Description

Background:
Among adolescents, academic achievement has been found to negatively correlate with risk behaviors, including behaviors relevant to the risk for contracting HIV (Brooks et al., 1994). Adolescents who perceive school as important may be less likely to engage in HIV risk behavior. A four-item school importance scale can be found in Stevenson et al. (1998). The sample included African American and Caucasian adolescents ages 13-18 (alpha = .71).

Developers:
Stevenson et al. (1998)

References:
Stevenson, W., Maton, K.I., & Teti, D.M. (1998). School importance and dropout among pregnant adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 22, 376-382.

Brook, J.S., Balka, E.B., Abernathy, T., Hamburg, B.A. (1994). Sequence of sexual behavior and its relationship to other problem behaviors in African American and Puerto Rican adolescents. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 155, 107-114.

Reliability:
The sample included African American and Caucasian adolescents ages 13-18 (alpha = .71).