Transition to Middle School: Changes in Aggression, Popularity, and Peer Social Dynamics

在向中学过渡的过程中，青少年对学校环境和同伴文化的变化做出了显著的调整。据报道，攻击性和越轨行为在中学同龄人群体中变得更容易被接受，而良好的课堂行为变得不那么受重视。这种同伴吸引力和接受度的变化很可能会影响中学生的社会取向和教育抱负。这一转变还与社会攻击性和受害程度的增加有关(例如，流言蜚语、疏远、诽谤)。这个项目的主要目的是考察青少年在向中学过渡期间在同龄人群体中的社会经历。具体地说，我们感兴趣的是，同伴社会动态的变化如何影响青少年使用各种形式的攻击行为，以及他们在学校受到伤害的经历(身体、语言和社会)。大约450名儿童将从五年级的春季到七年级的春季进行跟踪调查。每个学期都会收集关于孩子们的友谊和同伴社交网络、他们受到攻击和伤害的经历、他们对自己的看法以及他们对学校同伴文化的看法的数据。分析将确定青少年攻击性和被害性的变化，以及同伴社会关系和同伴文化可能如何促进这种变化。这项研究将产生关于各种形式的攻击性和同伴社会过程之间动态相互作用的新信息。传统的研究和干预努力一直集中在学校里的身体或言语攻击上。研究表明，中学生经常经历社会攻击，受害不利于儿童的学习和社会/情绪的发展。这项研究的发现将对制定针对学校中多种形式的攻击和受害的全面和有效的预防方案提供极大的信息。这样的计划有可能减少校园暴力，提高学生的行为和学习成绩。

During the transition to middle school, youth make significant adjustments to changes in school context and peer culture. It is reported that aggression and deviance become more accepted in middle school peer groups, while good classroom behaviors become less valued. Such changes in peer attraction and acceptance are likely to influence middle school students' social orientation and educational aspirations. This transition is also related to increased levels of social aggression and victimization (e.g., gossip, alienation, backbiting). The primary purpose of this project is to examine youth's social experience in peer groups during the transition to middle school. Specifically, we are interested in how changes in peer social dynamics may affect youth's use of various forms of aggression and their experience of victimization (physical, verbal, and social) in school. Approximately 450 children will be followed from the spring of 5th grade to the spring of 7th grade. Data collection regarding children's friendships and peer social networks, their experiences with aggression and victimization, their opinions about themselves, and their perceptions of peer culture at school will occur in each semester. Analyses will determine changes in youth's aggression and victimization, and how peer social relations and peer culture may contribute to such changes. This research will generate fresh information on the dynamic interplay between various forms of aggression and peer social processes. Traditional research and intervention efforts have been focused on physical or verbal aggression at school. Research shows that middle school students frequently experience social aggression, and that victimization is detrimental to children's learning and social/emotional development. The findings from this study will be extremely informative to the development of comprehensive and effective prevention programs targeting multiple forms of aggression and victimization at school. Such programs have the potential to reduce school violence and enhance students' behavioral and academic performance.