In adolescence, being rejected by one's peers is positively associated with aggression. However, whether self-perceptions of being rejected or accepted by peers, and biases in these perceptions, are linked to aggression remains unclear, as the literature points to 2 perspectives: Youth are more likely to be aggressive when they (a) know or believe…

This study explores the subjective experiences and perceptions related to intimacy in friendships in a group of aggressive-popular adolescents in urban schools characterized by high rates of community violence. Individual interviews were conducted with 12 volunteering adolescents (12-14 years old). Procedures from grounded theory were used to…

The researchers investigate how learners with barriers to learning experience the transition to classes for learners with special educational needs. The research was conducted at a full-service school in Potchefstroom, North West province, South Africa. Interviews were conducted with current and former teachers as well as the parents of selected…

Cross-national studies consistently reveal that bullying is a pervasive problem in schools and associated with a multitude of deleterious outcomes. The present dissertation conducted two studies to further provide insight into this complex phenomenon and facilitate the development of effective bullying prevention programs. Youth involved in…

This study examined whether children's biased self-perceptions of peer acceptance are associated in a linear or curvilinear fashion with aggression, whether associations are moderated by peer rejection status, and whether associations apply uniquely to reactive aggression. Children in the 4th through 7th grades completed a self-report measure on…

The authors hypothesized that a social and emotional learning (SEL) program involving mindfulness and caring for others, designed for elementary school students, would enhance cognitive control, reduce stress, promote well-being and prosociality, and produce positive school outcomes. To test this hypothesis, 4 classes of combined 4th and 5th…

This study examined the heterogeneity of bullying among adolescents. It was hypothesized that bullying behavior serves different social functions and, depending on these functions, bullies will differ in their skills, status and social behavior. In a total sample of 806 8th graders, 120 adolescents (52 boys, 68 girls) were identified as bullies…

Moderators of the well-established association between status and overt and relational aggression were tested in a four-year longitudinal sample (N = 358) of high school students. Self-perceptions of popularity were found to moderate the link between actual peer-perceived popularity and aggression, with adolescents who were both popular and aware…

Two studies investigated the proposition that social achievement goals (different orientations toward social competence) are an important aspect of young adolescents' social motivation. Study 1 (N = 153 6th-grade students) established that different orientations toward developing or demonstrating social competence can be seen in young adolescents'…

It has been proposed that aggressive behavior may result from unrealistically positive self-evaluations that are disputed by others (Baumeister, Smart, & Boden, 1996). The present three studies tested this proposition concurrently and longitudinally for the domain of self-perceived social competence (SPSC) in 3-6th grade children on two…

Examines the perceptions of self and the attachment relationship to parents in aggressive and nonaggressive rejected children, as compared to children with an average or popular sociometric status. Results generally confirmed the assumption that only the nonaggressive rejected children perceive themselves as less competent and worthy as a person…

Preschoolers rated the degree to which they liked or disliked their peers; rated their peers' behavior; and completed a self-perception scale. Children who were better liked by peers were rated as more prosocial, more sociable, and less aggressive than were less liked children. Preschoolers' social acceptance was not related to their…

Studied self- and other-reported characteristics of 1,700 fifth through tenth graders varying in their use of coercive (aggression) and prosocial (cooperative) strategies of resource control. Found that children using both control strategies, labeled Machiavellians, possessed positive and negative characteristics and were socially central, liked…

This study presents a model of maladaptive social interactions that includes both behavioural and communication correlates of peer acceptance and self-perceived social competence. Tested in a sample of 377 Hong Kong secondary school students, verbal and nonverbal aggression contributed concurrently and longitudinally to peer acceptance.…

Evaluated a social process model describing how aggression and withdrawal lead to negative social self-perception. Subjects were 793 French Canadian elementary school children. Found that withdrawal behavior uniquely predicted social self-perceptions. Both negative peer status and peer victimization successively mediated the impact of social…