Anthony A. Peguero

Victimizing the Children of Immigrants Latino and Asian American Student Victimization

Recent demographic changes have supported the emerging research on one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. population: the children of immigrants. Because victimization adversely affects youth development, understanding the victimization of the children of immigrants are of special interest because they are part of this country’s future—its parents, its labor force, and its voters. In addition, segmented assimilation theory guides this study’s examination about the victimization that the children of Latino and Asian American immigrants endure in U.S. public schools. Analyses, which draw from the restricted-use Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002, indeed reveal some important results. For instance, first-generation immigrant students are afraid of the schools they attend. Furthermore, Latino third-plus generation immigrant students have increased risk of victimization by violence at school. This article also discusses the importance of understanding the schooling of the children of immigrants in the U.S. educational system.

Routine Activities and Victimization at School: The Significance of Gender

Routine activities theory has not fully considered the role of gender in shaping victimization and yet, the research literature clearly demonstrates that gender is associated with an individual’s risk of victimization. In addition to the pervasive effect of gender on victimization, gender shapes an individual’s daily routines and thus may create a gender-specific relationship with victimization. This article explores the importance of gender in understanding the relationship between student’s participation in extracurricular routine activities (e.g., student government, clubs, sports, and etc.) and the risk of victimization. From the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, a sample of 10th-grade students was drawn for analyses. Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling was employed to explore the role of gender in the relationship between extracurricular routine activities and victimization at school. The results reveal that students’ gender indeed interacts with several of the extracurricular routine activities creating gender-specific risks of victimization. This article highlights the importance of gender in explaining victimization and suggests researchers should consider how gender may interact with other routine activities and victimization.

Latino/a Student Misbehavior and School Punishment

Although Latino/as are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. student population, Latino/a youth face a number of educational hurdles, such as disproportionate school punishment. This topic is particularly relevant today in the midst of the current social, political, and economic debate over the influence of Latino/a immigration in the US school system. This study draws from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 and utilizes hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to analyze the relationships between gender, generational status, misbehavior, and school punishment for 7,250 Latino/a and White students. Findings reveal that Latino/a students, regardless of gender or generational status, are not misbehaving more than White students. For school punitive measures, however, third-generation Latino and Latina students are more likely to be punished. The implications of the disparate school punishment patterns for Latino/a students in the US school system are discussed more generally.

Racial and Ethnic Stereotypes and Bullying Victimization.

Bullying is a serious problem within the U.S. school system. Prior research suggests that victimization is stratified by race and ethnicity. However, few studies consider factors that may moderate this relationship. This article extends research on this topic by considering whether stereotypes moderate bullying among racial and ethnic youth. Youth who violate stereotypes may experience derogatory treatment. This study examines whether violated racial and ethnicity stereotypes are linked to the victimization of racial and ethnic minorities. The study findings based on data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 indicate that stereotypes linked to family socioeconomic status (SES), test scores, and interscholastic sports participation moderate the relationship between bullying victimization and race and ethnicity. The implications for future research and policy implementation are discussed.

Opportunity, Involvement, and Student Exposure to School Violence

Exposure to violence, beyond more obvious physical injuries, has long-term emotional and psychological consequences for youth. It should thus come as no surprise that much research has focused on the correlates of youth exposure to violence and victimization. Less attention, however, has been paid to research examining the relationship between school involvement (i.e., extracurricular activities), opportunity, and youth exposure to school violence and victimization. Analyses that draw from the restricted-use Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 and that use logistic regression analyses suggest some important results. Most notably, involvement in classroom-related extracurricular activities is linked to an increase in victimization, whereas interscholastic sports involvement is related to a decrease in victimization for youth who participate. Besides discussing the findings of this study, this article also underscores the importance of understanding youth exposure to school violence in greater depth.

Immigration and Students’ Relationship With Teachers

Students’ relationship with teachers is a building block toward student progress and success. Little is known, however, about the relationships the children of immigrants have with their teachers, which is particularly relevant today in the midst of the current social, political, and economic debate over the influence of immigration in U.S. schools. Analyses, which draw from the public-use Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 and multiple regression analyses, indeed reveal imperative findings. Most notably, first-generation immigrant students report having strong relationships with teachers, but that relationship steadily deteriorates across immigrant generations. This article also discusses the importance of understanding the schooling of the children of immigrants in this nation’s educational system.

Social Bonds and the Role of School-Based Victimization

This study explores the impact of school-based victimization on the adolescent’s social bond. Previous research has provided empirical support for Hirschi’s social control theory that the strength of the adolescent’s social bond is associated with the probability that he or she will engage in criminal offending. However, research identifying what factors influence the strength of the adolescent’s social bond is limited. In addition, research has established that school-based victimization is associated with numerous negative outcomes, including diminished educational outcomes and criminal offending. Therefore, it is plausible that school-based victimization undermines the adolescent’s social bonds to school. Using a sample of 10th-grade students from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002, HLM models were developed to explore the relationship between school-based victimization and the adolescent’s social bond to school. The results suggest that school-based victimization has a negative association with three elements of the adolescent’s social bond to school: attachment, commitment, and belief. This study demonstrates the need for further research to identify the determinants of the strength of the adolescent’s social bond to school.

Social Control Theory and School Misbehavior: Examining the Role of Race and Ethnicity

Social control theory has been successfully utilized to investigate and explain school misbehavior; however, only a few studies have focused on the complex role of race and ethnicity. With a diverse and growing racial and ethnic minority population, exploring whether race and ethnicity moderate the relationship between social control theory and school misbehavior is warranted. This study utilizes data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002, a nationally representative sample of 10th-grade students, to examine whether the relationship between social control theory and school misbehavior varies by race and ethnicity. The findings suggest that the relationship between elements of the social bond and school misbehavior varies across racial and ethnic groups. This study discusses the importance of focusing on race and ethnicity in criminological research as the United States becomes increasingly diverse.

Violence, Schools, and Dropping Out Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Educational Consequence of Student Victimization

Without a doubt, exposure to violence and victimization can be profoundly detrimental to the overall well-being and development of all youth. Moreover, violence and victimization that occurs within a school context is particularly alarming because a successful educational process is essential toward establishing socioeconomic success later in life. The educational consequence of exposure to violence and victimization at school is uncertain for racial and ethnic minority students. This study utilizes data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 and incorporates multilevel modeling techniques to examine the impact of violence and victimization at school on dropping out. The results indicate Black/African Americans and Latino American students who are victimized at school are at higher risk of dropping out. The implications of the evident racial and ethnic disparities in the relationship between victimization and dropping out within the U.S. school system are discussed.

Race, Ethnicity, and School-Based Adolescent Victimization:

Opportunity theory enhances one’s understanding of school-based adolescent victimization. Race and ethnicity plays a significant role in school-based victimization. What is uncertain is how opportunity is linked to the school-based victimization of racial and ethnic minority adolescents. This study explores how race and ethnicity interact with opportunity and victimization. Analyses, which are drawn from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 and employ hierarchal generalized logistic model analyses, suggest some important results. Most notably, the relationships between opportunity and victimization vary across racial and ethnic groups. For instance, athletic extracurricular activity involvement is an insulating factor for White Americans but a potential risk factor for Latino Americans and Asian Americans. Besides discussing the findings of this study, this article underscores the importance of understanding racial and ethnic minority school-based adolescent victimization.