title: Educational Tracking and Juvenile Deviance in Taiwan: Direct Effect, Indirect Effect, or Both.
abstract: Educational tracking in Chinese society is quite different from that in Western society, in that the allocation to either the vocational or academic track is based on a national entrance examination, which happens at ninth grade (age 14-15). Hence, students in many Asian countries (e.g., China and Taiwan) have to face academic tracking in early adolescence. Because of cultural emphasis on education in Taiwan, the impact of tracking on deviance is profound and can be seen as a crucial life-event. With this concept in mind, we examine how educational tracking influences adolescent deviance during high school. In addition, we also examine how educational tracking may indirectly influence deviance through other life domains, including depression, delinquent peer association, and school attachment. By using longitudinal data (the Taiwan Youth Project), we find that educational tracking increases deviance not only directly but also indirectly through delinquent peers and low school attachment. Some implications and limitations are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Wenzao Ursuline University of Langue, Kaohsiung, Taiwan mars760512@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Wen-Hsu
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chin-Chun
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Yi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D064890:Social Determinants of Health; D012933:Social Identification; D012945:Social Values; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013624:Taiwan
keywords: direct effect; educational tracking; indirect effect; juvenile deviance