School discrimination and the high school dropout: a case for adolescent advocacy

The literature supports the theory that high school dropouts are unable to find employment when they leave school, and that girls who dropout are more likely than boys to return. It was hypothesized that schools may not want to take back students who had once dropped out of school. To investigate the schools' response to dropouts trying to return, three actors were used to portray a male dropout, a female dropout and a parent of a dropout. Fifteen schools were contacted, to determine the differences in response to each actor. The results indicate that schools were more likely to accept the child who is represented by the parent, and that schools reacted more favorably to the parent. The results are discussed and specific recommendations made for program and practice.     

Identity conflict in Mexican-American adolescents

Mexican-American adolescents of migrant origin present conflicting attitudes in their selection of ideal characters and images for identification. As minority members, identification with members of outside groups appears blocked for them. At the same time, encounters with outside society seem to undermine identification processes that develop within their own group, their families, and community. This study concludes that relationships of dominance and dependence in the outside society foster inhibitions to the process of identification, and disturbances in the mechanisms of defense in the minority member. These relationships seem to interfere with the internalization and adoption of significant others' characteristics and attitudes.