Behavioral changes predicting temporal changes in perceived popular status

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Abstract

The primary objectives of this investigation were to determine the extent to which young adolescents are stable in high perceived popular status across the middle school transition and to examine whether changes in social behaviors predict the stability, gain, and loss of perceived popular status after the transition. The sample included 672 young adolescents (323 boys) who completed peer nomination assessments of social behavior and perceived popularity at the end of elementary school (5th grade) and the beginning of middle school (6th grade). Findings indicated that 62% of perceived popular adolescents remained stable in their high popular status across the middle school transition. Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that a combination of aggression and arrogance/conceit was associated with stable and newly-gained perceived popular status after the middle school transition. Taken together, findings highlight the significance of contextual and temporal changes in adolescents' perceived popular status.

Section snippets

Middle school transition and changes in adjustment

In the United States, the developmental shift from childhood to adolescence is often marked by the experience of a transition from elementary to middle school. Both individual and contextual changes coincide with this transition. At the individual level, social–cognitive abilities become more advanced (Selman, 1980), and many biological–psychosocial changes occur with the onset of puberty (Crockett & Petersen, 1987). Contextually, elementary schools in the United States often differ from middle

Behavioral change and changes in popular status

The second goal of this investigation was to examine how changes in social behaviors relate to the stability of adolescents' perceived popular status across the middle school transition. According to Moffitt, 1993, Moffitt, 2006 theory of adolescence-limited delinquency, antisocial and aggressive behaviors serve as a declaration of independence, autonomy, and maturity for many adolescents. Therefore, it may follow that those adolescents who defy authority figures by demonstrating antisocial

Summary of research purposes

In summary, the purpose of this study was to examine stability and change in high perceived popular status and to test whether increased social behaviors predict perceived popularity status change (or stability) after the middle school transition. Perceived popularity in this study was assessed by a single-item, “Someone everyone likes to be with.” Although the wording for the assessment of perceived popularity is different from other studies in which adolescents were asked who it is that they

Participants

Participants were drawn from a larger normative sample of 5th and 6th graders from eight public elementary schools and three public middle schools in a large metropolitan area (Grade 5: N = 827, 406 boys; Grade 6: N = 1210; 592 boys). Fifth grade marks the end of elementary school for youth in this sample; 6th grade is the first year of middle school. The average fifth grade in our study comprised 90 young adolescents; the average sixth grade comprised 280 young adolescents. Data were collected

Preliminary analyses

For descriptive purposes, intercorrelations among relevant measures at Times 1 and 2 are shown in Table 1. Results revealed moderate stability of the behavioral and perceived popularity measures; for example, the correlation between Times 1 and 2 for the Aggression factor was r (670) = 0.60, p < 0.001. Correlations among the behavioral measures were moderate, suggesting that the constructs were relatively independent.

Identifying patterns of stability and change in highly perceived popular status

Based on the procedures described above, at Time 1, 209 young adolescents (94

Discussion

The overarching goal of this short-term longitudinal study was to examine stability and change in high perceived popular group status during late childhood and early adolescence. This study was unique in its focus on the middle school transition, and its prospective analysis of the influence of changes in positive and negative behaviors on the stability of young adolescents' perceived popular status across the transition from elementary into middle school. Although a few investigators have

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank the children, parents, and teachers who participated in the study, as well as Charissa Cheah, Stacey Chuffo, Kathleen Dwyer, Erin Galloway, Jon Goldner, Sue Hartman, Amy Kennedy Root, Angel Kim, Sarrit Kovacs, Wonjung Oh, Bridget Fredstrom, Alison Levitch, Abby Moorman, Andre Peri, Margro Purple, Joshua Rubin, and Erin Shockey who assisted in data collection and input. The research reported in this manuscript was supported by National Institute of Mental Health

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