This study attempts to identify the effect that deviance has on high school test scores. Using the Educational Longitudinal Survey, 2002, student role performance, family, peer, and school factors were examined to see the effect they had on test scores. After separating the sample by deviance, the same variables were examined to see if being deviant strengthened the effect the variables had on test scores. Deviance was found to lower test scores by -0.546 points using multiple regression analysis. Using a partitioning of variance, the student role performance factors (which included deviance) were found to explain the greatest amount of variance in test scores. While deviance did affect test scores, other factors such as socio-economic status were shown to have a greater effect than deviance. Future research might focus on when discrepancies start between groups in education in order to solve the problems at earlier ages.

Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Sociology