This study examined whether social mistrust in early adolescence was general or referent-specific. We used a multi-trait multi-method approach to examine the validity of mistrust measures across social referents (mistrust toward people in general, toward peers, and toward teachers), using questionnaires and an online task. Sixth graders (N = 1243,…

Despite the increased use of social and emotional learning (SEL) programs, empirical research is hindered by lengthy assessment options, difficult to fit into educational contexts. To cover these needs, the Social Skills Improvement System SEL Brief Scales -- Student Form (SSIS SELb-S) was developed. Although it has been translated into several…

Grounded in the literature on peer social capital, this study examines middle school students' perspectives on COVID-19-related changes in their peer interactions and friendships. Qualitative analyses of 146 students' survey responses showed that a majority experienced changes in their peer interactions and friendships. These students reported:…

Teachers have a major impact on students' social cognition and behaviors, and previous research has found that students who have positive relationships with their teachers tend to be less bullied by their peers. However, this line of research is limited in that it has been (a) Dominated by cross-sectional studies and (b) Treated bullying…

Previous research has highlighted the importance of social relationships in mathematical group work while working on modelling activities. This study analyses the interaction of sixth-grade students in Primary Education (11 to 12 years old) carrying out a modelling task in groups with a Fermi problem used as the modelling activity. The focus of…

School belonging has received substantial scholarly attention as children and adolescents spend most of their day at school building relationships with peers and adults. Research shows that students who feel a stronger sense of school belonging tend to exhibit positive academic, social-emotional, and behavioral outcomes. In the past, belonging and…

We provide a composite counter story based on our own experiences grappling with investigating elementary Latinx learners' experiences and how we have leaned on each other to resist the whiteness of learning to do research in pursuit of a Ph.D. As the counterstory shows, we collectively worked together to write our own continuations of the story…

This qualitative research, employing content analysis, aims to achieve two objectives: (1) to examine self-values, which encompass the categories of literacy and environmental assessment, and (2) to explore social peace values, which include the categories of content and environmental literacy assessment. The research data consist of images…

Historically marginalized students, especially urban students attending under-resourced schools, experience lower levels of belongingness than their white peers in suburban, well-resourced schools. Much research highlights that student belongingness increases student outcomes such as on-time graduation, standardized test achievement, and lifetime…

School bullying is prevalent among senior-grade pupils, with negative impacts on pupils' physical health and psychosocial adjustment. However, few studies have explored the relationship between the senior-grade pupils experiencing teacher unfairness and their suffering from school bullying. This study aims to investigate the longitudinal…

Social rejection is an undesirable phenomenon with serious present and future implications for children who experience it. Growing rates of social rejection and bullying in elementary-school children, especially on social networks, have been examined mostly from a pathological perspective focused on the rejected child or rejecting group. This…

It is important to address social and emotional concerns early on, as they can adversely affect learning at all levels. The classroom is an ideal context for fostering healthy social and emotional development. For example, emotion regulation can be reinforced through simple daily practices within schools. The current applied research project was…

In this paper, I use narrative methodology to examine and interpret the experiences of Shaun, a 4th grade student in the United States, navigating his own reluctance and disaffection with writing in school -- in a writing workshop that sought to foster language experimentation, choice, and agency. From the perspective of a participant-observer and…

The purpose of this convergent parallel design, mixed methods case study, was to discover the perception of students and teachers of the effectiveness of using school-wide restorative practices for students at the middle school level, grades six through eight, at one middle school site. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs was the Theoretical Framework…

In an era where digital technologies penetrate every aspect of education and a growing body of research examining various aspects of digital safety, there exists a significant research gap concerning the overarching (holistic) influence of digital activities on the schooling of 10 to 13 year olds. This paper presents a comprehensive review that…