School Punishment, Deterrence, and Race: A Partial Test of Defiance Theory
Abstract
Rather than serving as a deterrent, exclusionary discipline tends to lead to a host of short and long-term negative outcomes. The mechanisms which propel students from exclusionary discipline toward these negative outcomes is understudied. The negative impact of school sanctions is particularly salient among students of color; yet the reasons for this are unclear. Informed by Sherman’s defiance theory, this study utilizes data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent and Adult Health (Add Health) to identify these mechanisms among a sample of white and black students. Results suggest that defiance theory provides a theoretically relevant framework for understanding the impact of school sanctions on future outcomes as well as how the effects vary across race.
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Exposure to exclusionary discipline may lead students to distrust and feel defiant toward adults in their schools.
“exposure to exclusionary discipline may lead students to distrust and feel defiant toward adults in their schools (Pesta, 2021; Way, 2011).”
From Fostering Belonging, Transforming Schools: The Impact of Restorative Practices (2023) · cites this paper as Pesta, 2021
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“I felt good being up here!” Shifts in student exposure to restorative practicesPreprint
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- Authors
- Pesta, R.
- Affiliations
- Eastern Connecticut State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Pesta, Racheal
- ORCID
- Pesta, Racheal
- Venue
- Crime & Delinquency
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2021-03-29
- Volume
- 68
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 463-494
- ISSN
- 0011-1287 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-387X
- OpenAlex
- W3140498640
- Cited by
- 17
- References
- 62
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 1
- FWCI
- 4.39
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Crime & Delinquency (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Education Discipline and Inequality
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Crime Patterns and Interventions
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis
- Keywords
- student discipline, exclusionary discipline, punishment in schools, deterrence, racial disparities, students of color, Black students, white students, long-term outcomes, Add Health
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