Deviant Behavior of PCT Group in High School Students (%, N=448)

It can even distort the views it holds. (PVS GV01)

Meanwhile, from the perspective of a high school student, the existence of the informal group that he or she is participating in is completely “official” and legitimate.

Most of the activities I participate in in groups are very formal and appropriate. (PVS HS09)

Therefore, clarifying the deviant behaviors of high school students with PCT groups, in addition to activities that are consistent with current social norms as presented in chapter 3, will contribute to narrowing the gap in understanding the nature of the influence of PCT groups on high school students and towards identifying the possibilities of exploiting the positive effects that PCT groups can bring.

37.9

33.5

31.3

19.4

16.3

14.3

13.4

12.9

9.2

With the nine deviant behaviors investigated within the scope of this study, the survey results in Figure 4.1 provide a general description of the level of participation in such behaviors among the PCT group of high school students.


								5
								0
Are not	Go by bus	Crossing the light	Play cards	Ride a motorbike	Join	Picking flowers	Fight	Occupy
wear a hat	three	red	eat money	spleen,	cheer racing	break branch	each other	keep left
insurance				fight	left car	public place	school	magic
				hammock	permission	add		of people
								other

Maybe you are interested!

Figure 4.1. Deviant behavior of PCT group in high school students (%, n=448)

(Results of the author's sociological investigation)

Overall, 49.6% of high school students surveyed reported engaging in at least one of the nine types of deviant behavior with the PCT group, regardless of frequency.

implementation. In which the participation rate of surveyed deviant behaviors of high school students along with the PCT group ranges from 9.2% to 37.9%. These are significant rates, although not too large, when paying attention to the high school students in the survey are all from schools in the inner city of Hanoi with care and learning conditions that are of great concern to families and schools. However, more careful considerations of each type of deviant behavior and the context in which it occurs in reality will be necessary to have accurate and appropriate behavioral and intervention directions.

Looking specifically at the nine surveyed deviant behaviors, the three prominent deviant behaviors with the highest confirmed rates of implementation are risky behaviors in traffic participation, including not wearing a helmet (37.9%), riding a three-wheeled vehicle (33.5%), and running a red light (31.3%). These are also the most common violations in traffic participation of people in Vietnam. Two other violations of road traffic laws with an average confirmed occurrence rate are swerving and weaving (16.3%) and participating in cheering on illegal racing (14.3%). While legal education and propaganda on this topic have been strongly deployed to society and in schools in particular, this shows that efforts to raise awareness and change behavior are a long-term process and require continued strengthening.

The three deviant behaviors that occurred less frequently among the PCT groups of high school students in this study were picking flowers and breaking branches in public (13.4%), fighting at school (12.9%), and illegally taking possession of other people's things (9.2%). While the behavior of gambling for money with the participation of high school students in the PCT group had a higher occurrence rate (19.4%).

In addition, the fact that a student has been suspended from school is considered an indicator of deviant behavior, although the criteria for the same informal group were not confirmed in this case. In the entire sample, 29 cases reported having been suspended from school, accounting for 6.5%, with 4 groups of reasons stated (Figure 4.2). Of the 4 groups of reasons, repeatedly dropping out of school was the most common reason (41.4%), while repeated traffic violations occurred in a small proportion (6.9%).

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

6.5

6.9

24.1

27.6

93.5

41.4

Suspension Status Reasons for Suspension (n=448) (n=29)

Never Ever

Skipping school many times Violating exam regulations

Fight2 Repeated traffic violations

Figure 4.2. Status and Reasons for Suspension of High School Students (%, n=448)

(Results of the author's sociological investigation)

Putting the status of having deviant behavior with PCT group of high school students in relation to demographic characteristics, Table 4.1 shows that only family living standard is significantly and meaningfully related (p=0.000; Cramers'V=0.209) to the status of having any deviant behavior with PCT group. Meanwhile, gender and grade level do not reflect any statistically significant relationship on this.

More specifically, regarding the relationship between family living standards and participation in deviant behavior with the PCT group of high school students, we found that the rate of high school students with deviant behavior with the PCT group was the lowest at 38.8% for students from families with a fairly good living standard. On the contrary, the cases of students from families with living standards at the two opposite extremes of rich and poor, near-poor had the highest (66.7%) and second highest (64.5%) rates of participation in deviant behavior with the PCT group, respectively.

Table 4.1. Deviant behavior in the same PCT group of high school students according to Gender, Family living standard, grade level

Characteristics of high school students

Deviant behavior with PCT group					Inspection
Quantity total	Are not		Have
Quantity total	Number quantity	Proportion %	Number quantity	Proportion %
Shared	448	226	50.4	222		49.6
Student Gender Male	219	110	50.2	109	49.8	X 2 =0.008; p=0.928
Female	229	116	50.7	113	49.3	X 2 =0.008; p=0.928
Family living standards Rich	6	2	33.3	4	66.7	p=0.000***; Cramer's V =0.209
Rather	214	131	61.2	83	38.8
Medium	197	82	41.6	115	58.4
Poor, near poor	31	11	35.5	20	64.5
Grade block Block 10	144	71	49.3	73	50.7	X 2 =2.012; p=0.366
Block 11	151	83	55.0	68	45.0
Block 12	153	72	47.1	81	52.9

***: statistically significant at 99% level.

(Results of the author's sociological investigation)

While the living conditions of wealthy families can disorient children by the abundance and deviant behavior and the PCT group that children easily seek out as a way to explore and affirm themselves, difficult family economic conditions can also put children in an environment with close contact with people with deviant behavior to overcome challenges or seek new opportunities [41]. This also reminds the authors [6] of the two possibilities that form the negative influence of the family environment on the behavior of adolescents, either lack of attention or too much indulgence.

In terms of the relationship with the attributes of the PCT group, the deviant behavior of high school students with the PCT group showed a relatively strong correlation with statistical significance (p=0.000) in all aspects of group type (Cramers'V=0.374), group participation purpose (Cramers'V=0.336), group rules (Cramers'V=0.255), and the level of group interaction with other groups (Cramers'V=0.248).

Table 4.2. Deviant behavior of high school students in the same PCT group according to PCT group attributes

Properties of PCT group

Deviant behavior with PCT group					Inspection
Quantity total	Are not		Have
Quantity total	Number quantity	Proportion %	Number quantity	Proportion %
Shared	448	226	50.4	222		49.6
Group type Same environment living	126	40	31.7	86	68.3	p=0.000***; Cramer's V =0.374
Same benefit	101	43	42.6	58	57.4
Same faith	101	47	46.5	54	53.5
Same interests	120	96	80.0	24	20.0
Purpose of joining the group Help, exchange	211	91	43.1	120	56.9	p=0.000***; Cramer's V =0.336
Assert yourself	104	84	80.8	20	19.2
Find the benefits	133	51	38.3	82	61.7
Group Rules About the role of leader group	56	19	33.9	37	66.1	p=0.000***; Cramer's V =0.255
About interaction in group	240	104	43.3	136	56.7
About external interactions group	152	103	67.8	49	32.2
The extent to which groups interact with other groups Never	43	27	62.8	16	37.2	p=0.000***; Cramer's V =0.248
Seldom	54	26	48.1	28	51.9
Sometimes	247	143	57.9	104	42.1
Frequent	104	30	28.8	74	71.2

***: statistically significant at 99% level.

(Results of the author's sociological investigation)

In terms of group type, the confirmation rate of high school students with deviant behavior in the same PCT group is the highest with groups in the same living environment (68.3%) which is not much different from the group with the same interests or same beliefs. However, the group with the same interests has a much lower rate (20.0%). Meanwhile, for the purpose of joining the group, the lowest rate of 19.2% belongs to high school students with deviant behavior in the same PCT group with the purpose of joining the group to affirm themselves.

close; and the highest level was confirmed with high school students who joined PCT groups to seek benefits (61.7%). Having deviant behavior with PCT groups was also confirmed by high school students most in the case of groups with regulations on the role of the group leader (66.1%) and lowest in groups with regulations on interactions outside the group (32.2%). Finally, PCT groups that regularly interacted with other groups also had the highest rate of participating in deviant behavior with PCT groups (71.2%); on the contrary, PCT groups that never interacted with other groups had this rate only half (37.2%). Thus, the type of group with the same interests, with members participating to assert themselves, with regulations on interactions outside the group and not interacting with other groups are the characteristics of PCT groups in which there is the lowest rate of members participating in deviant behavior.

4.2. Some forms of deviant behavior of informal groups in high school students

With the 9 deviant behaviors performed by informal groups of high school students presented above, we classified them into three forms to have a deeper analytical perspective, including risky behaviors when participating in road traffic, risky behaviors to social order, and school violence.

With 49.6% of the research sample being high school students participating in one of the 9 deviant behaviors mentioned with the PCT group, the participation status according to each type of deviant behavior has a significant difference (Figure 4.3). The type of risky behavior when participating in road traffic includes the behaviors of riding a three-wheeler, running a red light, weaving, cheering on racing, not wearing a helmet, which has a similar occurrence rate (46.4%) to the parameters of deviant behavior in general, while school violence (fighting at school) appeared with 12.9% of the students participating in the survey. The type of risky behavior for social order includes the behaviors of gambling for money, picking flowers and breaking branches in public places, illegally occupying other people's property, with nearly 1/4 of the survey sample (23.4%) saying that they had participated in the PCT group.

School violence

12.9

Risky behavior to social order

23.4

Risky behavior when participating in traffic

46.4

Deviant behavior (general)

49.6

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

Figure 4.3. Types of deviant behavior of PCT group in high school students (%, n=448)

(Results of the author's sociological investigation)

4.2.1. Risky behavior when participating in road traffic with informal groups of high school students

It can be said that teenagers are one of the main forces participating in road traffic. In terms of traffic participation, teenagers often have risky behaviors when participating in traffic such as speeding, running red lights, not wearing helmets... at a high level. Such risky behaviors when participating in road traffic are conscious actions, dangerous and risky when traveling on road traffic routes, threatening the physical and mental health, endangering the lives of the drivers themselves and those around them while participating in traffic.

In this study, on the one hand, risky traffic behavior is the most common among the three types of deviant behavior in the same group of PCT of high school students as mentioned above. The study by Fergusson, Swain – Campbell & Horwood (2003) also showed that 90% of adolescents have ever performed dangerous driving [19].

Table 4.3. Risky behaviors of PCT group when participating in road traffic

based on demographic characteristics of high school students

Characteristics of high school students

Risky behavior when TGGT with PCT group					Inspection
Total quantity	Are not		Have
Total quantity	Number quantity	Proportion %	Number quantity	Proportion %
Shared	448	240	53.6	208		46.4
Student Gender Male	219	119	54.3	100	45.7	X 2 =0.101; p=0.750
Female	229	121	52.8	108	47.2	X 2 =0.101; p=0.750
Family living standards Rich	6	3	50.0	3	50.0	p=0.000***; Cramer's V =0.212
Rather	214	138	64.5	76	35.5
Medium	197	87	44.2	110	55.8
Poor, near poor	31	12	38.7	19	61.3
Grade block Block 10	144	76	52.8	68	47.2	X 2 =0.717; p=0.699
Block 11	151	85	56.3	66	43.7
Block 12	153	79	51.6	74	48.4

***: statistically significant at 99% level.

(Results of the author's sociological investigation)

On the other hand, the relationship between this deviation and the demographic characteristics of high school students (Table 4.3) showed no significant differences in the relationship with gender and grade level. This is a point different from the suggestion made in the study of Furman, Christine & Brennan [56], that in the presence of peers, adolescents take more risks, such as male adolescents driving faster in the presence of other male adolescents. Or as in a study in Hanoi with 170 adolescents (aged 16-24) found a significant difference in the frequency of performing risky behaviors between the male and female target groups with a tendency for males to have more risky behaviors when participating in traffic than females: from texting; reading messages; listening to calls; driving in the wrong lane; speeding; not wearing a helmet to using stimulants [19].

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