Social environmental predictors of children's adjustment in elementary school classrooms

Abstract

Relationships between qualities of the perceived social environment and children's adjustment were examined in 30 second- to fourth-grade classrooms. Based on Moos' conceptual framework, social environment was assessed from both teachers' and children's perspectives. There was little agreement between the two views. Nine teacher- and peer-rated adjustment variables were used as criterion measures in multiple regression analyses which controlled for the potential confounding influence of grade level and family income. The main substantive findings were that peer sociometric ratings were more positive at lower grade levels and in classes rated by children as high in Order and Organization; teachers rated less acting-out behavior in classes seen by children as high in Affiliation, Teacher Control, and Task Orientation; and teachers rated children as more likeable in classes seen by Children as high in Teacher Control and Competition. Implications of the study's findings for future primary preventive efforts to engineer health-promoting classroom environments are discussed.

Perceived ecological congruence across family/school environments: Impact on the consistency of behavioral patterns and adaptation among children and youth

“…For the original long form of the CES, reliabilities of .61 to .86 have been reported for students in secondary grade-level classrooms (Trickett & Moos, 1973). Acceptable levels of internal consistency, and significant associations with criterion measures of adjustment, have been reported for student ratings of the CES dimensions in elementary grade-level classrooms (Toro et al, 1985;, providing initial evidence that this instrument is suitable for use among younger children. To better match the reading level of elementary grade-level children in the present study, difficult items (e.g., items that created double negative wording) on the original short form were replaced by more readable items from the long form that had similar item to full-scale correlations.…”

“…A number of studies suggest that levels of youth adaptation are systematically linked with the perceived social environments of both classroom and family settings (Felner, Aber, Cauce, & Primavera, 1985;Felner, Gintner, & Primavera, 1982;Trickett & Moos, 1974). In elementary grades, more positive teacher ratings of children's behavioral adjustment and academic competence have been linked to dimensions of the classroom environment, including higher teacher-rated affiliation, involvement, order and organization and rule clarity (Boike, Cowen, DeStefano, Felner, & Gesten, 1982; Humphrey, 1984;Weisz & Cowen, 1974; Wright, Cowen, & Kaplan, 1982), and to higher levels of student-rated order and organization, affiliation, innovation, teacher control, and task orientation (Toro et al, 1985;. In the family setting, parent ratings of child adaptation have been associated with parent ratings of similar dimensions of family climate (Billings & Moos, 1983Holohan & Moos, 1987).…”

Unpacking the Black Box of the Chicago School Readiness Project Intervention: The Mediating Roles of Teacher–Child Relationship Quality and Self-Regulation

“…Research on the quality of emotional relationships among teachers and children associates positive classroom climates with greater self-esteem, perceived cognitive competence, internal locus of control, mastery motivation (Ryan & Grolnick, 1986), school satisfaction (Baker, 1999), academic performance, and less acting-out behavior (Toro, 1985); while more negative, conflictual classroom relationships have been associated with poor peer relations, poor academic focus, and higher levels of aggression (e.g., Jones et al, 2008). Teachers play a key role in these interactions.…”

The effects of peer‐teaching on student perceptions of class environment, adjustment, and academic performance

“…Teachers reported, on several occasions during the program, that they had to stress clear expectations and routines, in order for nine jigsaw groups to operate simultaneously and effectively. The Es' increased perception of Order and Organization can also be linked to prior findings (Humphrey, 1984;Toro et al, 1985;Wright & Cowen, 1982), indicating that that dimension is the single most sensitive environmental correlate of good adjustment.…”