Labeling within the School Context

• In Event: Construction, Management, and Consequences of Deviant Identities

Abstract

Research demonstrates that parental and peer reflected appraisals affect delinquency (e.g., Brownfield and Thompson 2005; Matsueda 1992). However, most research designs have not included measurements from teachers and thus, have not directly studied the impact of teachers’ appraisals on youth misbehavior and delinquency. Adolescents spend a significant amount of time in school, and research shows that teacher appraisals are critical to self-esteem and educational experience. The present study addresses this gap in the literature. We use data from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), which surveyed youths born in the United Kingdom in the year 2000. More specifically, we use the fifth and sixth waves of the MCS data (2012 and 2015), drawing from the surveys of teachers, parents, and youths. We examine the impact of parental appraisals, teacher appraisals, and youth self-appraisals on delinquency and school misbehavior. Our analyses find support for the hypothesis that teachers’ labels do indeed affect youth behavior, independently of parental appraisals. We conclude with how our findings contribute to the literatures on labeling effects and the school context of delinquency.

Authors

• Kelly Guinn, University of Iowa

• Karen Heimer, American Society of Criminology President / University of Iowa