Abstract
An assessment of the stress of junior high/middle school (JH/MS) can be made by comparing overall behavior and academic student patterns in JH/MS with those in elementary school (ES), and by evaluating the differential educational consequences experienced by JH/MS students who had varying degrees of maladjustment in ES. Specific numeric data indicate that the environment is far more open, combative, frightening, impersonal, and academically taxing in JH/MS than in the ES. Partly as a result, suspensions, unexcused absenteeism, and grade failure occur at a much greater overall rate in JH/MS. Also, the immediate aftermath of these school adversities is significantly more deleterious in JH/MS than in ES. An analysis of the differential outcome data reveals that JH/MS students who had prominent ES maladjustments have a 5–13-fold greater rate of grade failure, suspension, and undue absenteeism than do students without such ES difficulties, and that generally students without major ES malajustment patterns continue to perform well after their entry to secondary school. In effect, then, JH/MS is primarily a stressful environment for students who are vulnerable on entry.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Archenbach, T. M., and Edelbrock, C. S. (1981). Behavioral problems and competencies reported by parents of normal and disturbed children aged four through sixteen.Monogr. Soc. Res. Child Develop. 46(188): 1–82.
Bachman, J. G., Green, S., and Wirtanen, E. D. (1971).Youth in Transition: Dropping Out-Problem or Symptom? vol. 3. Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
Behan, B. J., Gresen, P., and Oakes, J. (1980). A study of schooling: Students' experiences in schools.Phi Delta Kappan 61: 337–340.
Berg, I. (1980). School refusal in early adolescence. In Hersov, L., and Berg, I. (eds.),Out of School, Wiley, Chichester.
Blyth, D. A., Simmons, R. G., and Bush, D. (1978). The transition to early adolescence: A longitudinal comparison of yough in two educational contexts:Sociol. Educa. 51: 149–162.
Bry, B. H., and George, F. E. (1980). The preventive efforts of early intervention on the attendance and grades of urban adolescents.Profess. Psychol. 11: 252–260.
Chazan, M. (1962). School phobia.Br. J. Educa. Psychol. 32: 209–219.
Cotterell, J. (1982). Student experiences following entry into secondary school.Educa. Res. 24: 296–302.
Edelman, M. W., Beck, R., and Smith, P. V. (1975).School Suspensions: Are They Helping Children? Childrens' Defense Fund, Cambridge, MA.
Elias, M. J., Gara, M., and Ubriaco, M. (1985). Sources of stress and support in children's transition to middle school: An empirical analysis.J. Clin. Child. Psychol. 14: 112–118.
Filipczak, J., Friedman, R. M., and Reece, S. C. (1979). PREP: Educational programing to prevent juvenile problems. In Stumphauzer, J. S. (ed.),Progress in Behavior Therapy with Delinquents (2nd ed.), Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, IL.
Finlayson, H. J. (1977). Nonpromotion and self consent development.Phi Delta Kappan 59: 205–206.
Fogelman, K., Tibbeham, A., and Lambert, L. (1980). Absence from school: Findings from the National Child Development Study. In Hersov, L., Berg, I. (eds.),Out of School, Wiley, Chichester.
Galloway, D., Ball, T., Bloomfield, D., and Syed, R. (1982).Schools and Disruptive Pupils, Longman, London.
Hartzell, H. E., and Compton, C. (1984). Learning disability: 10-year follow-up.Pediatrics 74: 1058–1064.
Heaton, R. C., and Safer, D. J. (1982). Secondary school outcome following a junior high school behavioral program.Behavior Therapy, 13: 226–231.
Hersov, L. A. (1960). Refusal to go to school.J. Child Psychol. Psychiat. 1: 137–145.
Kamii, K. K., and Weikart, D. P. (1963). Marks, achievement and intelligence of seventh graders who are retained (non promoted) once in elementary school.J. Educa. Res. 56: 84–90.
Levin, E. K., Zigmond, N., and Birch, J. W. (1985). A follow-up study of 52 learning disabled adolescents.J. Learning Disabil. 18: 2–7.
Lindholm, B. W., and Touliatos, J. (1981). Development of children's behavior problems.J. Genet. Psychol. 139: 47–53.
Lloyd, D. W. (1976). Concurrent prediction of dropout and grade of withdrawal.Educa. Psychol. Meas. 36: 983–991.
Meltzer, L. J., Levine, M. D., Karniski, W., Palfrey, J. S., and Clarke, S. (1984). An analysis of the learning styles of adolescent delinquents.J. Learning Disabil. 17: 600–608.
Mitchell, S., and Shepherd, M. (1967). The child who dislikes going to school.Br. J. Educa. Psychol. 37: 32–40.
National Institute of Education (1978).Violent schools-safe schools: The safe school study report to the Congress, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Washington, D.C.
Nisbet, J., and Entwistle, N. (1969).Transition to Secondary Education, University of London Press, Edinburgh.
Oliver, L. I. (1974).Behavior patterns in school of youth 12–17 years, National Health Survey, Series 11, No. 139, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Washington, D.C.
Reid, K. (1984). Disruptive behaviour and persistent school absenteeism. In Frude, N., and Gault, H. (eds.),Disruptive Behaviour in Schools, Wiley, Chichester.
Roberts, J., and Baird, J. T. (1972).Behavior patterns of children in school, DHEW Public No. (HSM) 72-1042, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
Robins, L. (1970). Antecedents of character disorder. In Roff, M., and Ricks, D. F. (eds.),Life History Research in Psychopathology (vol. 1), University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN.
Robins, L. N., and Ratliff, K. S. (1980). The long term outcome of truancy. In Hersov, L., and Berg, I. (eds.),Out of School, Wiley, Chichester.
Rodriguez, A., Rodriguez, M., and Eisenberg, L. (1959). The outcome of school phobia: A follow-up study based on 41 cases.Amer. J. Psychiat. 116: 540–544.
Rose, J. S., Medway, F. J., Cantrell, V. L., and Marus, S. H. (1983). A fresh look at the retention-promotion controversy.J. School Psychol. 21: 201–211.
Rutter, M. (1979). Protective factors in children's response to stress and disadvantage. In Kent, M. W., and Rolf, J. E. (eds.),Social Competence in Children, University Press of New England, Hanover, NH.
Safer, D. J. (1982).School Programs for Disruptive Adolescents, University Park Press, Baltimore, MD.
Safer, D. J. (1984). Subgrouping conduct disordered adolescents by early risk factors.Amer. J. Orthopsychiat. 54: 603–612.
Safer, D. J. (1986). Nonpromotion correlates and outcomes at different grade levels.J. Learning Disabil. 19: 500–503.
Safer, D. J., Heaton, R. C., and Parker, F. C. (1981). A behavioral program for disruptive junior high school students: Results and follow-up.J. Abnormal Child Psychol. 9: 483–494.
Serow, R. L., and O'Brien, K. (1983). Performance of handicapped students in a competency testing program.J. Spec. Educa. 17: 149–155.
Spreen, O. (1983). Learning-disabled children growing up. In Schwartz, G. (ed.),Advances in Research and Services for Children with Special Needs, University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver, Canada.
Statistics confirm crisis in education (April, 1984).The Advocate, p. 22.
Stroup, A. L., and Robins, L. N. (1972). Elementary school predictors of high school dropout among black males.Sociol. Educa. 45: 212–222.
Thomas, S., and Knudsen, D. D. (1965). The relation between nonpromotion and the dropout problem.Theory into Practice, 4: 90–94.
Touliatos, J., and Lindholm, B. W. (1980). Dimensions of problem behavior in learning disabled and normal children.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 50: 145–146.
West, D. J. (1982).Delinquency: Its Roots, Careers, and Prospects, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Reveived M. D. from University of Wisconsin. Research interests include school mental health, hyperactivity, and psychopharmacology.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Safer, D.J. The stress of secondary school for vulnerable students. J Youth Adolescence 15, 405–417 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02143522
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02143522