How Do Social Skills, School Factors, and Problem Domains Differ Between Urban and Non-Urban High School Freshmen Students?

Mathews, Jenna

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/113535 Copy

Description

Title

How Do Social Skills, School Factors, and Problem Domains Differ Between Urban and Non-Urban High School Freshmen Students?

Author(s)

Mathews, Jenna

Issue Date

2018

Keyword(s)

• Social Skills
• School Factors
• Problem Domains
• High School Freshmen
• High School
• Urban
• Non-Urban

Abstract

Addressing students’ social-emotional learning needs is critical for their success, particularlyduring their transition into high school. This paper examines the associations among social skills (e.g., communication, assertion), problem areas (bullying, hyperactivity, externalizing and internalizing problems), and school factors (sense of school membership, commitment to school) between urban and non-urban freshmen students during their first semester in high school. Ninth grade students in one urban New Jersey high school (63.9% Hispanic, 31.2% Black; n=285) and another non-urban high school in Central Illinois (44.4% White, 41.1% Black; n=270) completed the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS) survey. Composite measures of social skills and problem domains were used for the analysis. Independent sample t-tests revealed urban students reported significantly lower levels of social skills and sense of school membership, and higher levels of problem domains as compared to non-urban students. Additionally, correlation analyses found among urban students, higher levels of social skills were positively associated with highercommitment to school and sense of school membership, and lower problem areas. However, for non-urban students, only social skills were significantly negatively correlated with problem areas. Findings suggest greater attention on the school context is needed for urban students when they enter high school. The discussion highlights areas for future research, including longitudinally understanding the social-emotional learning needs of students through high school, and examining for gender and race/ethnicity differences with other outcomes (e.g., grades, attendance, disciplinary referrals).

Publisher

University of Illinois School of Social Work

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/113535

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2018 Jenna Mathews

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