THE EXTENT AND TREND OF SUSPENSION, RELATED SCHOOL FACTORS, AND PROFILES OF CHRONICALLY-SUSPENDED AND NON-SUSPENDED STUDENTS.

摘要

The purposes of this study were to determine the extent and trend of out-of-school suspension in Virginia during the 1970s, the relationship between various school factors and the suspension rate, the relationship between various pupil characteristics and suspension status, the relationship between the number of suspension-causing behaviors and the suspension rate, and the types of behaviors most frequently resulting in suspension. The high school was the unit of analysis for examining the extent and trend of suspension, the influence of school factors upon the suspension rate, and the number and frequency of behaviors that could result in suspension. The student was the unit of analysis for examining characteristics of chronically-suspended and non-suspended students. Seven statistical procedures were used: oneway analysis of variance; Scheffe contrast test; SPSS Breakdown; SPSS Crosstabs; discriminant analysis; Pearson's correlation; and SPSS Frequencies.;There was a statistically significant relationship between the suspension status of students in Virginia and thirteen pupil characteristics. A chronically-suspended student tended to be a black male in an early high school grade level. He had low IQ test scores and low achievement test scores and participated very little in school activities. He came from a low income family with a large number of children, and possibly only one parent in the household. His mother and father had little educational attainment and had low employment status.;There was no significant relationship between the number of behaviors that could result in suspension and the suspension rate. Behaviors most frequently resulting in suspension were fighting or causing bodily harm to a student or faculty member, drug possession or usage, and alcohol possession or usage. Contrary to the national trend, attendance-related offenses generally did not result in suspension.;The average suspension rates in Virginia high schools increased during the 1970s. Schools with small enrollments tended to have lower suspension rates than did schools with medium or large enrollments. Urban schools had the highest suspension rates. Schools with student bodies more than 70 percent white had low suspension rates. There may have been intercorrelation among the school related factors.