School for Aggression: Types of Adolescent Aggression in School Students and School Dropouts

ABSTRACT

The aim of the present study is to analyze gender differences in aggressive behavior in adolescents, within the context of four types of aggression: physical, verbal, indirect and property-related. The effect of the following variables were tested: gender, educational framework (academic high schools, vocational high schools) and school dropouts, and age (15–16 yrs versus 17–18 yrs). Data were collected by a self-report questionnaire, administered to 921 adolescents. The results show significant gender differences in aggression levels. Physical, verbal and property-related levels of aggression were higher in males than in females. However, gender-related differences involving indirect aggression were very low. The results show that academic and vocational school students were significantly different from school dropouts within the context of indirect aggression. The highest indirect aggression level was found in vocational school students, and the lowest -in school dropouts. Multivariate analyses of variance for each separate variable demonstrated significant effects relating to differences between gender and educational levels.