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A Longitudinal Examination of the Transition into Senior High School for Adolescents from Urban, Low‐Income Status, and Predominantly Minority Backgrounds
Author(s) -
Reyes Olga,
Gillock Karen L.,
Kobus Kimberly,
Sanchez Bernadette
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1023/a:1005140631988
Subject(s) - health psychology , attendance , longitudinal study , psychology , low income , developmental psychology , ninth , social support , transition (genetics) , gerontology , public health , demography , clinical psychology , social psychology , medicine , sociology , socioeconomics , political science , nursing , biochemistry , chemistry , physics , pathology , acoustics , law , gene
The current 6‐year study investigates the impact of the elementary (K–8)‐to‐high school (9–12) transition on the school completion outcomes of 107 adolescents from urban, minority, low‐income status backgrounds. Descriptive findings provide a longitudinal profile of students' enrollment status throughout high school. Students who had graduated or were Active in the school system at the end of the study evidenced more marked change in perceptions of social support following the transition to the ninth grade compared to Inactive students, dropouts, who evidenced little change. With respect to academic performance, while both groups evidenced declines following the transition and failed to recover sustained losses, Inactive students declined more sharply in grades and attendance. Findings are discussed in terms of the mixed support for the transitional life events perspective. In addition, study limitations and directions for future research are discussed, including variables that should be considered in research with the targeted group.