiii

ABSTRACTiv

CHAPTER # 1: INTRODUCTION1

Introduction1

Purpose of the Study2

Significance of the Study2

Research Questions2

Empirical Importance3

Theoretical Framework for Research Question6

Specific Aim of the Study7

CHAPTER # 2: LITERATURE REVIEW8

Theoretical Perspective12

Symbolic Interactionism and Youth Risk Behaviors of Violence14

Differential Association Theory and Youth Risk Behaviors of Violence17

Human Ecology and Youth Risk Behaviors of Violence19

Youth Violence & Gender21

Youth Violence, Race & Statistics23

Risk factor to Personal Development24

Social-Cognitive Interventions for Drug Use25

Social-Cognitive Interventions for Violence28

Social-Cognitive Interventions for Personal Development29

Differing Socialization Methods33

Summary38

CHAPTER # 3: METHODOLOGY40

Research method: Quantitative Data Gathering Method40

Research Design41

Explorative research42

Explanatory research43

Descriptive research43

The Research Process44

Sample size45

Selected Variable of the Study45

Data analysis techniques46

Reliability ...