Page 112 - Ana Kozina and Nora Wiium, eds. ▪︎ Positive Youth Development in Contexts. Ljubljana: Educational Research Institute, 2021. Digital Library, Dissertationes (Scientific Monographs), 42.
P. 112
positive youth development in contexts
processes in the peer group. The dimensions of constructs that reflect a
student’s position in a peer group provide information about the extent to
which the student is (dis)liked or perceived as popular by the peer group
members (Buhs and Ladd, 2001). While this is an individual measure, it
depends on how the individual is evaluated by members of the reference
group. Measures that assess students’ peer relations based on peer nomina-
tions hence always also reflect the individual–group relationship (Cillessen,
2011b). In addition, this is partly true for self-report measures of students’
peer relations as well (e.g. self-perceived peer support) as students’ peer re-
lations are established as an interaction between the characteristics of an
individual and a group.
Understanding the relationship between the characteristics of class-
rooms as students’ primary peer contexts and their individual character-
istics is therefore essential if bullying prevention is to be effective. In the
subsection below, the role of classroom context in bullying dynamics is de-
scribed and explained, also regarding the specifics of the Slovenian school
system.
The classroom as the central peer context for bullying
The classroom environment provides the main developmental context for
students’ social and emotional learning. Within the classroom, students
compare themselves, establish relationships, form smaller groups, build
their social position, as well as perform, experience and observe bullying
(Pouwels et al., 2018). The findings showing that bullying is likely to be re-
lated to high popularity are particularly noteworthy since popular students
are more likely to be regarded as models of adequate social functioning and
as socially competent and can therefore act as significant socialising agents
in students’ social learning (the popularity effect; Cillessen, 2011a). This con-
firms that for effective bullying prevention it is essential to understand the
relationship between the characteristics of classrooms as students’ primary
peer contexts and students’ individual characteristics.
This is particularly important in the transition to adolescence – a devel-
opmental period that is – besides considerable changes in students’ cogni-
tive, social and emotional functioning – characterised by significant qualita-
tive changes in the social dynamics of bullying (Yeager et al., 2015). Alongside
changes in the manifestation of bullying (an increase in relational and cy-
berbullying and a decrease in physical bullying), the changes in the under-
lying reasons for bullying and in the peer social dynamics that enable and
112
processes in the peer group. The dimensions of constructs that reflect a
student’s position in a peer group provide information about the extent to
which the student is (dis)liked or perceived as popular by the peer group
members (Buhs and Ladd, 2001). While this is an individual measure, it
depends on how the individual is evaluated by members of the reference
group. Measures that assess students’ peer relations based on peer nomina-
tions hence always also reflect the individual–group relationship (Cillessen,
2011b). In addition, this is partly true for self-report measures of students’
peer relations as well (e.g. self-perceived peer support) as students’ peer re-
lations are established as an interaction between the characteristics of an
individual and a group.
Understanding the relationship between the characteristics of class-
rooms as students’ primary peer contexts and their individual character-
istics is therefore essential if bullying prevention is to be effective. In the
subsection below, the role of classroom context in bullying dynamics is de-
scribed and explained, also regarding the specifics of the Slovenian school
system.
The classroom as the central peer context for bullying
The classroom environment provides the main developmental context for
students’ social and emotional learning. Within the classroom, students
compare themselves, establish relationships, form smaller groups, build
their social position, as well as perform, experience and observe bullying
(Pouwels et al., 2018). The findings showing that bullying is likely to be re-
lated to high popularity are particularly noteworthy since popular students
are more likely to be regarded as models of adequate social functioning and
as socially competent and can therefore act as significant socialising agents
in students’ social learning (the popularity effect; Cillessen, 2011a). This con-
firms that for effective bullying prevention it is essential to understand the
relationship between the characteristics of classrooms as students’ primary
peer contexts and students’ individual characteristics.
This is particularly important in the transition to adolescence – a devel-
opmental period that is – besides considerable changes in students’ cogni-
tive, social and emotional functioning – characterised by significant qualita-
tive changes in the social dynamics of bullying (Yeager et al., 2015). Alongside
changes in the manifestation of bullying (an increase in relational and cy-
berbullying and a decrease in physical bullying), the changes in the under-
lying reasons for bullying and in the peer social dynamics that enable and
112
