Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Merrill-Palmer Quarterly-Journal of Developmental Psychology

Publication Date

7-2011

First Page

215

Last Page

243

Issue Number

3

Volume Number

57

Abstract/ Summary

This study examines several aspects of adolescents' pretransition peer relationships as predictors of their adjustment to middle school. Participants were 365 students (175 boys; 99% Caucasian) involved in the Time 1 (the spring of fifth grade) and Time 2 (the fall of sixth grade) assessments. Adolescents completed measures that assessed peer acceptance, number of friends, the quality of a specific mutual friendship, loneliness, depression, self-esteem, and involvement in school. Academic achievement and absentee data were obtained from student files. Regression analyses indicated that the pretransition peer variables predicted posttransition loneliness, self-esteem, school involvement, and academic achievement. The patterns of prediction varied slightly for each adjustment variable, with the most robust relationship being between peer acceptance and achievement. Results of repeated-measures MANOVAs indicated no differential changes in adjustment across time by gender. Implications for including a peer component in programs that prepare students for the middle school transition are discussed.

Citation/Publisher Attribution

Kingery, J.N., Erdley, C.A., & Marshall, K.C. (2011). Peer Acceptance and Friendship as Predictors of Early Adolescents' Adjustment Across the Middle School Transition. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly-Journal of Developmental Psychology, 57, 215-243. Available on publisher's site at http://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/mpq/vol57/iss3/2/

Publisher Statement

Copyright 2011 Wayne State University Press

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