STUDENTS' KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR LEGAL RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN SCHOOL RELATED TO SUSPENSION PATTERNS

RUTH ELIZABETH TANNER, Purdue University

Abstract

Discipline in schools has been a major issue for a number of years. The United States Supreme Court and the State of Indiana have attempted to insure due process for students, but evidence does not indicate that students have acquired accurate knowledge regarding their legal rights and therefore cannot know what the responsibilities are that accompany those rights. Responsible behavior can be predicted only when students have been given precise and systematic instruction regarding their rights and their responsibilities as school citizens. This study was comprised of eight classes in one high school, consisting of 155 subjects enrolled in a sophomore social studies course. Three of the classes were assigned to instructional treatment, the subject matter being information on student legal rights and responsibilities and due process. Three of the classes were assigned to a placebo treatment, and two of the classes were assigned to a control condition. A pretest was administered, followed by four weekly sessions of instruction. The posttest was administered one week after the final instructional session. Student characteristics data were collected from the cumulative records. Grade point average data were collected at the end of the semester. Data on student suspensions were collected at the end of the fourth six-weeks grading period. It was predicted that systematic instruction would increase knowledge, and that increased knowledge would correlate with a reduced rate of suspensions. A significant increment in knowledge resulted from the instructional treatment. However, increased knowledge did not correlate with student records of suspension. A linear combination of student characteristics was a more significant predictor of membership in the suspended versus not suspended classification.

Degree

Ph.D.

Subject Area

School administration

COinS