Grade retention is one of the most discussed and controversial educational measures, and yet, it is still widely applied in many countries. Research investigating the effects of grade retention on students' psychosocial variables presents mixed findings, partly due to the variables assessed, methodological issues, and the length of the studies.…

In European studies, immigrant-origin adolescents report more mental health symptoms than natives do. The school is an important developmental context for them, and more research is needed about how their school experience is related to their mental health symptoms, and whether these relations vary by group. The aim of this study was to assess the…

The present research aimed to examine the serial multiple mediation role of deviant peer affiliation and victimization in the link between violent video game playing and bullying in a low-income neighborhood. A sample of 378 early adolescents between 12 and 14 years of age (M = 13.24, SD = 0.65) was recruited from three public middle schools in a…

The social acceptance of LGBQ individuals changed dramatically over the past several decades, which calls into question extant research suggesting that LGBQ youth are often socially excluded. The current study utilizes quantitative social network analysis techniques to examine the peer group homophily and social centrality of Lesbian, Gay,…

To inform teaching practices, we examined elementary learners who were anxious-withdrawn within their naturally occurring affiliation groups at school. Hypotheses addressed the degree to which affiliation group characteristics moderate the relation between individual levels of anxious-withdrawal and internalizing distress. Data from 447 fourth and…

Math anxiety's negative effects on performance are well-documented. The interplay of math anxiety and mathematical competence regarding later performance is underexplored. We investigated whether math anxiety's detrimental effects on learning depend on previous mathematical competence. Hypothesizing a moderation effect, we expected that trait math…

The purpose of this research study was to investigate the growth of middle school students who participated in peer support groups. The students suffered grief, loss, or challenging circumstances due to death of a loved one, foster care placement, separation or divorce of parents, living with a guardian or grandparent, physical abuse, the…

This study investigates the association between classroom practices and individual social status outcomes in junior high. A nested design using 678 grade 7 and 8 students in 38 classrooms showed that classroom practices are associated with peer social status. Classrooms rated high on "instruction" were associated with a decreased…

The current study examined whether youth's perceived bullying norms play a role in friendship dynamics related to bullying and victimization among the fifth and sixth grade (N = 736, 52% girls at Wave 1, N = 677, 52% girls at Wave 2) in elementary schools. Youth completed peer nominations (friendship, bullying, and victimization) and a…

The association between children's social-status within their peer-group and their prosociality was examined among fourth and sixth graders (N = 276), using sociometric nominations, and actual sharing with a fellow in-group member, or a member of an out-group. Results show an overall increase in sharing with age, and an overall correlation between…

This article reports on a study using data from nation-wide standardised examinations in Poland. We analysed the extent to which grade 9 student achievements have depended on the stability of their peer group over the course of middle school. We controlled for the fixed effects of schools attended by the students, as well as for individual…

Adolescent students with high levels of antisocial behavior are at increased risk for future psychosocial problems and can be expected to be especially vulnerable to negative peer influence. This study therefore examined whether higher risk students are more susceptible than lower risk students to classroom peer influence on aggression. Analyses…

This paper discusses how primary school students, who are writing together in the context of inquiry learning, explicitly orient to knowing of oneself and others within the peer group. Using Conversation Analysis, we disclose the conversational functions of assertions holding 'I know', 'you know' and 'we know'. First, students position themselves…

The integration of social and emotional learning into school curricula has been linked to a number of positive student outcomes, including increased academic achievement, the development of healthy relationships, and improved emotional self-regulation. Rarely, however, has research considered students' perspectives on which social and emotional…

This mixed-methods case study explored whether the write-converse-write (WCW) strategy impacted students' science conceptual understanding, as evidenced by their writing, along with the teacher and student perceptions regarding the strategy. The study was conducted in a small school district in northern California with three eighth-grade teachers…