Social Motivation and School Adjustment in Young Adolescents Kathryn R. Wentzel University of Maryland, College P

1. Social Motivation and School Adjustment in Young Adolescents Kathryn R. Wentzel University of Maryland, College Park PAEPS10 Conference, Halle, Germany September, 2005

2. Overview • Background • Conceptual Definitions and Model • Evidence for Model • Study 1: Social support and classroom behavior • Study 2: Expectations and classroom behavior • Study 3: Multiple provisions and motivation • Summary and Conclusions

3. Background • How do the social lives of children relate to their • academic success and healthy adjustment to school? • Aspects of social behavior are strong predictors • of academic outcomes: • Prosocial: helping, sharing, cooperating • Responsible: following rules, keeping commitments, • restraint from aggressive, disruptive actions • Pursuit of goals to be prosocial and responsible • predicts academic outcomes: • High achieving students tend to pursue social as • well as academic goals

4. Background • How do the social lives of children relate to their • academic success and healthy adjustment to school? • Aspects of social relationships are strong predictors • of academic outcomes: • Children who are well-accepted by their peers tend to do well academically; those who are rejected tend to do poorly in school • Children who are well-liked by their teachers tend to do well academically • Relationships with peers and teachers might have differential effects on school adjustment

5. Rejected: Nobody likes, everyone dislikes Neglected: Nobody likes, Nobody dislikes * ** * Submissive Aggressive

6. Perceived Family Support Perceived Teacher Support Distress Interest Perceived Peer Support

7. Current Focus How do interpersonal relationships with teachers and peers promote positive social and academic outcomes at school? How is social competence achieved?

8. Social Competence is… achieving a balance between the development of positive outcomes for the self and adherence to context-specific expectations for behavior.

9. Positive outcomes for the self: • Achievement of goals that are personally valued Goals = cognitive representations of desired outcomes in a specific setting (Ford, 1992); perceived effort towards achieving a desired outcome • Self-regulatory processes that support goal pursuit Perceptions of efficacy and control, emotional well-being, internalized reasons for behavior

10. Desirable social outcomes at school: • Social behavior in the form of prosocial (helping, sharing) and socially responsible (following rules, keeping commitments) actions • Academic accomplishments

11. is contingent on opportunities and affordances of the classroom context Social competence at school

12. Interpersonal relationships • Quality of social relationships with teachers and peers (liking, acceptance) • Quality of social interactions with teachers and peers

13. Teacher preference; Fairness, Rule setting, Negative feedback, High expectations, Motivation Teacher Relationships = Social goal pursuit, Interest, Mastery Motivation = Social behavior, Grades Behavior = (Wentzel, 1998, 2002)

14. Peer Relationships Status: Acceptance/Rejection Groups: Networks Dyadic Friendships = Motivation Social goal pursuit, Emotional distress = Behavior = Prosocial behavior, Grades (Wentzel, 1991,1994,1997,1998, 2004)

15. Relationship supports: • Students are likely to engage in positive social • and academic activities at school if they also: • know they can get help; • know what is expected and valued; • can do so without feeling threatened; and • feel like they are a valued part of the • social group

16. Conceptual Definitions: Social Motivation • interpersonal relationships and interactions that direct efforts to engage in behavior • social cognitions that direct efforts to engage in behavior • goals to achieve social outcomes

17. Heuristic Model of Social-Motivational Processes • Relationship Supports • Help • Safety • Expectations & values • Emotional support Socially Competent Outcomes Goal Pursuit • Self-Processes • Efficacy • Control beliefs • Reasons for behavior • Affect

18. Empirical support Study 1: Social Support and Antisocial Behavior Study 2: Expectations, Self-Processes and Prosocial Behavior Study 3: Multiple Provisions and Social and Academic Goals

19. Study 1 Teacher and Peer Provisions Of Social Support Students’ Antisocial Behavior

20. Relationship Supports • Teacher and Peer Provisions of: • Help • Safety • Expectations & values • Emotional support Goal Pursuit Competent Outcomes • Self-Processes • Efficacy • Control beliefs • Reasons for behavior • Affect

21. Moderation Model Antisocial Behavior – 6th Antisocial Behavior – 7th Perceived Social Support in 7th

22. Sample • 159 sixth graders (11-12 year olds) • followed from sixth to seventh grade • Suburban mid-Atlantic middle school: • 34% free or reduced price lunch • 32nd percentile CTBS reading, • 29th percentile CTBS math • 148 African-American, 9 Caucasian, 2 other; 52%male • 10 sixth-grade teachers from academic subject areas; • 4 seventh grade social studies teachers

23. Measures • Classroom behavior: Peer nominations and • teacher ratings • Perceived Social Support: Classroom Life Measure • (Johnson et al., 1985) “My teacher/classmates care • about my feelings”

24. Stability of Predictors Correlations of 6th & 7th Grade Scores: Irresponsible Behavior r = .46** Perceived Teacher Support r = .30** Perceived Peer Support r = .43**

25. Results of Multiple Regression Analyses Sixth-Grade Predictors of Sixth and Seventh-Grade Irresponsible Behavior Sixth Seventh Sex -.31*** -.23** Perceived support – Peers .22*** -.06 Perceived support – Teachers .34*** -.04 Irresponsible behavior NA .49*** R2 .22*** .39***

26. Results of Multiple Regression Analyses Seventh Grade Perceived Support as Moderator of Relations Between Sixth and Seventh Grade Irresponsible Behavior. Seventh Grade Irresponsible Behavior Step 1: 6th grade vars. Step 1: 6th grade vars Step 1: 6th grade vars Sex -.22** Sex -.22** Sex -.23** Perc. support – P -.08 Perc. support – P .09 Perc. Support – P -.07 Perc. support – T -.05 Perc. support – T -.05 Perc. Support – T -.08 Step 2: Interaction Step 2: Interaction Step 2: Interaction Perc. T. support (7) Perc. P. support (7) Perc. T support 7 x x Irres. Beh. (6) .44*** x Irres. Beh (6) .44*** P support 7 x Irres. Beh.(6) .42*** R2 .35*** .35*** .35***

27. Perceived Support in 7th Grade Low teacher and peer support High teacher and peer support High teacher and low peer support Low teacher and high peer support 4 3 2 1 Low Average High 6th Grade Irresponsible Behavior 7th Grade Irresponsible Behavior as a Function of 6th Grade Behavior and 7th Grade Perceived Emotional Support

28. Summary: • Perceived emotional support from teachers and peers is not always complementary in its effects on student behavior. • Highly supportive teachers and unsupportive peers can result in • lowered levels of negative behavior over time for highly aggressive students. • Students at risk for negative behavior in sixth grade are also at risk in • seventh grade if they have a highly supportive peer group even if they perceive • teachers as being highly supportive. • Replicated in a second sample of older adolescents as they • make the transition into high school

29. Study 2 Teacher & Peer Expectations and Self-processes Prosocial Goals Prosocial Behavior

30. Relationship Supports • Teacher and Peer Provisions of: • Help • Safety • Expectations & values • Emotional support Goal Pursuit Competent Outcomes • Self-Processes • Efficacy • Control beliefs • Reasons for behavior • Affect

31. Sample • 339 sixth (11-12 yrs) and eighth (13-14 yrs) grade middle school students • suburban, predominantly middle class • 52% females; 49% Caucasian, 44% African-American • 18 social studies classes (4 teachers)

32. Measures Social Cognitions: • Peer expectations for prosocial behavior • Teacher expectations for prosocial behavior (Wentzel et al., 2002) • Self-Processes: • Distress (Weinberger et al., 1987) • Empathy (Davis; IRI, 1983) • Perspective taking (Davis; IRI, 1983) • Efficacy (Harter, 1982) • Reasons for goal pursuit (adapted from Ryan & Connell, 1989) • External = Tangible rewards; Fear of reprisals • Other-focused = Social approval, affirmation • Self-focused = Guilt, Shame • Internal = Importance to self Behavior: Teacher ratings and peer nominations

33. Model of Relations Among Variables Self-Processes Empathy Emotional Distress Perspective taking Perceived competence Prosocial Prosocial Goal Pursuit Behavior Reasons for behavior Social Cognitions Expectations from teachers Expectations from peers

34. Results of Regression on Prosocial Behavior Self-Processes Empathy Emotional Distress Perspective taking Perceived competence Prosocial Prosocial Goal Pursuit Behavior Reasons for behavior Social Cognitions Expectations from teachers Expectations from peers R2 = .38***

35. Results of Regression on Prosocial Goal Pursuit Self-Processes Empathy Emotional Distress Perspective taking Perceived competence Prosocial Prosocial Goal Pursuit Behavior Reasons for behavior Social Cognitions Expectations from peers Expectations from teachers R2 = .49***

36. Self-Processes Empathy Emotional Distress Perspective taking Perceived competence Prosocial Prosocial Goal Pursuit Behavior Reasons for behavior Social Cognitions Expectations from peers Expectations from teachers

37. Results of Regressions on Reasons Reasons Demographic variables Grade level Sex Race Social Cognitions Expectations from teachers Expectations from peers External Other-focused Self-focused Internal Self-Processes Emotional Distress Empathy Perspective taking Perceived competence

38. Results of Regressions on Reasons Reasons Demographic variables Grade level Sex Race Social Cognitions Expectations from teachers Expectations from peers External Other-focused Self-focused Internal Self-Processes Emotional Distress Empathy Perspective taking Perceived competence

39. Results of Regressions on Reasons R2 Reasons Demographic variables Grade level Sex Race Social Cognitions Expectations from teachers Expectations from peers .13*** External Other-focused Self-focused Internal .22*** .28*** Self-Processes Emotional Distress Empathy Perspective taking Perceived competence .48***

40. Summary • Goal pursuit partly mediates relations between prosocial behavior and relationship supports and self-processes • Goal pursuit is predicted most strongly by perceived expectations of peers, a sense of efficacy, and empathy • Reasons for goal pursuit are related to different sets of Relationship supports and self-processes depending on the degree to which the reason reflects more external or internal regulation

41. Study 3 Teacher and Peer Multiple Provisions Students’ Academic and Social Motivation

42. Relationship Supports • Teacher and Peer Provisions of: • Help • Safety • Expectations & values • Emotional support Goal Pursuit Competent Outcomes • Self-Processes • Efficacy • Control beliefs • Reasons for behavior • Affect

43. Sample • 495 6th, 7th, and 8th graders (11-13 year olds) • 249 males, 246 females • Suburban, predominantly middle class • 5 teachers, 23 social studies • classes

44. Measures • Social Cognitions: • Help (adapted from Parker & Asher, 1993) • Safety (adapted from Parker & Asher, 1993; • Midgely et al., 1988) • Expectations (new) • Social support (Johnson et al, 1985). • Motivation: • Social goal pursuit (Wentzel, 1993) • Interest in class (Ford & Tisak, 1982).

45. InterestSocial Goal in classwork Pursuit Sex -.02 .20*** Grade.33*** -.17 Teacher *** ns Peer provisions Expectations and values .16*** .07 Safety -.01 .07* Instrumental help -.16*** -.01 Emotional support .05 .07Teacher provisions Expectations and values .32*** .05 Safety -.13** .03 Instrumental help .12** -.01 Emotional support .12** .17** Interactions T x P Expectations -.04 -.01 T x P Safety -.07* .04 T x P Help -.03 -.04 T x P Support .03 .04 Total R2 .61*** .38***

46. To what extent are student perceptions influenced by individual teachers? Classrooms Sex differences Teacher 1 (n=5) Teacher perceptions ns ns Peer perceptions ns ns Teacher 2 (n=4) Teacher perceptions ns ns Peer perceptions ns ns Teacher 3 (n=5) Teacher perceptions ns ns Peer perceptions ******* ns Teacher 4 (n=5) Teacher perceptions ******* ns Peer perceptions ns ns Teacher 5 (n=5) Teacher perceptions ******** ******* Peer perceptions ****** *******

47. Summary • Multiple provisions from teachers and peers predict motivation in the classroom • Peers who provide a sense of safety have the potential to influence interest in class positively when a teacher is perceived as being highly critical • Teachers differ in the degree to which they influence their students’ perceptions of them and of their classmates

48. Overall Conclusions • Teachers and peers have the potential to create contexts that facilitate social and academic competence by providing help, safety, expectations, and social support. Teachers and peers have overlapping as well as unique influence on social cognitive processes and motivation - further examination of perceived safety and social support is necessary. • Student self-processes and goals provide a pathway from relationship supports to behavior • Many remaining questions: • How do teacher and peer supports influence self-processes? • What do teachers and classmates do to influence perceptions of relationship supports? • How strong are contextual effects when family and community factors are taken into account?

49. Thank you! And thanks to student collaborators: Ann Battle, Kathryn Caldwell, Lisa Looney, Carolyn McNamara, Robert Tomback and Alexis Williams