Peer Relationships and School Belonging in Adolescence: The Moderation Effect of Shyness

• In Event: Development and Learning

Abstract

School belonging is critical for adolescents’ academic and social development, which is significantly shaped by peer relationships. However, less has been understood regarding unique roles of multiple dimensions of peer relationships (i.e., quantity vs. quality, relations with group vs. with individual best friend), and the extent to which the roles may vary by individuals’ social characteristics, particularly shyness, which has been found influencing various aspects of school adaptiveness. The current study included 156 high-school students (Girl = 37.82%; Mage = 15.84, SDage = 4.92), where 43 shy students were identified based on a peer nomination task. Findings demonstrate the importance of peer relationship quality, particularly group-based, on adolescents’ school belonging, and evidence the differences between shy students and others.

Authors

• Yan Liu, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
  Presenting Author

• Jing Chen, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jianfei Wang
  Non-Presenting Author