Development and Evaluation of a School Adjustment Model for Juvenile Delinquents

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a structural model including relevant factors to identity the variables that affect school adjustment in juvenile delinquents. On the basis of a review of the literature on school adjustment of juvenile delinquents and on Bronfenbrenner's bio-ecological model, a hypothetical model was developed by setting home environmental factors (e.g.,economic conditions, parent child communication, parenting attitudes, peer relationships, and academic stress) as exogenous variables, and personal factors (e.g., ego identity and psychological well-being) as endogenous variables. METHODS: Data were collected from January 29 to March 3, 2015 by a survey of 206 students attending junior high and high schools in City B. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS and Amos 22.0 software. RESULTS: The verification of the hypothetical model indicated a good fit for the model χ²=0.009 df=13, χ²/df=2.161, GFI=0.97, AGFI=0.90, RMESA=0.07, CFI=0.98, TLI=0.95, and RMR=0.01. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that ego identity and parent-child communication do not directly affect school adjustment of juvenile delinquents but influence it depending on the psychological well-being of delinquents. High levels of psychological well-being, better economic conditions, better parent-child communication, and low academic stress were abserved to contribute to better school life. Therefore, to improve the school adjustment of juvenile delinquents, appropriate measures need to be taken and programs need to be designed for improving ego identity and parent-child communication, thus promoting psychological well-being.