Child Development · 1990 · 566 citations · 0 references
EducationEducational PsychologyHuman DevelopmentAdolescent DevelopmentChild DevelopmentSocial-emotional DevelopmentEarly ChildhoodFriendship DevelopmentPeer InteractionPeer RelationsPeer RelationshipsPeer SocializationChild Peer RelationsEarly Childhood Peer InteractionFriendship Among ChildrenPeer Friendship DynamicsPeer Interaction QualityPeer Relationship AssessmentPeer Relationship Development
The study examined how classroom peer relationships influence kindergarteners’ adjustment over the first two months and the rest of the school year. Researchers assessed 125 children’s peer relationships and school adjustment at three time points, controlling for mental age, sex, and preschool experience, to predict later adjustment. Children who entered kindergarten with more friends and maintained those ties reported better school perceptions and enjoyment, while those who made new friends improved performance; early peer rejection predicted poorer perceptions, higher avoidance, and lower performance.
The potential role that children's classroom peer relations play in their school adjustment was investigated during the first 2 months of kindergarten and the remainder of the school year. Measures of 125 children's classroom peer relationships were obtained on 3 occasions: at school entrance, after 2 months of school, and at the end of the school year. Measures of school adjustment, including children's school perceptions, anxiety, avoidance, and performance, were obtained during the second and third assessment occasions. After controlling mental age, sex, and preschool experience, measures of children's classroom peer relationships were used to forecast later school adjustment. Results indicated that children with a larger number of classroom friends during school entrance developed more favorable school perceptions by the second month, and those who maintained these relationships liked school better as the year progressed. Making new friends in the classroom was associated with gains in school performance, and early peer rejection forecasted less favorable school perceptions, higher levels of school avoidance, and lower performance levels over the school year.