Marc LeBlanc

Disentangling the Weight of School Dropout Predictors: A Test on Two Longitudinal Samples

The aims of this study are to identify the most powerful predictors of school dropout and to determine how stable they are over time. Two generations of White French-speaking boys and girls from 12 to 16 years old (n = 791 in 1974, n = 791 in 1985) completed a self-administered questionnaire on their psychosocial adjustment at least one year before leaving school. As expected, the analyses showed that school, family, behavioral, social, and personality variables could all predict dropping out of school in the two samples. Furthermore, these predictors were quite stable over time. However, statistical improvement measures in logistic regression analyses indicated that school experience variables (i.e., grade retention, school achievement, school commitment) were the best screening variables for potential dropouts. The contribution of other psychosocial variables, even though significant, did not improve very much the capacity to identify who will drop out of school. The discussion highlights the implications of the findings for secondary prevention and screening practices.

The predictive power of first-grade peer and teacher ratings of behavior: Sex differences in antisocial behavior and personality at adolescence.

Peer and teacher assessments of aggression, social withdrawal, and likability using the Pupil Evaluation Inventory were recorded for 104 French Canadian girls and boys in grade 1. Self-reported delinquency and personality measures were administered to these children when they were in junior high school 7 years later. Linear regression analyses revealed significant predictive differences between the grade 1 assessment of girls and boys: For antisocial behavior, teacher and peer assessments of boys were equally good predictors, and the combination of the two assessments did not improve prediction; for girls, peer and teacher assessments taken separately were weak predictors, but, taken together, they were better predictors for girls than for boys; for personality, peers were better predictors than teachers both for girls and for boys. When categorical analyses were used to predict extreme antisocial behavior, peer and teacher assessments were equally good predictors for girls and boys. The use of peer and teacher ratings together, however, decreased the number of false positives. The implications of these findings for research and clinical work are discussed.

A Study of Factors Associated with the Stability of Hidden Delinquency

ABSTRACT Studies on social changes and the delinquent conduct of adolescents are based on indirect information, official statistics and recollection interviews. Comparative studies, those that use the same instrument on two or more occasions on different generations of subjects, are non-existent where the delinquent conduct of adolescents is concerned. Thanks to a survey conducted in 1985 that replicated a study conducted in 1974, we were able to provide data on these questions. During the winter of 1985, 676 adolescent boys and girls from Montreal, aged 14 and 15, were asked about their delinquent conduct over the previous year, responded to personality tests and reported their social life. The survey replicated previous studies in 1974 and 1976, the same questionnaire being used for both periods. The data presented the interesting comparative aspects of both surveys.

A Cross-Cultural Verification of a Social Control Theory

The most discussed social control theory of crime has been put forth by Travis Hirschi. In this paper we are interested in examining the relationship between the elements of the bond and self-reported delinquent behavior. In methodology, the paper is a replication of Hirschis analysis on a random sample of French speaking adolescents of Montreal. We were able to replicate Hirschis findings on commitment, belief, and involvement; but there were some differences concerning attachment. There seems to be a cultural difference in the importance of the attachment to school: it is much less significant in the French sample.