Making an Offender: The Subtle, Socially-Biased Construction of Problematic Youth

Abstract

Black males have been consistently overrepresented in subjective, exclusionary discipline statistics for over 40 years. The common explanations for these racial disparities largely ignore structural bias though more recent research has called for a closer examination of the role that social bias plays in the maintenance of this issue. This study uses appraisal theories of blame and van Dijk’s (2014) sociocognitive approach to critical discourse analysis to examine the narrative portion of office discipline referrals attributed to Black and White males in middle-school. A closer examination of discipline incidents identified under the label of disruptive and disrespectful demonstrates a clear overlap between appraisals of blame and the way teachers construct persuasive narratives about disruptive behavior. Additional findings include clear evidence of social bias through differential processing due to variations in discourse access and representations of student voice. This study demonstrates the importance of understanding that structural features and social appraisals embedded within office discipline narratives can predictably shift the blame process.