Page 118 - Ana Kozina and Nora Wiium, eds. ▪︎ Positive Youth Development in Contexts. Ljubljana: Educational Research Institute, 2021. Digital Library, Dissertationes (Scientific Monographs), 42.
P. 118
positive youth development in contexts
inclusive classroom contexts seems especially important in the Slovenian
school system as students usually spend the entire period of elementary
school (i.e. 9 years) in the same classroom environment. Potentially unfa-
vourable social dynamics in the class peer group (e.g. the aggressive pop-
ularity norms which enable a chronic bullying process; Laninga-Wijnen et
al., 2019) can therefore create a very stable adverse developmental context.
Conclusions and implications
Studies that have investigated the factors of bullying behaviour in ado-
lescence reveal that it is crucial to address the interaction between the as-
pirations of bullies and the characteristics of the peer environment that
support the functionality of aggressive and bullying behaviour for gain-
ing control over others (Rodkin et al., 2015). A comprehensive understand-
ing and the sensitive addressing of students’ social motives and the psy-
chosocial characteristics of class contexts are thus very important while
designing efficient preventive and intervention programmes for adoles-
cents. Bullying can only be understood by investigating how the char-
acteristics of the individual interact with the characteristics of students’
classrooms as their primary reference group. This framework is consist-
ent with the PYD perspective and is crucial for designing interventions
for promoting inclusive classroom environments that enable all students
to recognise their social needs and motives as valid and acceptable and
teach them to aspire towards them in a respectful way. Such classroom
environments are likely to prevent the development of aggressive popu-
larity norms and thereby help adolescents to develop positive social be-
haviour. In addition, interventions should empower teachers to support
adolescents’ social and emotional learning and to moderate their peer re-
lationships. In this respect, positive youth development programmes fo-
cused on establishing close relationships, encouraging resilience to neg-
ative (peer) influences, promoting social, emotional, cognitive and moral
competence, encouraging self-determination and a clear identity, encour-
aging self-efficacy and endorsing prosocial norms (see e.g. Bonell et al.,
2016; Catalano et al., 2004) seem especially relevant. Finally, future studies
should address the effects of comprehensive bullying prevention and inter-
vention programmes that would consider the developmental needs of ado-
lescents and the developmental specifics of adolescents’ peer groups in the
Slovenian school system context.
118
inclusive classroom contexts seems especially important in the Slovenian
school system as students usually spend the entire period of elementary
school (i.e. 9 years) in the same classroom environment. Potentially unfa-
vourable social dynamics in the class peer group (e.g. the aggressive pop-
ularity norms which enable a chronic bullying process; Laninga-Wijnen et
al., 2019) can therefore create a very stable adverse developmental context.
Conclusions and implications
Studies that have investigated the factors of bullying behaviour in ado-
lescence reveal that it is crucial to address the interaction between the as-
pirations of bullies and the characteristics of the peer environment that
support the functionality of aggressive and bullying behaviour for gain-
ing control over others (Rodkin et al., 2015). A comprehensive understand-
ing and the sensitive addressing of students’ social motives and the psy-
chosocial characteristics of class contexts are thus very important while
designing efficient preventive and intervention programmes for adoles-
cents. Bullying can only be understood by investigating how the char-
acteristics of the individual interact with the characteristics of students’
classrooms as their primary reference group. This framework is consist-
ent with the PYD perspective and is crucial for designing interventions
for promoting inclusive classroom environments that enable all students
to recognise their social needs and motives as valid and acceptable and
teach them to aspire towards them in a respectful way. Such classroom
environments are likely to prevent the development of aggressive popu-
larity norms and thereby help adolescents to develop positive social be-
haviour. In addition, interventions should empower teachers to support
adolescents’ social and emotional learning and to moderate their peer re-
lationships. In this respect, positive youth development programmes fo-
cused on establishing close relationships, encouraging resilience to neg-
ative (peer) influences, promoting social, emotional, cognitive and moral
competence, encouraging self-determination and a clear identity, encour-
aging self-efficacy and endorsing prosocial norms (see e.g. Bonell et al.,
2016; Catalano et al., 2004) seem especially relevant. Finally, future studies
should address the effects of comprehensive bullying prevention and inter-
vention programmes that would consider the developmental needs of ado-
lescents and the developmental specifics of adolescents’ peer groups in the
Slovenian school system context.
118
