Subcultural explanations and interpretations of school deviance

Abstract

This article reviews sociological literature on school deviance, here defined as antischool attitudes and behavior. Although these phenomena consist mainly of mild forms of aggression, they can be very consequential for a youth’s life chances. Sociologists have long studied school deviance for its associations with student socioeconomic background, and have hypothesized that such deviance is a manifestation of class-based youth “subcultures.” An older generation of sociologists believed school deviance expresses either the frustrations of unsuccessful students (particularly males) seeking upward social mobility, or the boredom of working class youth to whom schooling appears irrelevant for the future. A newer generation of researchers proposed that this deviance is a quasi-political rebellion by working class youth against schools. However, systematic research reveals that socioeconomic background is not a strong predictor of school deviance; being male and doing poorly in school are better predictors. I evaluate both generations of research using these findings and criticisms of their theoretical logic. I then propose an alternative subcultural model that places more emphasis on the changing social condition of youth. This review ends with conjectures on the future of school deviance.