School rebellion: a research note

Pathanalysis is applied to survey data bearing on Arthur Stinchcombe's model of student rebellion. The linear causal model hypothesizes that school rebellion is due directly to expressive alienation and indirectly to strain in three systems: poor articulation regarding status allocation, claims to cultural symbols of adult rights, and unrealizable internal standards. Support for the model is not obtained. An alternate model is tested and verified in which political efficacy is an important antecedent of school disruption. The major implication is that school rebellion is not a response to the school experience itself. Other findings are presented concerning the scalability of school disruption items, the nature of expressive alienation and its components, and the impact of sex, race, and neighborhood on school rebellion.