There are three separate dependent variables. The two of these consist of ordinal level data, the third consists of nominal level data. The first DV is Level of Criminal Activity Engaged in. It is ordinal level, measured on a four point scale consisting of 1 = No Criminal Activity, 2 = Minor Criminal Activity, 3 = Moderate Criminal Activity, and 4 = Heavy Criminal Activity. The second DV is Severity of Response by the Criminal Justice System to Youthful Criminal Behavior. This is also ordinal level, measured on a four point scale from 1 = No Notice Taken, 2 = Reprimand, 3 = Adjudication, and 4 = Incarceration. The third DV is Serious Criminal Behavior After Age 16. It is nominal level and is measured as 0 = No Commission and 1 = Commission. Brier, Norman (1994). Targeted treatment for adjudicated youth with learning disabilities: Effects on recidivism, Vol. 27, Journal of Learning Disabilities, 04 01 1994, pp 215-226. External validity is the degree to which research findings are generalizable beyond the sample which was studied. If a sample is not representative of the population as a whole, then the findings from a study can be said to be true only for that sample, and not as a general conclusion. For this study, the sample will be drawn from a cross section of high schools in order to include urban, suburban, and rural youths. However, better care might be taken to ensure that the samples are proportionally drawn. That is, if too many subjects are drawn from rural communities, the results may be skewed one way, while if too many subjects are drawn from urban schools, results may be skewed another. Also, if the majority of white subjects are drawn from rural schools while the majority of blacks are drawn from urban schools, then the results may be confounded by environmental factors. Future research could examine each type of school separately, rather than by attempting to test them together. Recidivism is the propensity of persons convict |
