Việc tham gia nhóm phi chính thức và hành vi sai lệch của học sinh trung học phổ thông tại thành phố Hà Nội ttta

VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES  PHAM TRAN THANG LONG INFORMAL GROUPS PARTICIPATION AND DEVIANT BEHAVIORS AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN HANOI Major: Sociology Code: 31 03 01 DISSERTATION FOR DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ON SOCIOLOGY Hanoi - 2022 The work is completed at: GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES - VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE Academic Supervisor: Prof Dr Dang Canh Khanh Reviewer 1: Prof.Dr Nguyen Huu Minh – Graduate Academy of Social Sciences Reviewer 2: Assoc.Prof.Dr Trinh Van Tung – Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities Reviewer 3: Assoc.Prof.Dr Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc – Graduate Academy of Social Sciences The dissertation was defensed to the Academy Council of PhD Dissertation Examination at the Graduate Academy of Social Sciences At … : , date … month …… year …… The dissertation can be accessed at: - Vietnam National Library - Library of the Graduate Academy of Social Sciences INTRODUCTION Research Rationale High school students are a social group associated with a period of particularly high receptivity and agility, along with being extremely sensitive, to surrounding information and social interactions Therefore, in the process of developmental social movement, educational goals, living conditions, as well as the times’ development trend, new values are being formed and shaped in this social force Their behavior can be influenced by surrounding circumstance, including society, school, family and even peers Attached to that environment, high school students form many new needs and interests, engage in either positive or negative behaviors, and participate in formal as well as informal social relationships However, a part of society and management-educational agencies uphold many of their criticisms or refusal to acknowledge the objective existence of groups and subcultures associated with those forms in high school students This limitation leads to downplaying, even ignoring or denying, the objective existence of informal groups In addition, the view from reality and sociological perspective suggest that the informal aspects are often overlooked from the official point of view; and the informality associated with student group activities has not received much attention There is an obvious similarity in sociological studies of students in schools that high school students’ social interactions are identified and evaluated based on formal normative values, leading to informal values rarely mentioned or placed in a specific analytical context for consideration, such as with special students or students in reform schools At the same time, high school students are also a social group less studied in sociology but more focused in the field of psychology Recognizing that situation, the thesis focuses on the informality of social groups with the participation of high school students and that informality influencing the deviant behavior of high school students There is a close relationship between the informality of the social group and the deviation in the behavior of individuals participating in the social group when considering the commonality of accepting the challenge of something irregular or informal, less pressure from common standards of society Therefore, on the one hand, joining an informal group has the nature of implying disapproval of the norm, close to the deviation associated with informality, and is not subject to the limits of the norms; that leads to often being seen as carrying the germ of deviation On the other hand, the informality of the social group also reflects the creative and dynamic capacity, creating opportunities to help overcome deviations It is in that real situation and on the basis of such perception that the author has carried out the thesis in sociology entitled "Informal groups participation and deviant behaviors among high school students in Hanoi", to find out and clarify the reality of high school students' participation in informal groups and the relationship of such participation with their possible deviant behaviors Thereby, the thesis affirms the continuation in sociological research on informality associated with the social group of adolescents with a deep interest in the education of the young generation for the purpose of sustainable human and social development Research Objectives and Research Tasks 2.1 Research Objectives Contributing to understanding the current status of informal groups participation and deviant behaviors of high school students in Hanoi in recent times; on that basis, some recommendations are given to exploit the positives and limit the negatives from informal groups participation of high school students in order to prevent deviant behaviors at this age 2.2 Research Tasks - Conduct an overview of research on informal groups participation and deviant behaviors among adolescents and high school students in particular - Determine the theoretical basis and research methodology - Conduct fact-finding on the relationship between high school students' participation in informal groups and manifestation of their deviant behaviors - Propose orientations and solutions to exploit and promote the appropriate role of informal groups in preventing deviant behaviors among high school students Research Object and Scope of Research 3.1 Research Object Informal groups participation and deviant behaviors among high school students in Hanoi 3.2 Research Subject This study was conducted with students from 05 high schools in Hanoi Criteria for selecting subjects are individuals who are participating in regular curricula at one of the grades 10-11-12 in each studied high school at the time of the survey In addition, the topic also surveys opinions through in-depth interviews with parents, students, and teachers at the surveyed schools 3.3 Scope of Research 3.3.1 Space range The study was carried out at 05 high schools in Dong Da, Ba Dinh, and Thanh Xuan districts, Hanoi Specifically, these include: Phan Dinh Phung High School (Ba Dinh District), Phan Huy Chu High School (Dong Da District), Quang Trung High School (Dong Da District), Tran Hung Dao High School (Thanh Xuan District), and Nhan Chinh High School (Thanh Xuan district) 3.3.2 Time range The content of the thesis began to be implemented from June 2014, in which the PhD student directly surveyed in the field during the period from March 2017 to April 2017 and September 2017 to October/ 2017 3.3.3 Content Scope The thesis only focuses on the informal characteristics of the social group of high school students without going into the explanation of group classification; and also examines the influences of those characteristics on some deviant behaviors performed in the same group by in high school students, which are often mentioned from the current point of view of Vietnamese law and society Therefore, the thesis cannot be generalized to all high school students or to all forms of deviant behavior 3.4 Research questions Research question 1: What is the current status of informal groups participation among high school students? Research question 2: What is the current situation of deviant behaviors with informal groups among high school students? Research question 3: What is the relationship between informal groups participation and deviant behaviors of high school students? 3.5 Research hypotheses - Research hypothesis 1: High school students participate in diverse informal groups, with attributes reflecting the individual's tendency to interact with surrounding factors (family, school, community - society) Key attributes include the type of group, the purpose of joining the group, the way to join the group, the interactions inside and outside the group, the rules within the group, the degree of interaction with other groups, and the general attitudes and activities of the group - Research hypothesis 2: The deviant behaviors carried out with informal group of high school students have diverse manifestations according to types and aspects of individual characteristics (such as gender, grade) and student's family living standards - Research hypothesis 3: The attributes of informal groups participation are related to the deviant behaviors in the informal groups of high school students in both motivating or controlling ways 3.6 Analytical framework This study deploys a model to analyze the relationship between informal groups participation and deviant behaviors of high school students, which is a system of environmental factors surrounding a high school student that may influence misbehavior committed by the student with their informal group In which, high school students’ deviant behaviors approached in this study is behavior that violates the norms, principles of action or expectations of a group, or of society, including expression in the field of culture and in the law The specific manifestations of deviant behaviors studied in this thesis are confined to 09 cases corresponding to three groups of risk behavior patterns: types of risky behavior when participating in road traffic include (1) driving motorbikes carrying more than the prescribed number of people, (2) running red lights, (3) swerving around, (4) cheering for illegal racing, (5) not wearing a helmet; types of school violence include (6) fights at school; and types of behavior that are dangerous to social order include (7) playing cards for money, (8) encroaching on trees in public places, (9) illegally occupying other people's property Methodology The thesis uses object-approaching methodology from the viewpoints of the Party's line and the State's laws on the protection, care and education of adolescents serving as the basis for the analysis of factors affecting deviant behavior among high school students associated with the actual operation of the school, community life, and social media At the same time, the thesis applies the theory of social interaction, the theory of differential association, and the theory of socio-ecology with an approach to risk factors - protection for adolescents in the process of analyzing the relationship between informal groups participation and deviant behaviors of high school students New Scientific Insights of the Dissertation - Regarding the research subject: the thesis focuses on high school students in Hanoi to clarify their participation in informal groups, and the relationship between this situation and the status of deviant behaviors in the same group in high school students - Regarding the application of theory and problem approach: The thesis applies socio-ecological theory, differential association theory and social interaction theory to approach and analyze the informality associated with the social group of high school students, which is rarely considered in the same way This more or less contributes to enriching the approach to research on sociology of education, sociology of age, sociology of culture in the current context Theoretical and Practical Significance of the Thesis 6.1 Theoretical Significance The study of this topic will contribute to pointing out the characteristics associated with the informal group in students, the manifestations of the student's deviant behavior, and the relationship between the informal groups participation and students misbehaviors The process of applying theory in the research helps to explain and verify the appropriateness and rationality of social interaction theory and differential association theory in the context of high school in Hanoi 6.2 Practical Significance The thesis has shown new research results when considering and analyzing the status of informal groups participation of high school students The study contributes to the identification of dominant characteristics of informal grouping among high school students and their association with deviant behaviors Thereby, the thesis has provided more scientific information on the status of informal groups participation and its relationship to the deviant behaviors among high school students in Hanoi The research results of the thesis have suggested about the approach to dynamic small groups that are often informal in educational context and in the prevention of deviant behaviors in adolescents; at the same time, it can be used as a reference for individuals and organizations, especially for educators, and to serve the teaching, learning, and research of school sociology, sociology of age, sociology of culture 6.3 Some Limitations of the Thesis and Future Research Directions First of all, the limitation of the thesis comes from sampling, when applying the purposeful random sampling technique due to the limitation of accessibility to research subjects That leads to the high schools being studied only concentrated in the inner city of Hanoi, not having diversified access to high schools according to different operational management models Second, the thesis has limitations associated with the cross-sectional study design as found in the intentional construction of lists of deviant behaviors, the attributes of informal groups, as well as the implementation based on existing theories and research As a result, some insights that help reflect the evolving nature of students' informal group relationships as they adjust over time may not be elucidated Thirdly, the information collected for the analysis of the thesis mainly comes from the selfrecognition of high school students and teachers in the school, while other providers have not been fully accessed Along with that is limited access to teacher or parent reports on the topic of the relationship between informal grouping and student misbehavior Therefore, the findings in the thesis can be more convincing and explicit if those lines of information can be supplemented Structure of the Dissertation In addition to the introduction, conclusion, recommendations, list of published works of the author, list of references, and appendices, the thesis consists of chapters: Chapter 1: Research overview Chapter 2: Theoretical foundations and research methods Chapter 3: The reality of joining informal groups of high school students Chapter 4: The reality of deviant behaviors of high school students and its relationship to informal groups participation Chapter RESEARCH OVERVIEW 1.1 Identifying informal groups among adolescents Informal groups of adolescents identified in foreign and domestic studies are groups with peer and membership relationships Informal group membership may be similar in age, gender, and other characteristics (type of sport, level of ability, personality) and thus draw the observer’s selective attention to the attitudes and behaviors that have been expressed Informal groups are effective in informing and motivating members to learn skills, demonstrate confidence, practice perseverance, and perform better Therefore, friends play an important role in encouraging and directing adaptive behaviors through many experiences Informal group relationships are defined as voluntary, interactive, and egalitarian relationships, where two people treat each other as equals, care for each other, and go together in most situations Usually the informal group is built on the basis of having the same similarities such as gender, age, interests, goals Informal relationship quality includes both positive and negative aspects The positive aspects are characterized by closeness, intimacy and equality, while the negative aspects are manifested by conflict, competition and aggression Informal groups such as friendship groups can promote positive development and reduce negative emotions such as anxiety and depression in children and adolescents In addition, peer relationships are also associated with students' adaptation in school Student adaptation is believed to be important as it is associated with future academic success and reduced likelihood of dropping out Peer acceptance can lead to liking and attachment to school, while peer rejection is associated with withdrawal from school and decline in school performance, desire, and social participation In Vietnam, the research of Ong Thi Mai Thuong has shown how informal groups influence the physical violence behavior of high school students - namely the peer group that students join The author has used the concept of informal groups to refer to groups formed on the basis of informal relationships (emotional - psychological relationships) to satisfy certain needs of the members, for example, a group of friends, a group that loves sports, travel ; however, focus on the group of friends of high school students within the research scope of the topic The results of this study have confirmed that the family situation with parents spending little time paying attention to their children’s psychology and emotions is one of the important factors causing the appearance of deviant behaviors of students, including fighting behavior Group values also have an effect on students' fighting behavior Intergroup relationships between special student groups and other social groups affect their fighting behavior, manifesting in two forms: on the one hand, "hostility" toward other groups of students – this is one of the factors that increases cohesion among members and increases the aggression of these groups; and on the other hand, the supportive and helping relationship of the gangs in society has a fairly close relationship with one of the members of these special student groups Nguyen Quy Thanh has introduced the concept of "membership group", such as a group of friends, a group of colleagues, a group of similar interests, etc It serves as a very important medium in which individuals acquire both formal and informal social experiences It is one of the four most prominent socializing environments that allow individuals to facilitate their social interactions for the purpose of acquiring and reproducing social experiences The remaining socialization environments are the family, the school and the mass media (such as newspapers, radio, television and now the Internet, a social network such as Facebook) 1.2 The influence of informal groups on adolescents Up to the present time, most researchers in the field of child development have confirmed the meaningful existence of children's relationships with informal groups of friends and peers The different degrees of experience with which these relationships are distinguished, the stability of the relationship through the stages of development, the dynamic processes by which the relationship changes over time, are all affect the psychosocial development of children and adolescents T.A Wills also found that many teenagers find themselves in situations involving certain substances, such as smoking and drinking alcohol, etc When an adolescent has high support from peers and less support from parents, substance use is particularly high Wayne Osgood and colleagues examined how adolescents' position in friendship groups in school-wide social networks is related to alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use With a sample size of about 9,500 teenagers per year, the authors found that core members of friendship groups tended to drink more than those who were isolated, especially when they were actively socializing in school, family and religious contexts Isolated members were more likely to use tobacco than core members, even suppressing all other factors Group status is also considered as an aspect that can moderate peer group members for deviant, aggressive, and prosocial behavior High group centrality (visibility) increased the likelihood of contagion among group members of relational aggression, deviant and pro-social behavior, and acceptance of groups that have reinforced deviant behavior The results show that the influence of the group on behavior is not heterogeneous but depends on the status of the group Student relationships with peers are important in predicting student academic performance and highrisk behavior Inadequate social relationships have been found to be a cause of recidivism in both adults and adolescents Having peer problems can predispose students to violent behavior, including those without parental guidance, support or attachment because they are less equipped to cope with requirements of the school and lead to frustration because of school failure These students are more vulnerable to the temptations and pressures they experience from their peers, and many young people turn to disruptive and delinquent behavior in school 1.3 Juvenile deviant behavior 1.3.1 Manifestations of deviant behavior by adolescents The deviant behaviors of adolescents are very diverse with different manifestations, as pointed out by Do Ngoc Ha, including 1/ Deviation in ideology, socio-political consciousness including concept of living ideals, in studying to raise the level of political theory, in the sense of responsibility of citizens to the country, and in purpose, motives for becoming a union member, party member, and socio-political positivity 2/ Manifestations of deviations in studying include: learning goals and motivations; attitudes towards school and learning in school; concept of values in learning; attitudes towards learning deviations; deviation in consciousness, attitude and behavior in learning 3/ Deviation in employment profession 4/ Deviation in activities for amusement and entertainment 5/ Deviation in behavioral communication 6/ Acts that violate the law In Vietnam, two large-scale surveys entitled "National Survey on Adolescents and Youth in Vietnam" phase I, from 2003 to 2005 (referred to as SAVY I) and phase II, from 2008 to May 2010 (referred to as SAVY II) can be considered the most comprehensive and large-scale research surveys on adolescents Although SAVY I-II did not directly research deeply into juvenile offenders, it clearly analyzed the major risks that could lead to juvenile delinquency For example, the rate of illiteracy, underemployment, attitudes and behaviors related to substance use, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, social relationships, friendship gatherings Participating in the research on Vietnamese adolescents in the years 2000-2005, there was also the study "Adolescents in Vietnam - from characteristics to policies" by Dang Nguyen Anh and a research team from the Institute of Sociology This is an outstanding investigative work with extensive practical surveys, meticulous processing of results, and many remarkable findings Although the research team did not conduct in-depth research on juvenile offenders, with the results obtained, it has given remarkable warnings about the risks of a sudden increase in juvenile crime if there are no timely prevention solutions Besides, studies on the deviant behavior of adolescents in schools are also of considerable interest The research of Ong Thi Mai Thuong analyzed the current situation, the extent of violence in schools, the methods, tools and means of conducting violent acts Phan Mai Huong with the article "The current situation of school violence" has initially outline a picture of the current state of aggression in schools in terms of quantity and level of expression In the topic "The reality of student aggression in high schools" by Tran Thi Minh Duc conducted from April 2009 to March 2010, research results show that for the level of student aggression, only 0.1% of students are never aggressive, 95.3% of students are sometimes aggressive and 4.5% of students are often aggressive They are easily manipulated by their friends to participate in actions that cause harm to others without paying attention to the possible consequences Nguyen Van Song has systematized the theoretical basis for the education of students with deviant behavior at high schools, analyzed the current situation of students with deviant behavior and that of the management of educational activities for those students Recently, Nguyen Duy Hiep's research on a group of high school students on the manifestations status of deviant behavior in schools refers to deviant behaviors in learning, behavioral communication, violence, and student safety 1.3.2 Factors influencing the deviant behavior of adolescents From a macro perspective, the influence on young people's deviant behavior is also seen from the market economy factor; effects of globalization and international integration It has formed many new phenomena, new trends in the lifestyle of young people, and it also causes deviations in their ideology, politics, ethics and lifestyle The Youth Union's moral and lifestyle education is also a factor that is considered to have an influence on the behavior and lifestyle of teenagers In which, it is pointed out that the current educational activities of the Youth Union have not met the requirements while the faster social development speed leads to certain negative consequences on the social environment Many studies have also highlighted the influence of the Internet on adolescents The authors have pointed out a number of negative effects of the Internet on young people's lifestyle, especially forming negative perceptions, absorbing deviant values, which leads to deviant behaviors In Vietnam, the family context considered in the study started quite early in terms of approaching social deviation in adolescents from the family perspective In 2009, the book Family Studies was published, which dedicated three chapters to the analysis of family cultural deviations that lead to social deviations The book’s authors Dang Canh Khanh and Le Thi Quy also emphasize the role of the family in preventing juvenile crime In addition, the family environment includes not only family circumstances but also changes in family values, changes in structure and the loose cohesion of family members are also factors pointed out by Le Ngoc Van The school environment has many defects that greatly affect the process of personality formation and value orientation of adolescents Social deviant behaviors largely stem from that impairment Research by Do Ngoc Ha has confirmed that the school environment has many defects that greatly affect the formation and value orientation of young people The lack of strict control in the school or the pressures and conflicts arising in the relationship between teachers and students and among students themselves create deviations in students' perceptions, attitudes and behaviors Other studies have focused on the role of peer groups Accordingly, the peer group was identified as an important cause of the deviant behavior of many adolescents Joining groups of friends and adhering to group norms that go against the general norms of society has created an environment for wrongdoing Outside of school, studying the influence of deviant social group membership on deviant behaviors in adolescents has also been explored by many scholars In Vietnam, the Institute for Tradition and Development Studies, authors such as Pham Minh Hac; Nguyen Duy Hiep also confirmed that the friend factor affects the deviant behavior of teenagers When it comes to the causes of the youth's own violations of the law, 49.8% believe that they are coaxed and manipulated by friends and 41.6% believe that it is due to emulation and dissipation with friends Finally, factors from the adolescent subject themselves are related to the poor perception of deviant behaviors and age-psychological characteristics that easily lead to deviant behaviors in adolescents Adolescence is the age when the "I" is forming, but it is the age when the expression and sense of one's personality is very clear Due to inadequate awareness and poor self-control, juveniles are prone to psychological agitation leading to deviant behaviors, such as acts of violence, law breaking One of the factors affecting their illegal behavior is the limited awareness, 82% not know what they is illegal 1.4 General comment Much of the current research on adolescent’s informal group has focused on the form of friendship groups and peer groups, with an emphasis on identifying specific functions of children's relationships with peers, individual differences in peer experiences and their relationship to present and future adjustment, and the influence of different types of peer relationships on child development Several studies have addressed informal groups and deviant behavior of close friends and peer groups of adolescents in different country contexts Along with that, the general interest in clarifying the relationship between the risk and the deviant behavior of adolescents in general has been confirmed, accompanied by the actual requirement to understand the factors affecting deviant behavior and ways to prevent deviant acts from becoming illegal Among the interventions to prevent the risk of adolescent’s deviant behavior, the available literature shows little consideration of the informal group of adolescents, but mainly focused on family and social development management conditions Up to now, in Vietnam, the main focus has been on intervention to prevent youth from breaking the law at the secondary level, that is, working with juveniles who have broken the law Meanwhile, there are no significant primary-level deviant behavior prevention programs, including interventions with high-risk children with predisposition to deviance and crime, or interventions with children at an early age to build a model of compliance behavior and a sense of respect for the law, social communication skills and conflict handling At the same time, research on informal groups often focuses only on juveniles who have violated the law, and therefore information is concentrated in negative groups The reasons are all rooted in economic problems associated with unemployment and debt which are suitable to account for groups of adolescents separated from family and school contexts The element of individual values is mentioned but considered as a subsequent consequence of economic problems instead of being considered independently as a particular problem according to the psycho-cultural approach That fact gives suggestions about the importance and necessity of the school environment in preventing the risk of deviant behavior among adolescents; yet, forms and methods may need to be adjusted in the direction of exploiting the active role of informal groups in the students themselves In terms of research methods, the studies approached in the review reflect approaches primarily from a psychological and criminological perspective Among the studies approaching from a sociological 11 leaves open a view in the opposite direction; it is about whether an individual can avoid engaging in deviant behavior if the person has a successful socialization process, has the opportunity to interact with positive individuals who are better able to perceive deviant behavior, has a close relationship with friends who are good people fully educated and with a healthy family life In this second approach, the informal group can be an opportunity to free its members from deviation if it is a positive informal group providing creative, dynamic and diverse spaces in line with the spiritual values and social actions of adolescents 2.1.7 Social interaction theory Simmel's social interaction theory is applied in this study with a special emphasis on "interactions between individuals in small groups" to reflect the diversity, mobility, and dynamism of informal groups Social interaction in informal groups forms a foundation for adolescents' fuller, more diverse social relationships High school students learn about social interaction systems while participating in informal groups That social interaction system is expected to have the following basic characteristics: - It is the interaction, the continuous reciprocal relationship between the members in a conscious way This creates dynamism and is easy to influence the members - Each group member is both a subject and an object in the interaction process and is influenced by shared values and norms in the group (subculture), and also social norms of the surrounding social context - There are many different directions, content, and intensity of interaction placed on each individual in the group This both creates diversity in each member's interaction pattern, and creates cooperation and non-cooperation of each member 2.2 The Party's line and the State's policies and laws on moral and legal education for high school students It can be seen that teenagers in general and students in high schools in particular always receive the attention and close management of all levels and sectors in comprehensive development The above interest has been realized through laws, development strategies, decrees and implementation plans This is the basis for the school to cooperate with families, authorities and the whole society to manage and supervise to ensure the comprehensive development of youth and adolescents in general and high school students in particular, contributing to building a healthy future generation both physically and mentally, contributing to social development 2.3 Research methods 2.3.1 Sampling method First, using the list of high schools in the inner districts of Hanoi, the researcher contacted directly to present the purpose of the study and request support for conducting the survey In the end, only 05 schools were successfully contacted: Phan Dinh Phung High School (Ba Dinh District), Phan Huy Chu High School (Dong Da District), Quang Trung High School (Dong Da District), Tran Hung Dao High School (Thanh Xuan district), and Nhan Chinh High School (Thanh Xuan district) The total number of students in the 05 high schools in question at the time of the survey was 7,040 people With such a population and the error allowed when estimating is not greater than e=5%, the minimum number of samples required is n = 378 students Accordingly, the researcher decided to distribute 500 questionnaires to students in all grades 1011-12 at the 05 high schools mentioned above, with numbers taken at each school as a percentage of students in the sample population Out of a total of 448 students (grades 10–12) who completed the survey, 48.9% were male and 51.1% were female The rate of distribution by grades is relatively even, with 32.1% in 10th grade; 33.7% in 12 grade 11, and 34.2% in grade 12 In terms of sex ratio, the majority of girls (73.9%) are present in grade 12, while in grade 10 only 20.8% are female, and this rate in grade 11 is 57% 2.3.2 Methods of collecting and processing information 2.3.2.1 Sociological methods The study used a survey consisting of two parts A-B with questions asked for respondents to think about the last months up to the time of the survey In Part A, there are questions about information about grade, age, gender, family's standard of living (self-asserted), family consultation when facing difficulties, latest semester results and school suspension status (if any) In part B, there are clarifying questions about the deviant behavior of informal group participation with 09 different types of behavior, and about the students' informal group participation in terms of the type of group, the purpose of joining the group, the way to join the group, the rules in the group, the interactions inside and outside the group, the usual activities to together in the group, the degree to which the group interacts with other groups, and the group's response to members with deviant behavior 2.3.2.2 Document review method The author searches, synthesizes and analyzes documents related to informal groups and deviant behavior of adolescents in general and of high school students in particular under the following topics: (i) identification of participation in informal groups of adolescents; (ii) the relationship of the informal group to juvenile behavior; (iii) deviant behavior of high school students 2.3.2.3 In-depth interview method The study also conducted in-depth interviews with 05 homeroom teachers (01 teacher in each surveyed school), 10 parents and 10 high school students participating in the survey (02 parents and students in each surveyed school) The content of the qualitative interviews focused on the motives of actions, the meaning of attitudes and perceptions of the subjects associated with two research issues, which is the student's informal group participation and their group misbehavior Thereby, the qualitative method aims to obtain the necessary in-depth information to supplement and explain the quantitative survey results 2.3.2.4 Quantitative data analysis techniques The data from the questionnaire were processed using the statistical software SPSS 22.0 The analyzes used in this study include correlation analysis with Chi-square test (X2) or Cramer's V test, and binary logistic regression analysis 2.3.2.5 Research variables Dependent variable: 01 variable - Deviant behavior of high school students: nominal, =0 none; =1 has done Independent variable: 07 variables - Type of group: nominal, =1 same living environment; =2 mutual benefits; =3 same beliefs; =4 have similar attentiveness - Regulations in the group: nominal, =1 on group leader’s role; =2 on group interactions; =3 on outgroup interactions - The extent to which the group interacts with other groups: nominal, =1 never; = rarely; 3= occasionally; 4= often - Purpose when joining the group: nominal, =1 to help and exchange, =2 to assert oneself, =3 to seek benefits - The way to join the group: nominal, =1 group’s co-founder; =2 self joining; =3 being invited 13 - The group turns away from member with the deviant behavior: nominal, =0 none; =1 has done - The group helps member with the deviant behavior: nominal, =0 none; =1 has done Control variable: 03 variables - Gender: Nominal, =1 male; = female - Class grade: Ordinal, =1grade 10, =2 grade 11, =3 grade 12 - The standard of living of the family as self-confirmed by students: Ordinal, =1 poor or near poor, =2 average, = good, = rich Chapter THE REALITY OF JOINING INFORMAL GROUPS OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS 3.1 Some characteristics of high school students participating in the study In terms of the family's current standard of living calculated by the last months in four levels including 1-rich, 2-well, 3-moderate, 4-poor or near-poor, the results of the students' self-assessment shows that only 1.3% with a rich family while the majority confirm the level of good (47.8%) and medium (44%), and also 6.9% say their family is poor or near poor Research results also show that there is no difference by gender of students with the most recent academic results (p=0,447) However, there is a difference between the results of the last semester and the standard of living of the students' families (with p=0.008) When considering the habit of asking family for advice when facing difficulties, if only 55.4% of students answered yes in the entire survey sample, we also found a large difference by sex, with a 99% confidence level (p=0.000) Up to 74.9% of male students said they consulted their family when they faced difficulties In contrast, 63.3% of female students did not consult their families when they faced difficulties 3.2 Informal groups participation among high school students 3.2.1 Type and purpose of informal group participation With the characteristics of "no documents on organization, personnel structure, assignment of tasks, registration of members", informal groups of high school students show diversity and richness in forms of social connection besides formal groups to meet needs of communication, learning and daily living Overall, this study surveyed 448 high school students about four types of informal groups, including groups of similar attentiveness, same living environment, same beliefs, and mutual benefits According to the survey results, the largest proportion is the group with the same living environment with 28.2% of high school students participating, and the group with the same attentiveness is the second most popular (26.8%) Together accounting for 22.5% is the type of group with mutual benefits and same beliefs Assessing the correlation between group type and gender, grade and family's living standard, only the relationship between the student's family's living standard and the type of student participation group is statistically significant at 99% but not close (Cramer's V=0,210) When asked about the main purpose of joining the group, the desire to "help and exchange" was the most indicated purpose with 47.1%, while the two purposes "affirming oneself" and "seeking benefits” has a rather small difference with 23.2% and 29.7% respectively The survey results also show that only family living standards and grade level have a relationship with the purpose of joining the informal group at the statistical significance level of 99% and 90%, respectively Meanwhile, gender and purpose of participating in the informal group of students had no true relationship 3.2.2 Participation Roles and Modes, and Rules in informal group Regarding the role of participation in the group, 85.0% of students said that they are currently a member of the group and 15.0% of students said that they are currently the leader of the group Regarding 14 ways to join the group, 63.6% of students said that they formed the group together, 28.3% said that they were recommended to the group, only 8.0% said that they applied for the group by themselves With p = 0.000 and Cramer's V = 0.422, it shows that there is a close relationship between the way of participating in the group and the purpose of participating in the group of students For students who form groups together, 74.9% participate for the purpose of helping and exchanging, 80.6% participate for the purpose of seeking benefits, only 19.2% participate for the purpose of affirming yourself For students whose participation method is referrals, the highest percentage with 76.9% said that they join the group to assert themselves while only 16.1% join to help and exchange, and 9.8% join to find benefits Regarding the regulations in the informal group, the regulation on the role of the group leader is very small with only 12.5% of the survey sample, reflecting the little attention as well as the low degree of necessity placed on the leader or influential person in the informal group Explaining this, they often mentioned that the comfort and flexibility in the informal group did not require strict identification of leadership roles When placing regulatory concerns in the informal group associated with the purpose of participation and the type of group, both of these associations are statistically significant and relatively close (0.405 and 0.346 are Cramer's V coefficients respectively, with p=0.0000) 3.2.3 Interaction within and outside the informal group High school students in the survey sample used most of the four main forms of interaction to communicate with their informal group, including face-to-face meetings, texting calls, social networks, and email In which, only the form of using email has a slightly lower rate than the other three types In addition, each informal group can also have activities to exchange and associate with other groups This is a fairly common fact with 1/5 of the survey respondents confirming it on a regular basis (23.2%) and up to 78.3% if occasional levels are included In contrast, 9.6% of the survey respondents said that their informal group does not have meetings and exchanges with other groups 3.3 Shared interests and regular activities in informal group 3.3.1 Concerns shared among informal group members Within the scope of this research, based on in-depth interviews with high school students, teachers and parents, 26 different topics were raised in the survey questionnaire to find out the actual exchange interests of informal group members Overall, the topics discussed in the informal group covered five areas: (1) personal relationships (including topics about family and kinship, relationships with friends, relationships with teachers, romantic relationships), (2) school rules (including topics about exam regulations, uniform regulations, truancy or dropping out of school, hitting or insulting others, smoking, using profanity, drinking alcohol), (3) conduct that is inconsistent with prevailing social norms (including topics on traffic law violations, school violence, online game addiction, denial of responsibility, gambling), (4) useful knowledge and skills (including topics about health care, schoolwork, leisure activities, earning, career orientation, selfdiscovery), (5) other social trends and attitudes (including topics about volunteering, stories about idols, using technology gadgets, jealousy in school) The members of the informal group have the most exchanges with each other on the content related to knowledge, skills and lifestyle Specifically, the knowledge and skills that members find useful are noticed and discussed in the group with 81.7%, and information reflecting trends, social concerns or lifestyles was exchanged by informal groups with 74.8% Meanwhile, behaviors that not conform to existing standards in society are the content with the lowest percentage (57.8%) of the topics discussed in informal groups of high school students For the knowledge and skills that the members themselves find useful, the topic of fun, 15 entertainment and learning activities is of the most interest (74.1% and 73%, respectively), followed by the issues of career orientation and health care (including reproductive health content) Two topics of selflearning and discovery of self, such as about personality and gender, and making money, received less than 50% of the comments that confirmed the exchange in the informal group (44.6% and 44%, respectively) The second most interesting content area for informal groups is about trends and lifestyles in daily life That overall level of interest was largely contributed by the topic of youth idols with 66.3% showing a similarity to the age psychology of high school students, although this is not a really impressive ratio The use of technology items such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc., which is also widely discussed by group members at 51.8%, which may be a consistent reflection of the fact that these mediums are already quite common in real life and not often lead to new stories Meanwhile, jealous behavior between students in school is not something that attracts members of the informal group to discuss (41.7%) At the lowest level are charitable activities, volunteering with only 38.2% of respondents stating that they are interested in informal groups As for the rules in the school, high school students are regularly informed and monitored The fact that the rules are regularly implemented by students will be noticed and discussed more The thing most mentioned in the informal group was about the uniform regulation (60.5%), related to the attention of many high school students about their clothes and appearance The activities that are completely prohibited by law are smoking and drinking alcohol in people under 18 are the two topics that are mentioned the least by informal groups (37.5% and 39.1% respectively) 3.3.2 Routines in informal groups In addition to the topics of information shared and discussed among members of the informal group, members also participate in the usual activities of the group Attached to the content that may be of interest to the informal group, a list of 11 activities related to the needs of learning, entertainment, communication and social cohesion, economy, and contribution to society is included in the survey questionnaire What corresponds to the entertainment needs are activities of watching movies in theaters or online, playing games and playing sports; corresponding to the needs of communication and social cohesion are dining, traveling and art activities; corresponding to the need to contribute to the society is volunteering and blood donation The survey results showed that the percentage of informal group who performed blood donation, business/money-making and volunteering activities was the lowest (respectively 26.8%, 36.6% and 37.5%, respectively); in contrast, lesson exchange activities were at the second highest level (75.4%) According to Talcot Parson, there are three types of action including instrumental action (with a clear orientation towards the effective realization of a goal), expressive action (for emotional gratification), moral action (associated with the implementation of the standard of right and wrong) In this case, actions that contribute to society are considered ethical and receive the least participation from informal groups of high school students Highly emotional social engagement and communication actions are expressive and strongly differentiated, with eating out having the highest percentage performed by informal groups (76.3%) but traveling and art activities are only at a low average level (57.6% and 53.6% respectively) Among the remaining actions, with one-third of the opinions confirming that the informal group 16 makes money together is the ratio that reflects the dynamism and initiative of high school students in finding financial possibilities in addition to family support; however, this can also involve significant risks if the inexperience and need for self-discovery and self-affirmation of adolescents are taken advantage of, causing high school students and their informal groups to fall into situations of illegal behavior or endangering themselves With fun and entertainment activities, the percentage of informal groups watching movies together is quite high, either in theaters (70.8%) or on the internet (66.7%) Chapter THE REALITY OF DEVIANT BEHAVIORS OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO INFORMAL GROUPS PARTICIPATION 4.1 General description of high school students’ deviant behaviors with informal groups Overall, 49.6% of high school students participating in the survey reported that they had participated in at least one of the nine types of deviant behavior studied in this study, regardless of frequency In which, the rate of participation in the surveyed deviant behaviors of high school students along with the informal group spans a range from 9.2% to 37.9% Looking specifically at the surveyed deviant behaviors, the three that stand out with the highest confirmation rate are risky behaviors in traffic, including not wearing helmets (37.9%), driving motorbikes carrying more than the prescribed number of people (33.5%), and running a red light (31.3%) Two other road traffic violations with an average confirmed rate were swerving around (16.3%) and cheering for illegal racing (14.3%) While legal education on this topic has been strongly deployed to society and schools in particular, this shows that efforts to raise awareness and change behavior are a long-term process and requires continued strengthening Three less common deviant behaviors among informal groups of high school students in this study are encroaching on trees in public places (13.4%), fighting at school (12.9%), and illegally occupying other people's property (9.2%) Meanwhile gambling behavior with the participation of high school students in the same informal group has a larger occurrence rate (19.4%) In addition, a student's previous suspension was seen as an indication of misconduct, although the informal grouping criterion was not confirmed in this case In the entire survey sample, there were 29 reported cases of being suspended from school, accounting for 6.5%, with groups of reasons stated Among the four groups of reasons, dropping out of school many times was the most significant reason (41.4%), while repeatedly violating traffic laws only occurred with a small rate (6.9%) Putting the status of deviant behavior with the informal group of high school students in relation to demographic characteristics, only family living standards were significantly related (p=0,000; Cramers' V=0.209) with any deviant behavior in the informal group Meanwhile, gender and grade did not show any statistically significant association with this In terms of the relationship with the attributes of the informal group, having deviant behavior with the informal group of high school students shows that there is a relatively strong correlation with statistical significance (p=0.000) in all aspects of group type (Cramers'V=0.374), purpose of group participation (Cramers'V=0.336), regulation in the group (Cramers'V=0.255), and the extent to which the group interacts with other groups (Cramers' V=0,248) 17 In terms of group type, the confirmation rate of high school students with deviant behavior in the same informal group was highest with those in the same living environment (68.3%), but not too different from the group of same benefits or same beliefs However, the same attentiveness group has a much lower rate (20.0%) Meanwhile, regarding the purpose of joining the group, the lowest rate of 19.2% belonged to high school students who misbehave with the informal group for the purpose of joining the group to assert themselves; and the highest level was confirmed with high school students participating in the informal group for benefits (61.7%) Deviant behavior with the informal group was also confirmed by the high school students the most with the group with regulations on the role of the group leader (66.1%) and the lowest with groups that have rules for out-group interactions (32.2%) Finally, the informal groups with the highest level of communication with other groups also had the highest rate of participating in deviant behavior with the informal group (71.2%); in contrast, the informal groups who have never interacted with other groups have this rate only half (37.2%) Thus, the type of group with the same attentiveness, with members participating to assert themselves, having regulations on interactions outside the group and not interacting with other groups are the characteristics of the informal group in which the lowest proportion of members engage in deviant behavior 4.2 Some forms of deviant behavior with informal groups among high school students With the rate of 49.6% of the research sample being high school students who participated in one of the deviant behaviors mentioned in the informal group, the participation status according to each form of deviant behavior was significantly different The form of risky behavior when participating in road traffic includes driving motorbikes carrying more than the prescribed number of people, running a red light, swerving around, cheering for illegal racing, not wearing a helmet with similar occurrence rates (46.4%) with the parameter of deviant behavior in general, while school violence (fight at school) occurs with 12.9% of students participating in the survey The form of behavior that is dangerous to social order, including playing cards for money, encroaching on trees in public places, illegally occupying other people's property has nearly a quarter of the surveyed samples (23, 4%) said they had ever joined the PCT group 4.2.1 Risky behavior with informal groups when participating in road traffic of high school students Only the family's standard of living has a fairly close correlation (Cramers'V = 0.212) at the 99% statistical significance level with risky behavior when participating in road traffic In which, the rate of confirmation of participating in risky behavior when participating in traffic with informal groups is the lowest for students whose families are in good economic conditions (35.5%) All aspects including the type of group, the purpose of joining the group, the rules in the group and the degree to which the group interacts with other groups have a relatively strong relationship at the 99% statistical significance level with the risk behavior when participating in road traffic with the informal group of high school students Risk behaviors when participating in road traffic were confirmed to be performed with informal group of high school students the most in the group with the same living environment (65.9%) and the group with frequent interactions with other groups (68.3%) Meanwhile, such rate is lowest in groups with similar 18 attentiveness (19.2%), the purpose of participating in groups to assert themselves (19.2%) and groups with regulations on interactions outside the group ( 30.9%) 4.2.2 Behaviors at risk to social order performed with informal groups of high school students In correlation with the demographic characteristics of high school students in this study, the participation in risky behavior with the social order of the informal group has only a relatively loose relationship (Cramers'V = 0.177) with a 95% confidence level with the same characteristics of the family's standard of living The two factors gender and grade did not have a statistically significant relationship with this pattern of deviant behavior Looking at the details in the student's family living standards, the percentage of students who identified both affluent family economic conditions and engaged in risky behavior with social order was the highest (50.0%), followed by students from poor and near-poor families (45.2%) For the correlation between risk behavior to social order performed in informal group and attributes of informal group, the survey results show that there exists a statistically significant relationship at 99% with all considered informal group attributes In which, the relationship with the group type is strongest (Cramers'V = 0.245), followed by the purpose of joining the group, the degree to which the group interacts with other groups, and least closely with the rules in the group (Cramers'V = 0.195) The percentage of high school students who performed risky behaviors with social order in the informal group was the lowest in the group with the same interests (6.7%), the purpose of self-affirmation when joining the group (7, 7%), the group has regulations on interacting with the outside (12.5%), and the group has no interaction with other groups (14.0%) The remaining indicators of each group attribute have not too different ratios with each other in relation to informal group participation with risky behavior to the social order 4.2.3 Acts of school violence committed with informal groups of high school students In this study, school violence behavior was approached only in the presence of fights in school among high school students With the rate of 12.9% in the survey sample having ever participated in the act of school violence with the informal group, this shows that this is still a challenge for schools, which have always been considered the place with the healthiest educational environment In relation to the demographic characteristics of high school students, the participation in school violence in the informal group is quite loosely correlated with the student's family standard of living (Cramers'V = 0.155) at the 95% statistical significance level, but not statistically significant by gender and grade In relation to the attributes of the informal group, the results of this study show that only the type of group and the regulation within the group are correlated with the school violence behavior performed with the informal group of high school students First of all, group type has a fairly close relationship (Cramers'V = 0.254) with high school students participating in school violence with informal groups at the 99% statistical significance level Specifically, high school students participating in informal groups with the same living environment had the highest percentage (25.4%) in the same group that committed acts of school violence; in contrast, that rate is lowest and quite small for the group with same beliefs and same attentiveness (6.9% and 4.2%), respectively For the regulation in the informal group, the relationship with high school students participating in school violence with the informal group is loose (Cramers'V = 0.111) with 90% confidence In which, the percentage of students participating in school violence with informal 19 groups with regulations on interactions outside the group is the lowest (7.9%) 4.3 Informal group behavior towards deviant members High school students participating in the survey were also asked about the informal group's behavior in case members of the group engaged in behavior that deviated from current social norms Outstanding in group behavior is finding solutions to support that member, including holding a group meeting to determine how to handle it (62.9%), meeting the member separately (42%) The option of consulting adults such as teachers or parents can also be included in this approach, although the rate of 25.9% for this option suggests that informal groups of high school students will be mainly try to handle it themselves In contrast, the options showing a negative attitude towards members with deviant behavior at a low rate, of which the lowest and almost equal are ridicule (12.1%) or boycott (12.1%) 3%), and more than twice as large as the dropout rate (23%) In general, the behavior of supporting and helping members with deviant behavior to overcome or handle the status of participating in deviant behavior is the priority of most informal groups, with a high rate of 67.4% of the entire survey sample; while 26.3% is the proportion of informal groups that have turned their backs on and rejected them This has direct implications for informal group members when faced with deviant behavior that is not supported by the informal group The results of in-depth interviews with students and teachers also show that invisible pressure on solidarity for group members plays an important role in the stability and viability of informal groups 4.4 Logistic regression model of deviant behavior in the informal group of high school students Considering the relationship between informal group participation and "informal group behavior towards members with deviant behavior" for deviant behavior of high school students in Hanoi, statistical hypothesis H0 is made: H0: High school students' deviant behavior with informal groups is not affected by informal group participation and informal group behavior towards members with deviant behavior We conduct logistic regression analysis to test two hypotheses H1 and H2: H1: High school students' participation in informal groups affects their deviant behavior with informal groups H2: Informal group behavior towards members with deviant behavior affects the possibility of their deviant behavior with the informal group Dependent variable only determines yes/no (nominal), so the binary logistic regression model can be applied in this study to predict the factors affecting the deviant behavior in the informal group of high school students The question for gathering ideas about this is “Which of the following you participate in with your informal group?” with the answer being Yes/No to the list of different types of deviant behavior as described in Section 4.1 For the convenience of model analysis, responses were re-coded before binary logistic regression analysis, with the answer No = and Yes performed = if the respondent confirmed Yes to at least one form of deviant behavior is listed Binary logistic regression analysis was performed in this study with the variables included in the model by the Enter method In which, the independent variable includes “Demographic characteristics of 20 high school students” (with variables of gender, grade, and family living standards), “Informal group participation” (with variables of group type, rules in the group, the extent to which the group interacts with other groups, the purpose of joining the group, the way to join the group), “Informal group behavior towards members with deviant behavior” (with variables of the group turns away from the deviant member, the group helps the deviant member); and the dependent variable is “Deviant behavior of high school students” Of the variables to be used in the binary logistic regression model, the sex variable was identified as nominal, with male sex retained for comparison The three continuous variables used in the model are the degree to which the group interacts with other groups with a range of to 4; grade variable with a range of to 3, family standard of living with a range of to 4; level is the lowest and or is the highest score The results of binary logistic regression analysis showed that for all regression models with p = 0.000 < 0.05, the models were statistically significant The results of the Hosmer and Lemeshow Test showed the agreement of all three regression models, with the p>0.05 value confirming the accepted overall regression model In which, regression model is the best model as shown in the smallest parameter -2LL and the two largest pseudo-R2 indexes Considering the p-value of Wald's test, there is a certain difference between the models of regression analysis In model 1, when the variables on the informal group's behavior towards members with deviant behavior were not included, only the variables of group type and the degree of informal group interaction with other groups showed a significant effect on the variable of deviant behavior with the informal group of high school students, with p0.1) in the influence on the variable of deviant behavior with the informal group of high school students However, the variable the extent to which the informal group interacts with other groups and both variables on the informal group's behavior towards members with deviant behavior have significant effects with p