The critical role of children’s play in the development of peer relationships, social and communicative skills is reviewed and discussed. The difficulties experienced by a pre-school learner in engaging in peer relationships, communicating successfully in a classroom situation and constructively using play materials was explained. This was done through the use of anecdotal records, checklists, questionnaires, photographic evidence and a semi-structured interview with the learner’s parent. A pre-school play programme, using blocks, dough and puppets (BDP Programme) was devised and used to assess its influence on the acquisition of social and communicative skills by a non-social and non-communicative learner. The study found the BDP Programme to be very successful in assisting this learner to develop peer relationships and communicative skills in the peer group and thus played a critical role in the social development of this learner. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

L’adolescence est marquée par un engagement intense des sujets dans les relations amicales qui représentent des liens bien plus complexes qu’il n’y paraît. Les changements sociétaux infèrent une évolution de la dynamique et de la nature des relations entre adolescents. Ils participent alors largement à une diversification de leurs formes et à intensifier leurs influences sur le développement des jeunes. Dans ce cadre, l’objectif de cette étude est d’évaluer l’influence de la qualité des relations entre pairs sur la démobilisation scolaire des adolescents, ainsi que l’effet médiateur de la valeur accordée à l’école. Cette recherche, s’inscrivant dans une approche interactionniste dans le champ de psychologie sociale et du développement (Malrieu, 1973 ; Mead, 1963 ; Wallon, 1941), nous a permis de souligner la part active et subjective du sujet, tant dans son rapport aux pairs que dans son rapport à l’école. L’étude a été réalisée à l’aide d’un questionnaire, renseigné par 676 adolescents scolarisés en 3ème dans des collèges issus de l’éducation prioritaire (185) et des collèges publics et privés (582). Ce questionnaire appréhende dans une première partie la (dé)mobilisation scolaire des adolescents sous la forme d’une auto-évaluation de leur niveau scolaire, de leur attention et de leur implication en classe, de leur persévérance scolaire, et de leur intérêt pour le travail personnel et la réussite. Dans une deuxième partie, nous cherchons à appréhender la valeur que les adolescents accordent à l’école, selon les dimensions épistémiques, futures, sociales ou externalisées. La troisième partie est consacrée à la qualité des relations entre pairs appréhendée selon la recherche de conformité, la capacité à se dégager de la pression des pairs, le soutien social et le sentiment d’isolement social. Nos résultats révèlent que la recherche extrême de conformité influence significativement la démobilisation scolaire et favorise conjointement un rapport externalisé à l’école (stratégique et social). Le sentiment d’isolement participe, au contraire, à la mobilisation scolaire de l’élève et favorise un rapport épistémique à l’école. Les deux autres dimensions sont médiatisées par la valeur accordée à l’école. Il ressort ainsi que le soutien social et la pression du groupe ressentis par les adolescents favorisent la mobilisation scolaire à condition qu’ils accordent du sens à l’école pour leurs apprentissages scolaires et intellectuels, et non pour leurs apprentissages relationnels et affectifs. / Adolescence is influenced by an intense engagement in friendships interactions. These interactions create more complex bonds than expected. Social changes cause an evolution in the nature and the dynamics of adolescents' relationships. Those changes create a diversification of relationship types which impact on the adolescent's development. The aim of this study is to analyze the influence of friendship quality on adolescents' academic disengagement, as well as the mediator effect of the value towards school. The psychosocial approach, in which we fit, allowed us to highlight both active and subjective parts of the subject with regards to peers and what do they have to do with school (Malrieu, 1973; Mead, 1963; Wallon, 1941). Thus, in the present study, our aim was to investigate links among adolescents' peer-relationships and their academic engagement. 696 8th grade (middle school) adolescents schooled in France answered a questionnaire. 185 come from disadvantaged schools, and the other 511 from public and private "classic" schools. On the one hand, this questionnaire, studies the academic engagement of the adolescents, through the evaluation of their marks, attention, implication, and school perseverance and also their interest for personal work and success. On the other hand, we were looking for the amount of interest they give to the school according to whether it is seen towards epistemic, future, social or externalized dimensions. A third part is devoted to the quality of peers' relationships in relation to the research of conformity, the capacity to handle the pressure from the peers, social support and loneliness. Our results reveal that an extreme search of conformity is likely to provoke academic disengagement and also jointly supports a report externalized towards the school (strategic and social). On the contrary, loneliness promotes a good scholar investment and epistemic interaction towards the school. Two other dimensions are related to the value given to the school by adolescents. It arises that social support and peer pressure felt by adolescents further academic engagement only if they grant scholar and intellectual knowledge rather than to the detriment of their relationships.

Delinquent behavior is often a consequence of complex interactions between social contexts. In this study, we examined if the quality of relationships with mothers or fathers and relationships with delinquent peers predicted change in adolescents’ delinquent behavior. We used a sample of 2024 Swedish adolescents between the ages of 13 and 18 years (M = 14.8, SD = .71). We analyzed the data using hierarchical regressions, testing interactions intended to determine if the relationships with peers moderated the association of peers’ delinquent behavior with changes in adolescents’ own delinquent behavior. We further tested if this interaction was moderated by the quality of relationships with parents. The results suggested that association with delinquent peers was moderated by the quality of the relationship with peers. We did not find, however, evidence that the relationships with mothers or fathers predicted change in delinquent behavior or moderated the association of peer variables with delinquent behavior. While having delinquent peers matters for predicting delinquent behavior, when the relationships are high-quality relationships there is a greater increase in delinquent behavior than when the relationships are lower quality. The results of this study have implications for practice and further research on delinquent behavior, particularly for creating and improving prevention and intervention programs. / Delinquent beteende är ofta en konsekvens av komplexa interaktioner mellan sociala sammanhang. I denna studie undersökte vi om kvaliteten på relationerna med mödrar eller fäder och relationer med brottsliga kamrater förutspådde förändring av ungdomars brottsliga beteende. Vi använde ett urval av 2024 svenska ungdomar mellan 13 och 18 år (M = 14.8, SD = .71). Vi analyserade datan genom att använda hierarkiska regressioner, testande interaktioner som avsåg att avgöra om relationerna med kamrater modererade associeringen av kamraternas brottsliga beteenden med förändring av ungdomars egna brottsliga beteende. Vi testade fortsättningsvis om denna interaktion var modererad av kvaliteten på relationerna med föräldrarna. Resultaten föreslår att association med delinquenta kamrater modererades av kvaliteten på relationen med kamrater. Vi hittade emellertid inte bevis för att relationerna med mödrar eller fäder förutspådde förändring i delinquent beteende eller modererade associeringen av kompisars variabler med delinquent beteende. Relationen med delinquenta kamrater är betydelsefull för att förutsäga delinquent beteende, där högkvalitativa relationer modererade en kraftigare ökning av delinquent beteende än de relationer som var lågkvalitativa. Resultaten av denna studie har implikationer för praktik och vidare forskning i brottsligt beteende, särskilt för att skapa och förbättra prevention och interventionsprogram.

An increase in nontraditional student enrollment continues in community colleges nationwide. Little is known about the interactions between mixed-age groups of students. This qualitative collective case study explored the academic and social influences of non-traditional students on their traditional peers in the community college classroom at a large, midwestern 2-year college. Tinto's interactionalist theory framed the study. Purposeful sampling was used to select 30 participants (13 traditional students, 13 non-traditional students, and 4 instructors) who represented the college population in terms of gender and racial and ethnic diversity. Interview questions were guided by the research questions, and data were also analyzed through inductive analysis. Data were hand-coded and a constant comparative method was used to categorize data into common themes. Findings indicated that non-traditional students play a positive role in community college classrooms. They serve as mentors to their traditional classmates, building relationships and sharing life and work experiences, as well as positive behaviors that contribute to traditional students' overall success. The positive influences the data revealed from interactions between nontraditional and traditional students included improvement in learning, retention, engagement, and confidence. Findings contributed to social change as nontraditional students' influence on traditional students could serve as a catalyst for practices that will benefit all community college students.

<p>Various aspects of elementary school children's behavior problems were investigated in four studies. In Study I, teachers’ perceived low control over the classroom situation and a custodial teacher orientation were associated with teachers' (n = 86) preferences for authoritarian strategies (e.g., firm commands) in handling externalizing child behavior problems. Further, perceived high control and a humanistic teacher orientation were associated with non-authoritarian strategies (e.g., reasoning with students). In Study II, the aim was to investigate prospectively teacher-child interactions and teacher-child perceptions of the relationship between children with externalizing (n=26) and internalizing (n=25) behavior problems and unproblematic children (n=44) in the first grade. Children with behavior problems had a higher frequency of negative teacher relationships than unproblematic children. Observed conflictual children-teacher interactions contributed to negative teacher relationships independent of problem status. The moderating effects of social competence were small. In Study III, the principal aim was to investigate whether the children’s social competence, relationships with teachers and behavior with peers functioned as protective or exacerbating factors regarding the adaptation of children with behavior problems. Children with externalizing and internalizing behavior problems, in comparison with unproblematic children, were lower in social competence, school achievement and peer acceptance in sixth grade. There were moderating and independent effects of social competence and teacher and peer relationships on outcomes, but these were mainly restricted to those children with internalizing problems. The primary aim of Study IV was to investigate the social and school adjustment of six-grade children experiencing feelings of loneliness and low peer acceptance. Totally, 808 children participated, and 323 of these children had been followed from grade 1 to grade 6. The results indicated that loneliness was most strongly predicted by early internalizing problems, whereas poor acceptance was predicted by early externalizing problems and poor social competence. Associations between loneliness and low peer acceptance and other adjustment difficulties were also observed. In conclusion, children with behavior problems risk negative relationships as well as other adjustment problems. Early interventions are important in strengthening the protective factors.</p>

Various aspects of elementary school children's behavior problems were investigated in four studies. In Study I, teachers’ perceived low control over the classroom situation and a custodial teacher orientation were associated with teachers' (n = 86) preferences for authoritarian strategies (e.g., firm commands) in handling externalizing child behavior problems. Further, perceived high control and a humanistic teacher orientation were associated with non-authoritarian strategies (e.g., reasoning with students). In Study II, the aim was to investigate prospectively teacher-child interactions and teacher-child perceptions of the relationship between children with externalizing (n=26) and internalizing (n=25) behavior problems and unproblematic children (n=44) in the first grade. Children with behavior problems had a higher frequency of negative teacher relationships than unproblematic children. Observed conflictual children-teacher interactions contributed to negative teacher relationships independent of problem status. The moderating effects of social competence were small. In Study III, the principal aim was to investigate whether the children’s social competence, relationships with teachers and behavior with peers functioned as protective or exacerbating factors regarding the adaptation of children with behavior problems. Children with externalizing and internalizing behavior problems, in comparison with unproblematic children, were lower in social competence, school achievement and peer acceptance in sixth grade. There were moderating and independent effects of social competence and teacher and peer relationships on outcomes, but these were mainly restricted to those children with internalizing problems. The primary aim of Study IV was to investigate the social and school adjustment of six-grade children experiencing feelings of loneliness and low peer acceptance. Totally, 808 children participated, and 323 of these children had been followed from grade 1 to grade 6. The results indicated that loneliness was most strongly predicted by early internalizing problems, whereas poor acceptance was predicted by early externalizing problems and poor social competence. Associations between loneliness and low peer acceptance and other adjustment difficulties were also observed. In conclusion, children with behavior problems risk negative relationships as well as other adjustment problems. Early interventions are important in strengthening the protective factors.

The critical role of children’s play in the development of peer relationships, social and communicative skills is reviewed and discussed. The difficulties experienced by a pre-school learner in engaging in peer relationships, communicating successfully in a classroom situation and constructively using play materials was explained. This was done through the use of anecdotal records, checklists, questionnaires, photographic evidence and a semi-structured interview with the learner’s parent. A pre-school play programme, using blocks, dough and puppets (BDP Programme) was devised and used to assess its influence on the acquisition of social and communicative skills by a non-social and non-communicative learner. The study found the BDP Programme to be very successful in assisting this learner to develop peer relationships and communicative skills in the peer group and thus played a critical role in the social development of this learner. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

A growing body of research supports the suggestion that the relationships which children form with their teachers and classmates have an impact on learning (Roorda, Koomen, Spilt, & Oort, 2011). Largely built on studies with typically developing children, the current understanding of the relationship-learning association is that these relationships can impact upon learning either by directly improving the quality of pedagogy or through mediating factors such as increased pupil motivation (Martin & Dowson, 2009).The aim of this study was to expand the discussion and evidence base surrounding relationship-learning association to include pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties (BESD). Previously these groups were not directly addressed by this literature, yet there is evidence from both government-compiled (Department for Education, 2011d) national statistics and independent research (e.g. Symes & Humphrey, 2010) that these groups are at risk of poor academic and social outcomes. While classroom relationships might be an ingredient of superior teaching of children with special educational needs (Dyson, Farrell, Polat, Hutcheson, & Gallanaugh, 2004), it was hypothesised that difficulties commonly associated with either or both of these groups, such as communication problems (Cashin, 2005; Lindsay, Dockrell, & Strand, 2007) may serve to influence the nature and salience of the relationship-learning association.The study used a mixed methods design, incorporating a multiple regression analysis to determine whether changes in teacher or peer relationship quality over 18 months predicted attainment relative to other plausible predictors at the end of that period (N= ASD:143 BESD: 648) and an embedded, multiple case study (Yin, 2011) analysis around two children from each group to determine how the facets of their individual educational needs and other contextual factors influenced the importance and nature of the relationship-learning association in their education. Multiple regression models indicated that relationship change was not a statistically significant predictor of attainment other than peer relationship change for pupils with BESD, where the effect size implies that some academic benefits may accrue at group level from successful relationship interventions. Case study analysis suggested that many of the factors reducing the likelihood of relationships directly improving attainment also make them more important to the effectiveness of teaching and the classroom functioning of pupils. Implications and directions for future research are also discussed.

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