SCHOOL DELINQUENCY AND THE SCHOOL SOCIAL BOND

Using data from a sample of 754 middle school students in Grades 7 and 8, this article examines the independent effects of the four componen ts of the school social bond-school commitment, attachment to school, school involvement, and belief in school rules-on school crime, school misconduct, and school nonattendance. The results suggest that person al background, family involvement in schooling, and ability grouping h ave differential effects on the school bond components. Also, an exami nation of the independent effects of the four components of the school social bond suggests that certain components are more important than others in controlling different types of school delinquency. These res ults suggest that the school social bond is an important intervening m echanism that helps to explain the effects of certain predictor variab les on school crime, school misconduct, and nonattendance in middle sc hools.