Promotive peer contexts of academic and social adjustment among rural African American early adolescent boys.

Abstract

This study investigated the social network system of African American early adolescents (N = 237) in rural, low-wealth schools, specifically in terms of networks with norms strongly favoring effort and achievement. Networks with norms favoring effort and achievement were more likely to be central to the social system at the end of the school year. Subsequent analyses focused on boys (n = 103) and the effects of affiliation in networks with norms that strongly favored effort and achievement. Twenty-four percent of boys sustained membership in these networks and experienced greater school valuing and likeability, but reduced admiration among peers, net of scores at the beginning of the school year. The results of the study stand to inform both an understanding of positive peer group affiliations of minority boys and intervention work with this population by clarifying developmental mechanisms that contribute to positive school adaptation among rural African American boys.

Social Integration and Students’ Perceptions of the Transition to Middle School

“…Minority students may experience discrimination from peers in middle school (Berkel et al, 2009). Additionally, Hamm, Lambert et al (2013) found that African American male students who affiliated with peer groups with norms favoring effort and achievement were less admired by peers at the end of the school year than at the beginning of the year. Thus, facilitating positive, promotive peer relationships for minority students may also entail increasing the overall acceptance of minority students within the peer network and also specifically for those minority students oriented towards academic effort and success in middle school.…”

“…Members of hierarchical groups tended to be more aggressive, particularly members who were particularly prominent (Pellegrini & Bartini, 2000). Students in egalitarian groups, on the other hand, tended to experience more positive student outcomes including increased academic achievement (Wilson et al, 2011) and greater endorsement of academic effort and achievement (Hamm, Lambert, Agger, & Farmer, 2013). Therefore, egalitarian peer groups may offer students more supportive experiences with peers and greater potential for academic success in middle school and, thus, may promote more positive feelings of relatedness.…”

“…Groups' network centrality scores were classified using predetermined cut scores and subsequently coded as nuclear (1) secondary (2) and peripheral (3) to reflect their network centrality status (Cairns et al, 1995). For the purposes of this study, group network centrality was recoded as central (1) or not (0) (Hamm, Lambert et al, 2013).…”

“…Individual network centrality was also primarily coded as nuclear (1), secondary (2), and peripheral (3) using predetermined cut scores, and was recoded as central (1) and not (0) in the present study (Hamm, Lambert et al, 2013). Finally, group hierarchy was determined by comparing group members' individual overall social network centrality scores.…”

“…Groups were classified as having medium hierarchy (2) if there were two levels of individual overall network centrality present within the group and high hierarchy (3) if at least three levels were present within a group (Wilson et al, 2011). For this study, network hierarchy was recoded as 1 (egalitarian) and 0 (hierarchical) (Hamm, Lambert et al, 2013).…”