SUPPORTIVE COMMUNICATION AND SCHOOL OUTCOMES FOR ACADEMICALLY AT-RISKAND OTHER LOW-INCOME MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

This study explores the relationship between supportive communication and school outcomes for lower socioeconomic middle school students ide ntified as ''at-risk'' and students not identified as ''at-risk'' of p oor school performance. Results indicate that parents are major source s of social support for both groups of students; however, while parent s are the only source of support for at-risk middle school students, t he not-identified;ed-at-risk students also receive support from their teachers and friends. With respect to school outcomes, different types of social support are associated with different outcomes. Also, stude nts not identified as at-risk appear to benefit more from the social s upport they receive than students identified as at-risk. Teachers and other school personnel can use the findings of this investigation to d evelop intervention strategies that utilize the social support process to affect specific school outcomes for academically at-risk students as well as for other students.