Subcultural explanations and interpretations of school deviance

This article reviews sociological literature on school deviance, here defined as antischool attitudes and behavior. Although these phenomena consist mainly of mild forms of aggression, they can be very consequential for a youth’s life chances. Sociologists have long studied school deviance for its associations with student socioeconomic background, and have hypothesized that such deviance is a manifestation of class-based youth “subcultures.” …