Early Success In School Prevents Drug Use

http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/story.php?id=6085

Researchers at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research tracked a national sample of 3,000 students from the age’s mid-adolescence to young adult. An interesting fact from the research is the effects of educational setbacks of marijuana or cocaine use were less and not as long lasting as the impact of cigarette use. Overall, the research found adolescents who have not made good adjustments to school are likely to become involved in a variety of problem behaviors such as delinquency, smoking, drinking, and illicit drug use.




The research demonstrates how school success protects against teen and young adult drug use but why is school an important factor? Poor academic performance has been directly linked to delinquent behavior. School failure is a stronger predictor of delinquency than economic class, racial or ethnic background or peer relations variables. In addition, how does school failure affect the student? School experience is a direct cause of delinquent behavior. Students who fail in school become frustrated, angry, and rejected. Believing they will never achieve success through conventional means, they seek out like-minded companions and engage in antisocial behaviors. Educational failure, beginning early, produces negative responses from important people in the student's life.



The article stated, “The beauty of tracking individuals through this crucial period or maturation is that we can see which events come first, thus gain important evidence about what cases what,” In contrast, tracking divides students into groups according to their ability and achievement level in which is a factor to delinquency. Students who are in the lower academic groups carry with them the stain of failure and academic incompetence. Over time may cause these students from having any hope of achieving academic success, in which causes a lack of motivation, failure, and rebellion. All of these factors promote delinquent behavior.