The Protective Role of Teacher Preference for At‐Risk Children's Social Status

Abstract

Aggressive behaviors have been associated with social costs (e.g., rejection) and benefits (e.g., popularity) in previous studies. The current study sought to examine the moderating effect of teacher preference on the association between distinct forms of aggressive behavior (i.e., physical aggression and relational aggression) and social status (i.e., rejection and popularity), and to explore whether these associations differed for boys and girls. Fourth and fifth grade students (N = 193) completed peer nomination procedures to assess rejection and aggressive behavior and teachers provided self-reports of their preferences for their students. Findings indicated that relationally aggressive girls were more likely to be popular with their peers when their teachers also liked them. In addition, both relationally and physically aggressive girls were less likely to be rejected by their peers when their teachers liked them. Although physical aggression was most strongly associated with rejection among boys whose teachers liked them, relational aggression predicted popularity among boys whose teachers disliked them. Results suggest that teacher preferences may be a particularly important factor contributing to both physically and relationally aggressive children's social status (e.g., rejection and popularity), especially for girls.

The Influence of Teachers’ Preferences on Children’s Social Status in Schools

“…This finding is consistent with the literature showing that high academic achievers were usually popular among peers and teachers and were often designated as teachers' pets (Babad, 2000;Chiu, Lee, & Liang, 2013;Moore et al, 2012;Tal & Babad, 1989. Because students who perform well academically give teachers much satisfaction, it was not surprising to find that teachers showed a preference towards them.…”

“…While teachers' preferences appear to play an important role in determining children's social status among peers (Birch & Ladd, 1997;Mercer & DeRosier, 2008;Moore, Shoulberg, & Murray-Close, 2012), this premise has not been empirically tested. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to re-conceptualize and operationalize peer status using both teachers' and peers' preferences to generate a two dimensional model with four possible social status categories.…”

Biased self‐perceptions of social competence and engagement in physical and relational aggression: The moderating role of peer status and sex

“…Participants' family income levels ranged from $6,000 to $750,000 ( M = $92,826; SD = $70,305). The education level of participants' parents ranged from 4 to 17 years of school completed ( M = 15.34; SD = 2.01; see Moore, Shoulberg, & Murray‐Close, for additional information about the sample).…”

Peer Preference, Perceived Popularity, and the Teacher–Child Relationship in Special Education

“…We cannot rule out that the link between popularity and increases in teacher–pupil conflict is also mediated by aggression in special education. Interestingly, regular education studies show that not only aggression toward peers relates to maintaining a social position, but also that conflict with the teacher is related to gaining popular status among peers (De Laet et al, 2014; Moore et al, 2012). The conflictual interactions of pupils with the teacher may also be interpreted as ways to defy the teacher’s authority, which, in the eyes of classmates, may enhance the reputation of these pupils and increase their social position in the classroom hierarchy (De Laet et al, 2014; Moore et al, 2012).…”

“…Fewer studies have investigated associations between TCRs and popularity . A cross-sectional study by Moore, Shoulberg, and Murray-Close (2012) found that popularity was negatively related to teacher’s satisfaction with the relationship, especially for boys. A longitudinal study by De Laet and colleagues (2014) reported that higher levels of teacher–pupil conflict were associated with increased popularity across school years.…”