Peer Influence on Youth Delinquency: How Does School-Level Teacher Quality Matter?

This study contributes to the literature on peer influence and delinquency by examining the moderating role of school-level teacher quality in contemporary China. Based on social control theory and taking an ecological perspective, our multilevel analysis of the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) d...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Sun, Guyu (Autor) ; Zhang, Tony Huiquan (Autor)
Tipo de documento: Electrónico Artículo
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: 2025
En: Crime & delinquency
Año: 2025, Volumen: 71, Número: 10, Páginas: 3391-3416
Acceso en línea: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Palabras clave:
Social stratification
Multilevel models
School context
Peer influence
Youth Delinquency
Descripción
Sumario:This study contributes to the literature on peer influence and delinquency by examining the moderating role of school-level teacher quality in contemporary China. Based on social control theory and taking an ecological perspective, our multilevel analysis of the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) data found that among Chinese middle school students, affiliation with deviant peers correlated with delinquent behaviors; this peer effect was moderated by the proportion of accredited senior teachers at school. With high school-level teacher quality, youth delinquency can be suppressed despite deviant peers; in the absence of qualified personnel, delinquency will emerge with deviant peer affiliation. Our findings suggest China’s educational disparities could lead to diverging behavioral risks among youth, potentially reinforcing existing social inequalities in China.
ISSN:1552-387X
DOI:10.1177/00111287231207385