Examining early adolescents’ peer climate using descriptive and status norms on academic engagement and aggressive behavior in the classroom

This study is aimed to gain insights into adolescents’ classroom peer climate by examining descriptive and status norms of academic and social behaviors. Descriptive norm was assessed as the average score for each behavior and status norm was assessed using the correlation between each behavior and social status within each classroom. Expanded sets of academic and social behaviors (i.e., academic engagement, disruptive, overt and relational aggressive, bullying, and prosocial behavior) and three different social status of admired, popularity, and leader were examined. The sample was from 28 elementary school classrooms in South Korea (N = 736 at w1 and N = 677 at w2; 13 fifth and 13 sixth grade classrooms). Results indicated that descriptive norms for disruptive, relational aggressive, and bullying behavior became more positive over time across the school year. Status norms displayed distinct pattern for each social status. Although admired was associated with academic engagement and prosocial behavior, popularity and leader were associated with both positive and negative behaviors in both academic and social domain. Further, when adolescents increased their level of behaviors that are perceived to be important (i.e., associated with positive status norms) in their classrooms, they gained elevated social status over time across the school year.