Are There Gender-Specific Associations Between Peer Relations and School Bonding in Elementary School?

Introduction. Emerging interventions that support teachers’ efforts to promote positive classroom peer relations (Motoca et al., 2014; Mikami, Gregory, Allen, Pianta, & Lun, 2011) do not consider gender differences in peer dynamics. The structure, content, and function of peer groups may differ for girls and boys, with some literature suggesting that boys may be more sensitive to broad indices of acceptance and rejection while girls may be more sensitive to a small number of close relationships (Maccoby, 1990; Rose & Rudolph, 2006). In this poster we examine whether gender moderates the association between peer relations and school bonding, a construct that figures prominently as a mediator in school-based intervention programs (Maddox & Prinz, 2003). Identifying such gendered patterns could contribute to refinements in emerging intervention programs that support teachers’ efforts to manage classroom social dynamics.

Methods. Participants were 2888 1^st, 3^rd, and 5^th grade students from rural, suburban and urban school districts: 65% FRPL; 51% White, 31% African-American, 10% Hispanic. Participants completed sociometric peer nominations and rated school bonding in late fall (T1) and late spring (T2). Peer nominations included peer acceptance (“liked most”), peer rejection (“liked least”) and friendship. School bonding was measured with items from Murray & Greenberg (2000; 7 items, alpha = .89). Multilevel models (students within classrooms) tested whether gender moderated the association between T1 peer relations and T2 school bonding after controlling for T1 school bonding, grade level, and gender.

Results/Conclusion. Preliminary models indicate that change in school bonding was more positive for students who were more liked by peers (b = 0.16, SE = 0.09, p < 0.10), and more negative for students who were more disliked by peers (b = -0.17, SE = 0.08, p < 0.01). Contrary to expectations, neither of the interaction terms was statistically significant (gender*acceptance b = 0.06, SE = 0.15, p = ns; gender*rejection b = -0.01, SE = 0.14, p = ns) indicating that peer acceptance and rejection are equally important for girls and boys with regard to changes in school bonding. Final results will include tests of a similar model examining a different index of peer relations, close mutual-friendships (i.e., number of classmates who are reciprocated friends and reciprocated liked-most), which theoretically is more important for girls. Results from these analyses will inform the development of programs that encourage teachers to build a healthy and positive classroom ecology through taking an active role in managing classroom social relationships in ways that recognize potential gender differences in the forms and functions of peer relations.