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Life course turning points: The effect of grade retention on physical aggression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 June 2003

DANIEL S. NAGIN
Affiliation:
Carnegie Mellon University
LINDA PAGANI
Affiliation:
University of Montreal
RICHARD E. TREMBLAY
Affiliation:
University of Montreal
FRANK VITARO
Affiliation:
University of Montreal

Extract

Our objective is to advance the life course analytical framework by demonstrating a model for testing two of its tenets. The first is whether the individual's developmental history conditions the response to a turning point event. The second is whether the influence of a major life event upon an individual's developmental course depends upon the timing of the event. We test both propositions in an analysis of the effect of grade retention on a child's trajectory of physical aggression. Our analysis is based on data from a longitudinal study of 1,037 boys from schools in the lowest socioeconomic areas in Montreal, Canada. We find clear evidence that a developmental history of physical aggression conditions the child's response to grade retention. The evidence on whether the timing of retention affects this response is less clear.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2003 Cambridge University Press

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