DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND FAMILY STUDIES
DISSERTATION DEFENSE
"Sense of Community in Schools Dimensions and Consequences for Delinquency and Civic
Engagement:
Ph. D. Candidate: Eliot Rosenbloom
Doctoral Committee:
Michael Rovine, Ph.D.
Professor
Chair of Committee
Scott Gest, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Edward A. Smith, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and
Director of Evaluation Research
Prevention Research Center
Constance Flanagan, Ph.D.
Professor
George Farkas, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Sociology
Date: August 21, 2009
Time: 1 - 3:30 p.m.
Place: S211 Henderson
Areas of Specialization: Individual and Intervention
ABSTRACT
Robert Putnam, James Coleman, and others have observed and argued that social capital and
sense of community (SOC) have been declining sharply for over 4 decades and that we need to
find ways to address that loss. Using the NELS dataset, SOC among high school students,
teachers, and administrators was explored in 4 ways. 1) Factor analyses provided empirical
support for dimensions of SOC generally posited in the literature, and for McGregor's
conceptualization of "Theory X and Theory Y." 2) Correlation studies showed stability between
Grade 10 and Grade 12 scores (for each group separately) and associations between average
scores for each group. 3) Multilevel regressions showed a consistent negative effect of student
SOC on 3 types of delinquency (based on severity) as expected, but a more complex effect of
teacher SOC. 4) Effects on voting tendency (2 years post high school) were positive for both SSOC and T-SOC, but effects on volunteering were nonsignificant. Mediation and suppression
effects were both observed. Results shed light upon the benefits and drawbacks of SOC and
functional community and the need to understand these in efforts to foster SOC and civic
engagement and reduce delinquency.