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Social status and friendship from kindergarten to third grade
JOURNAL
OF APPLIED
DEVELOPMENTAL
PSYCHOLOGY
11,321-330
(1990)
Social Status and Friendship From Kindergarten to Third Grade CAROLLEE HOWES University of California at Los Angeles
Social status and friendship patterns were examined within an early elementary school peer group. One hundred two kindergarten children originally participated in the study. Forty-five of these children remained in the school by third grade. These follow-up children were part of a class of 108 third graders. Within the follow-up sample, kindergarten sociometric ratings were highly correlated with third-grade sociometric ratings. Children classified as rejected were most likely to have stable social status classifications. Although children of every social status classification had friends, the distribution of friendships by social status composition differed in kindergarten and third grade. Kindergarten children classified as popular were more likely than third-grade children classified as popular to have friendships with children classified as rejected. Attrition of friends between kindergarten and third grade was similar for all third-grade social status groups. However, children classified as popular in third grade were more likely than children classified as rejected to maintain stable friendships from kindergarten to third grade. Popular-popular friendship dyads were more likely than popular-rejected dyads or popular-other dyads to be stable from kindergarten to third grade. The implications of these findings for school organization and program are discussed.
Assessments of children’s social status or popularity within groups is an increasingly common research procedure for preschool and kindergarten age children. Sociometric status in preschool and kindergarten children is associated with concurrent measures of social behaviors and social cognitions (see Hartup, 1983; Schneider, Rubin, & Ledingham, 1985, for reviews of this literature). Equally common in the field is the explicit or implicit assumption that early childhood sociometric assessments will predict future social adjustment. For this to be true, social status would need to be stable between early and middle childhood and middle childhood social status would need to predict social adjustment. There is some support for the predictability of social status. In reviewing the literature, Parker and Asher (1987) conclude that rejected status is related to future indices of social maladjustment. There is no support in the literature for
The teachers and children at Seeds University Elementary School made this research possible. Thank you. Michael Espinosa, Elizabeth Chaneske, Lisabeth Myers, and JoAnn Farver served as observers in the study. Correspondence and requests for reprints may be sent to Carollee Howes, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1521.
321
322
HOWES
the stability of social status from early to middle childhood. While some studies of sociometric status find it to be relatively stable, these studies have examined the stability of status beginning in middle, not early, childhood (Coie & Dodge, 1983). Moreover, only the rejected status classification tends to remain stable and that for only approximately one-third of the children (Coie & Dodge, 1983). The current study examines the stability of social status from kindergarten to third grade. Sociometric ratings and classifications were examined. Following the pattern found in older children rejected status was expected to be most stable. Relations between social status and friendship formed a second focus of the current study. Friendship and popularity are different constructs (Gottman, 1983; Hartup, 1983; Howes, 1988). Friendship is a relationship between two people characterized by mutual liking. Popularity defines an individual child’s place within a social group. However friendship and popularity also overlap. In studies of preschool children most popular children have friends and many rejected children lack friends (Howes, 1988). In groups of older children friendships tend to occur within cliques so that popular children form friendships with other popular children and rejected children form friendships with other rejected children (Putallaz & Gottman, 1981). The current study examined whether friendships in kindergarten and third-grade children are nested within cliques and if such social status cliques tend to persist over time. As children move between kindergarten and third grade we expect them to keep some friends, lose some friends, and make some new friends. Howes (1988) studying younger children has found that toddler and preschool children who maintain stable friendships over 2- and 3-year periods appear more socially competent than children who lose friendships. In the current study patterns of friendship stability and its relation to social status and reputation with peers were examined in older children. Previous research suggests that children’s friendships do become more stable with age (Bemdt, 1981). Children know their classmates better and may make more well-informed choices (Bemdt, 1981). Alternatively, cliques within the group may solidify, therefore eliminating some children as potential friends. Children whose friendships begin in kindergarten and continue through third grade may receive emotional support and intimacy from the friendship relationship or could be stuck in a dysfunctional relationship because both children lack social skills. As a teacher explained, “the child that the others don’t like always seems to find a buddy in another child that is disliked.” The study will examine relations between stable friendships and social status in an effort to untangle these contradictory functions of friendships.
METHOD Subjects Forty-five (24 girls) children participated in both time periods of the study. These children were enrolled in a laboratory elementary school as kindergartners and as
SOCIAL STATUS AND FRIENDSHIP TABLE 1 Social Status Classifications
323
of Groups
Social Status
Original kindergarten
Neglected
Controversial
Average
Pooular
Reiected
17 (17)
17 (17)
6 (6)
6 (6)
56 (54)
8 (18)
8 (18)
6(13)
4 (9)
19 (42)
18 (17)
15 (14)
46 (42)
3 (7)
6 (13)
19 (42)
n = 102 Follow-up kindergarten n = 45 Total third grade n = 108 Follow-up third grade
12 (II)
17 (16)
8 (18)
9 (20)
n = 45 Note. Numbers
in parenthesis
are percentages.
third graders. Thirty of the children were Euro-American in ethnic background, six were Afro-American, five Hispanic, and four Asian-American. Seventy-two percent of the children were living in two-parent-families. The median mother’s educational level was 15 years (range = eighth grade to Ph.D.). They were part of groups of 102 (51 girls) kindergartners and 108 (59 girls) third graders. The 45 children who remained in the class between kindergarten and third grade were similar in family and demographic characteristics (sex, ethnicity, maternal education level, marital status, and family income) to the children who left the school. There were no differences in sociometric rating scores, sociometric status classification, or in parent and teacher ratings between these two groups. Table 1 presents social status classifications for the samples. Children primarily left the school because the parents could no longer provide transportation or because siblings were not selected for the school. Sixty-three additional children entered the school to replace the children who left the school. The replacement children were no different from the children who left in family and demographic characteristics except for ethnicity. The replacement children were more likely than the children who left to be Hispanic or AfroAmerican. Social status classifications were similar for the follow-up third graders and the total third-grade sample (see Table 1).
MEASURES
AND PROCEDURES
Each kindergarten child was individually interviewed and completed both a positive nomination and a rating procedure. For positive nominations I presented each child with an array of pictures of their classmates and asked them to hand the examiner an unlimited number of pictures of their best friends. Children were
324
HOWES
then shown class pictures of children in other kindergarten classrooms and again asked to identify friends. A modification of the Asher, Singleton, Tinsley, and Hymel(1979) sociometric measure was used to obtain ratings of sociometric status in kindergarten. The children placed pictures of their classmates, one by one, in a big, medium, or little bowl according to how much they wanted that person as a friend. Pictures places in the big bowl scored of 3, and those in the small bowl scored 1. Same-sex sociometric rating scores were standardized within classrooms. The reliability of the sociometric ratings was assessed by test-retest reliability over a 2-week period for 23% of the children. The median Kappa coefficients for nominations was .77. The Pearson product moment correlation for ratings was .82. I obtained positive nominations in third grade by asking each child to list his or her best friends. Children could nominate children from other classrooms as well as from their own. Each child then rated all other children in the classroom according to how much they liked the child as a friend using a 1 to 5 scale (with I being not at all and 5 being very, very much). Same-sex sociometric rating scores were standardized within classrooms. I classified children into one of five status groups using a modification of the procedure developed by Asher and Dodge (1986). Classifications were as follows: A lowest possible rating score (LPR) was computed as the frequency of one ratings received from all peers. The LPR was standardized within classrooms. A highest possible rating score (HPR) was the frequency of three ratings received from all peers. The HPR also was standardized within classrooms. The standard scores for the HPR and LPR were used to generate social preference (Z(HPR)-Z(LPR)) and social impact (Z(HPR) + Z(LPR)) scores. Pophr children were the group of children with social preference scores greater than 1.O, HPR scores greater than 0, and LPR scores less than 0. Rejected children were the group of children who received a social preference score of less than - 1.O, a LPR score of greater than 0, and a HPR of less than 0. Neglected children were the group of children who received a social impact score of less than - 1 .O and LPR and HPR scores of less than 0. Controversial children were the group of children who received a social impact score of greater than 1.0 and HPR and LPR scores greater than 0. The remaining children were Average. This modification of social status classification results in similar associations with observed play and teacher ratings as standard classifications (Howes, 1988). Children were reciprocal friends either if each partner named the other as a best friend or if one named the other as a best friend and the partner gave the child the highest rating on the rating sociometrics. RESULTS
Sociometric Status Sociometric status distributions were similar for all four groups of interest: original kindergarten, follow-up kindergarten, total third grade, and follow-up third grade. See Table 1 for these distributions.
325
SOCIAL STATUS AND FRIENDSHIP
TABLE 2 Stability
of Social Status Classifications in Follow-Up Kindergarten to Third Grade
Sample From
Social Status Kindergarten
Social Status Third Grade
Popular
Rejected
Popular Rejected Neglected Controversial Average
3 0 0 1 4
0 5 0 2 1
Neglected 0 0 1 1 4
Controversial 0 0 0 1 3
Average 6 3 2 1 7
Within the follow-up sample kindergarten sociometric ratings were highly correlated with third-grade sociometric ratings (r(43) = .65, p > .Ol). Social status classifications were relatively stable between kindergarten and third grade (x2( 16) = 7.13, p < .05). See Table 2. Children classified as rejected were most likely to have stable classifications (x*(4) = 19.3 1, p < .Ol). Five of the eight children classified as rejected in kindergarten were classified as rejected in third grade. Friendships and Social Status Children classified as popular or average were more likely to have friends than children classified as rejected, neglected, or controversial in both kindergarten and third-grade groups: (Kindergarten: (x*(l) = 24.66, p = .OOl); Third grade (x*(l) = 34.82, p < .OOl). However in both samples some rejected, neglected, and controversial children did have friends. The distributions of friends by social status classification for each sample are in Table 3.
Relations
Between
TABLE 3 Friendship
Friendship Social Status Popular Rejected Neglected Controversial Average
and Social Status
Kindergarten Friends
No Friends
17
a
3 5 55 Third Grade
Popular Rejected Neglected Controversial Average
17
a
4 12 46
0 4 14 3 0
HOWES
326
Distribution
TABLE 4 of Friendship Dyads by Social Status Composition Friendship Dyads
Composition Popular-popular Popular-rejected Popular-othera Rejected-rejected Rejected-othera Other-othera Total =Other = classified as neglected,
Kindergarten
Third Grade 11 0 41 1 10 73 136
6 6 43 2 28 77 162 controversial,
or average
The 102 children in kindergarten formed a total of 162 friendships. In third grade 108 children formed 136 friendships. The distribution of friendships by social status composition of the partners is in Table 4. Distributions of friendships by social status composition in kindergarten were significantly different from distributions in third grade (x2(5) = 16.33, p < .05). Kindergarten children classified as popular were more likely than third-grade children classified as popular to have friendships with children classified as rejected. Third-grade children classified as popular were more likely than kindergarten children classified as popular to have friendships with popular children (x2(2) = 9.48, p < .05). Children classified as rejected in kindergarten were more likely than children classified as rejected in third grade to have friendships with children classified as neglected, controversial, or average (x2(1) = 6.26, p < .05).
Stability of Friendships from Kindergarten to Third Grade Having Friends. Most of the children had at least one friend. Only six (13%) of the children in the follow-up sample had had no friends in kindergarten. Three (50%) of these children had a friend in third grade. Three other children in the follow-up sample who had had friends in kindergarten had no friends in third grade. Keeping Friends. Due to the children leaving the school, both partners remained in only 37 (23%) of the original 162 kindergarten friendships. Of these 37 friendships 13 (35%) persisted from kindergarten to third grade. Despite this loss of children and, therefore, of friendships, 25 (64%) of the 39 children in the follow-up sample who had had at least one kindergarten friendship had a partner remaining in the school. Attrition of friends between kindergarten and third grade was similar for all third-grade social status groups. There were no significant differences between status groups in the percentage of kindergarten friendship lost due to attrition
327
SOCIAL STATUS AND FRIENDSHIP
Number
TABLE 5 of Children in Each Third-Grade Social Status Group That Maintained Least One Friendship Between Kindergarten and Third Grade
Social Status in Third Grade
at
Maintained at Least One Friendship
Ended All Potentially Stable Friendships
9 1 0 1 3
0 3 1 1 6
Popular Rejected Neglected Controversial Average
kindergarten and third grade (A4 percent of kindergarten friends lost: popular .48, rejected .38, neglected .48, controversial .56, average .55; F(4,38) = 2.05,~ = .ll). Third-grade social status groups differed in the extent they maintained friendships available between kindergarten and third grade. The number of children in each third-grade status group that maintained or ended a friendship between kindergarten and third grade is presented in Table 5. Children classified as popular in third grade were more likely than children classified as rejected to maintain stable friendships from kindergarten to third grade (Fisher Exact Test, p = .05). The social status composition of the 37 friendships that were possible to maintain between kindergarten and third grade are presented in Table 6. Popularpopular friendship dyads were more likely than popular-rejected dyads or popular-other dyads to be stable from kindergarten to third grade (Fisher Exact Test, p < .05>. between
Distribution
TABLE 6 of Stable and Nonmaintained Social Status Composition
Friendships by
Friendships Comoosftion Popular-popular Popular-rejected Popular-othera Rejected-rejected Rejected-othera Other-othera aOther = classified as neglected,
Nonmaintained
Stable 7 0 2 1 0 3 controversial,
or average
328
HOWES
DISCUSSION The results of the current study suggest that popularity with peers as measured by sociometric ratings and by social status classification tends to remain relatively stable from kindergarten to third grade. These results are interesting but tentative given the small size of the follow-up sample. Additional limitations of the study include that it was conducted in a single, medium size elementary school. Additional studies are needed to test the generalizability of these findings. The magnitude of the association between sociometric ratings in kindergarten and third grade, the relative stability of the rejected social status classification, and the percentage of rejected children who remain rejected in the current study were comparable to previous research with middle childhood and older children (e.g., Coie & Dodge, 1983). These results provide some justification for the assumption that sociometric status in early childhood is relatively stable. It must be noted that only 37% of the follow-up sample maintained their social status classification. While rejection was the most stable social status category, only five children remain classified as rejected. Therefore, it would be premature to conclude that social status is fixed early in elementary school. Further intervention type research is needed to examine the resistance of early status classifications to change. Friendships in this study were not independent of social status. Although children of all social status classifications formed and maintained friendships, popular and average children were more likely to. There was a stronger association between social status and friendship patterns as the children got older. In kindergarten, children classified as both popular and rejected formed friendships with a wide range of children. Popular children were as likely to form friendships with children classified as rejected as they were to form friendships with children classified as popular. Rejected children formed friendships with children of every other social status classification. By third grade popular children did not have friendships with rejected children. These patterns point to an increase in the rigidity of the social structure of the group. With increased rigidity of the social structure of the group, peer reputations take on added importance. If children tend to engage primarily with friends and if their friends are increasingly similar to themselves in social status, children have decreasing opportunities for direct experiences with children different social status. Therefore, with increasing time in a peer group, a child’s reputation may be better known by others than the child’s actual behavior. Classroom practices could be used to reverse this process. Teaching strategies which encourage children to work together in small groups such as cooperative learning and careful teacher attention to the composition of the groups would give children opportunities to engage with others that they know only by reputation. A little over one-third of the children in the follow-up sample did maintain a friendship between kindergarten and third grade. These stable friendships were not independent of social status. Popular children were more likely to maintain
SOCIAL STATUS AND FRIENDSHIP
329
friendships than rejected children and friendships between two children classified as popular were most likely to be maintained. These results help to explain the association between friendship stability and social competence reported for younger children (Howes, 1988). Children who are more socially competent may be better able than less competent children to maintain friendships over time. Alternatively, friendships between socially competent children may be more functional in terms of providing intimacy and support than friendships between less competent pairs of children. Some children may find it difftcult to resist peer pressure and remain friends with a child rejected by the group. Teachers might be able to intervene in this process by assisting children in their efforts to remain friends despite group pressure. The social structure of the studied peer group was disrupted by the attribution of students from the school. The relatively high attrition rate in the study school is not atypical of urban and suburban communities in the United States. Most children probably experience the loss of friendships. Parents, teachers, and school administrators may need to be concerned about the meaning of these losses to children.
REFERENCES Achenbach, T., & Edelbrock, C. (1981). Behavioral problems and competencies reported by parents of normal and disturbed children aged four to sixteen. Monographs of the Society for Research
Asher, S.R.,
in Child Development,
tal Psychology,
Asher,
46( 188).
& Dodge, K. (1986). Identifying children who are rejected by their peers.
Developmen-
22, 444-449.
S., Singleton, L., Tinsley, B., & Hymel, S. (1979). A reliable sociometric measure for preschool children. Developmental Psychology, 15, 443-444. Bemdt, T.J. (1981). Age changes and changes over time in social intentions and behaviors between friends. Developmental Psychology, 17, 408-416. Coie, J.D., & Dodge, K. (1983). Continuities and changes in children’s social status: A five year longitudinal study. Merrill Palmer Quarterly, 29, 261-282. Coie, J.D., & Kupersmidt, J.B. (1983). A behavioral analysis of emerging social status in boys’ groups. Child Development, 54, 1400-1416. Dodge, K.A. (1983). Behavioral antecedents of peer social status. Child Development, 54, 13861399. Gottman, J.E. (1983). How children become friends. Monographs of the Societyfor the Research in Child Development, 48(2, Serial No. 201). Hartup, W. (1983). The peer system. In P. Mussen (Ed. in Chief), M. Hetherington (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology. New York: Wiley. Howes, C. (1988). Peer relations in young children. Monographs of the Society for the Research in Child Development, 53(1, Serial No. 217). Hymel, S. (1986). Interpretations of peer behavior: Affective bias in childhood and adolescence. Child Development, 57, 43 l-445. Hymel, S., Wagner, E., & Butler, E. (1990). Reputational bias: View from the peer group. In S.R. Asher & J.D. Coie (Eds.), Peer rejections in children: Origins consequences and intervention. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Masten, A.S., Morrison, P., & Pellegrini, D.S. (1985). A revised class play method of peer assessment. Developmental Psychology, 21, 523-533.
330
HOWES
Parker, J.G., & Asher, S.R. (1987). Peer relations and later social adjustment: Are low accepted children at risk? Psychological Bulletin, 102, 357-389. Putallaz, M., & Gottman, J.M. (1981). Social skills and group acceptance. In S.R. Asher & J. Gottman (Eds.), The development of children’s friendship. New York: Cambridge University Press. Schneider, B., Rubin, K., & Ledingham, J. (1985). Peer relationships and social skills in childhood. New York: Springer-Verlag.
OF APPLIED
DEVELOPMENTAL
PSYCHOLOGY
11,321-330
(1990)
Social Status and Friendship From Kindergarten to Third Grade CAROLLEE HOWES University of California at Los Angeles
Social status and friendship patterns were examined within an early elementary school peer group. One hundred two kindergarten children originally participated in the study. Forty-five of these children remained in the school by third grade. These follow-up children were part of a class of 108 third graders. Within the follow-up sample, kindergarten sociometric ratings were highly correlated with third-grade sociometric ratings. Children classified as rejected were most likely to have stable social status classifications. Although children of every social status classification had friends, the distribution of friendships by social status composition differed in kindergarten and third grade. Kindergarten children classified as popular were more likely than third-grade children classified as popular to have friendships with children classified as rejected. Attrition of friends between kindergarten and third grade was similar for all third-grade social status groups. However, children classified as popular in third grade were more likely than children classified as rejected to maintain stable friendships from kindergarten to third grade. Popular-popular friendship dyads were more likely than popular-rejected dyads or popular-other dyads to be stable from kindergarten to third grade. The implications of these findings for school organization and program are discussed.
Assessments of children’s social status or popularity within groups is an increasingly common research procedure for preschool and kindergarten age children. Sociometric status in preschool and kindergarten children is associated with concurrent measures of social behaviors and social cognitions (see Hartup, 1983; Schneider, Rubin, & Ledingham, 1985, for reviews of this literature). Equally common in the field is the explicit or implicit assumption that early childhood sociometric assessments will predict future social adjustment. For this to be true, social status would need to be stable between early and middle childhood and middle childhood social status would need to predict social adjustment. There is some support for the predictability of social status. In reviewing the literature, Parker and Asher (1987) conclude that rejected status is related to future indices of social maladjustment. There is no support in the literature for
The teachers and children at Seeds University Elementary School made this research possible. Thank you. Michael Espinosa, Elizabeth Chaneske, Lisabeth Myers, and JoAnn Farver served as observers in the study. Correspondence and requests for reprints may be sent to Carollee Howes, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1521.
321
322
HOWES
the stability of social status from early to middle childhood. While some studies of sociometric status find it to be relatively stable, these studies have examined the stability of status beginning in middle, not early, childhood (Coie & Dodge, 1983). Moreover, only the rejected status classification tends to remain stable and that for only approximately one-third of the children (Coie & Dodge, 1983). The current study examines the stability of social status from kindergarten to third grade. Sociometric ratings and classifications were examined. Following the pattern found in older children rejected status was expected to be most stable. Relations between social status and friendship formed a second focus of the current study. Friendship and popularity are different constructs (Gottman, 1983; Hartup, 1983; Howes, 1988). Friendship is a relationship between two people characterized by mutual liking. Popularity defines an individual child’s place within a social group. However friendship and popularity also overlap. In studies of preschool children most popular children have friends and many rejected children lack friends (Howes, 1988). In groups of older children friendships tend to occur within cliques so that popular children form friendships with other popular children and rejected children form friendships with other rejected children (Putallaz & Gottman, 1981). The current study examined whether friendships in kindergarten and third-grade children are nested within cliques and if such social status cliques tend to persist over time. As children move between kindergarten and third grade we expect them to keep some friends, lose some friends, and make some new friends. Howes (1988) studying younger children has found that toddler and preschool children who maintain stable friendships over 2- and 3-year periods appear more socially competent than children who lose friendships. In the current study patterns of friendship stability and its relation to social status and reputation with peers were examined in older children. Previous research suggests that children’s friendships do become more stable with age (Bemdt, 1981). Children know their classmates better and may make more well-informed choices (Bemdt, 1981). Alternatively, cliques within the group may solidify, therefore eliminating some children as potential friends. Children whose friendships begin in kindergarten and continue through third grade may receive emotional support and intimacy from the friendship relationship or could be stuck in a dysfunctional relationship because both children lack social skills. As a teacher explained, “the child that the others don’t like always seems to find a buddy in another child that is disliked.” The study will examine relations between stable friendships and social status in an effort to untangle these contradictory functions of friendships.
METHOD Subjects Forty-five (24 girls) children participated in both time periods of the study. These children were enrolled in a laboratory elementary school as kindergartners and as
SOCIAL STATUS AND FRIENDSHIP TABLE 1 Social Status Classifications
323
of Groups
Social Status
Original kindergarten
Neglected
Controversial
Average
Pooular
Reiected
17 (17)
17 (17)
6 (6)
6 (6)
56 (54)
8 (18)
8 (18)
6(13)
4 (9)
19 (42)
18 (17)
15 (14)
46 (42)
3 (7)
6 (13)
19 (42)
n = 102 Follow-up kindergarten n = 45 Total third grade n = 108 Follow-up third grade
12 (II)
17 (16)
8 (18)
9 (20)
n = 45 Note. Numbers
in parenthesis
are percentages.
third graders. Thirty of the children were Euro-American in ethnic background, six were Afro-American, five Hispanic, and four Asian-American. Seventy-two percent of the children were living in two-parent-families. The median mother’s educational level was 15 years (range = eighth grade to Ph.D.). They were part of groups of 102 (51 girls) kindergartners and 108 (59 girls) third graders. The 45 children who remained in the class between kindergarten and third grade were similar in family and demographic characteristics (sex, ethnicity, maternal education level, marital status, and family income) to the children who left the school. There were no differences in sociometric rating scores, sociometric status classification, or in parent and teacher ratings between these two groups. Table 1 presents social status classifications for the samples. Children primarily left the school because the parents could no longer provide transportation or because siblings were not selected for the school. Sixty-three additional children entered the school to replace the children who left the school. The replacement children were no different from the children who left in family and demographic characteristics except for ethnicity. The replacement children were more likely than the children who left to be Hispanic or AfroAmerican. Social status classifications were similar for the follow-up third graders and the total third-grade sample (see Table 1).
MEASURES
AND PROCEDURES
Each kindergarten child was individually interviewed and completed both a positive nomination and a rating procedure. For positive nominations I presented each child with an array of pictures of their classmates and asked them to hand the examiner an unlimited number of pictures of their best friends. Children were
324
HOWES
then shown class pictures of children in other kindergarten classrooms and again asked to identify friends. A modification of the Asher, Singleton, Tinsley, and Hymel(1979) sociometric measure was used to obtain ratings of sociometric status in kindergarten. The children placed pictures of their classmates, one by one, in a big, medium, or little bowl according to how much they wanted that person as a friend. Pictures places in the big bowl scored of 3, and those in the small bowl scored 1. Same-sex sociometric rating scores were standardized within classrooms. The reliability of the sociometric ratings was assessed by test-retest reliability over a 2-week period for 23% of the children. The median Kappa coefficients for nominations was .77. The Pearson product moment correlation for ratings was .82. I obtained positive nominations in third grade by asking each child to list his or her best friends. Children could nominate children from other classrooms as well as from their own. Each child then rated all other children in the classroom according to how much they liked the child as a friend using a 1 to 5 scale (with I being not at all and 5 being very, very much). Same-sex sociometric rating scores were standardized within classrooms. I classified children into one of five status groups using a modification of the procedure developed by Asher and Dodge (1986). Classifications were as follows: A lowest possible rating score (LPR) was computed as the frequency of one ratings received from all peers. The LPR was standardized within classrooms. A highest possible rating score (HPR) was the frequency of three ratings received from all peers. The HPR also was standardized within classrooms. The standard scores for the HPR and LPR were used to generate social preference (Z(HPR)-Z(LPR)) and social impact (Z(HPR) + Z(LPR)) scores. Pophr children were the group of children with social preference scores greater than 1.O, HPR scores greater than 0, and LPR scores less than 0. Rejected children were the group of children who received a social preference score of less than - 1.O, a LPR score of greater than 0, and a HPR of less than 0. Neglected children were the group of children who received a social impact score of less than - 1 .O and LPR and HPR scores of less than 0. Controversial children were the group of children who received a social impact score of greater than 1.0 and HPR and LPR scores greater than 0. The remaining children were Average. This modification of social status classification results in similar associations with observed play and teacher ratings as standard classifications (Howes, 1988). Children were reciprocal friends either if each partner named the other as a best friend or if one named the other as a best friend and the partner gave the child the highest rating on the rating sociometrics. RESULTS
Sociometric Status Sociometric status distributions were similar for all four groups of interest: original kindergarten, follow-up kindergarten, total third grade, and follow-up third grade. See Table 1 for these distributions.
325
SOCIAL STATUS AND FRIENDSHIP
TABLE 2 Stability
of Social Status Classifications in Follow-Up Kindergarten to Third Grade
Sample From
Social Status Kindergarten
Social Status Third Grade
Popular
Rejected
Popular Rejected Neglected Controversial Average
3 0 0 1 4
0 5 0 2 1
Neglected 0 0 1 1 4
Controversial 0 0 0 1 3
Average 6 3 2 1 7
Within the follow-up sample kindergarten sociometric ratings were highly correlated with third-grade sociometric ratings (r(43) = .65, p > .Ol). Social status classifications were relatively stable between kindergarten and third grade (x2( 16) = 7.13, p < .05). See Table 2. Children classified as rejected were most likely to have stable classifications (x*(4) = 19.3 1, p < .Ol). Five of the eight children classified as rejected in kindergarten were classified as rejected in third grade. Friendships and Social Status Children classified as popular or average were more likely to have friends than children classified as rejected, neglected, or controversial in both kindergarten and third-grade groups: (Kindergarten: (x*(l) = 24.66, p = .OOl); Third grade (x*(l) = 34.82, p < .OOl). However in both samples some rejected, neglected, and controversial children did have friends. The distributions of friends by social status classification for each sample are in Table 3.
Relations
Between
TABLE 3 Friendship
Friendship Social Status Popular Rejected Neglected Controversial Average
and Social Status
Kindergarten Friends
No Friends
17
a
3 5 55 Third Grade
Popular Rejected Neglected Controversial Average
17
a
4 12 46
0 4 14 3 0
HOWES
326
Distribution
TABLE 4 of Friendship Dyads by Social Status Composition Friendship Dyads
Composition Popular-popular Popular-rejected Popular-othera Rejected-rejected Rejected-othera Other-othera Total =Other = classified as neglected,
Kindergarten
Third Grade 11 0 41 1 10 73 136
6 6 43 2 28 77 162 controversial,
or average
The 102 children in kindergarten formed a total of 162 friendships. In third grade 108 children formed 136 friendships. The distribution of friendships by social status composition of the partners is in Table 4. Distributions of friendships by social status composition in kindergarten were significantly different from distributions in third grade (x2(5) = 16.33, p < .05). Kindergarten children classified as popular were more likely than third-grade children classified as popular to have friendships with children classified as rejected. Third-grade children classified as popular were more likely than kindergarten children classified as popular to have friendships with popular children (x2(2) = 9.48, p < .05). Children classified as rejected in kindergarten were more likely than children classified as rejected in third grade to have friendships with children classified as neglected, controversial, or average (x2(1) = 6.26, p < .05).
Stability of Friendships from Kindergarten to Third Grade Having Friends. Most of the children had at least one friend. Only six (13%) of the children in the follow-up sample had had no friends in kindergarten. Three (50%) of these children had a friend in third grade. Three other children in the follow-up sample who had had friends in kindergarten had no friends in third grade. Keeping Friends. Due to the children leaving the school, both partners remained in only 37 (23%) of the original 162 kindergarten friendships. Of these 37 friendships 13 (35%) persisted from kindergarten to third grade. Despite this loss of children and, therefore, of friendships, 25 (64%) of the 39 children in the follow-up sample who had had at least one kindergarten friendship had a partner remaining in the school. Attrition of friends between kindergarten and third grade was similar for all third-grade social status groups. There were no significant differences between status groups in the percentage of kindergarten friendship lost due to attrition
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Number
TABLE 5 of Children in Each Third-Grade Social Status Group That Maintained Least One Friendship Between Kindergarten and Third Grade
Social Status in Third Grade
at
Maintained at Least One Friendship
Ended All Potentially Stable Friendships
9 1 0 1 3
0 3 1 1 6
Popular Rejected Neglected Controversial Average
kindergarten and third grade (A4 percent of kindergarten friends lost: popular .48, rejected .38, neglected .48, controversial .56, average .55; F(4,38) = 2.05,~ = .ll). Third-grade social status groups differed in the extent they maintained friendships available between kindergarten and third grade. The number of children in each third-grade status group that maintained or ended a friendship between kindergarten and third grade is presented in Table 5. Children classified as popular in third grade were more likely than children classified as rejected to maintain stable friendships from kindergarten to third grade (Fisher Exact Test, p = .05). The social status composition of the 37 friendships that were possible to maintain between kindergarten and third grade are presented in Table 6. Popularpopular friendship dyads were more likely than popular-rejected dyads or popular-other dyads to be stable from kindergarten to third grade (Fisher Exact Test, p < .05>. between
Distribution
TABLE 6 of Stable and Nonmaintained Social Status Composition
Friendships by
Friendships Comoosftion Popular-popular Popular-rejected Popular-othera Rejected-rejected Rejected-othera Other-othera aOther = classified as neglected,
Nonmaintained
Stable 7 0 2 1 0 3 controversial,
or average
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HOWES
DISCUSSION The results of the current study suggest that popularity with peers as measured by sociometric ratings and by social status classification tends to remain relatively stable from kindergarten to third grade. These results are interesting but tentative given the small size of the follow-up sample. Additional limitations of the study include that it was conducted in a single, medium size elementary school. Additional studies are needed to test the generalizability of these findings. The magnitude of the association between sociometric ratings in kindergarten and third grade, the relative stability of the rejected social status classification, and the percentage of rejected children who remain rejected in the current study were comparable to previous research with middle childhood and older children (e.g., Coie & Dodge, 1983). These results provide some justification for the assumption that sociometric status in early childhood is relatively stable. It must be noted that only 37% of the follow-up sample maintained their social status classification. While rejection was the most stable social status category, only five children remain classified as rejected. Therefore, it would be premature to conclude that social status is fixed early in elementary school. Further intervention type research is needed to examine the resistance of early status classifications to change. Friendships in this study were not independent of social status. Although children of all social status classifications formed and maintained friendships, popular and average children were more likely to. There was a stronger association between social status and friendship patterns as the children got older. In kindergarten, children classified as both popular and rejected formed friendships with a wide range of children. Popular children were as likely to form friendships with children classified as rejected as they were to form friendships with children classified as popular. Rejected children formed friendships with children of every other social status classification. By third grade popular children did not have friendships with rejected children. These patterns point to an increase in the rigidity of the social structure of the group. With increased rigidity of the social structure of the group, peer reputations take on added importance. If children tend to engage primarily with friends and if their friends are increasingly similar to themselves in social status, children have decreasing opportunities for direct experiences with children different social status. Therefore, with increasing time in a peer group, a child’s reputation may be better known by others than the child’s actual behavior. Classroom practices could be used to reverse this process. Teaching strategies which encourage children to work together in small groups such as cooperative learning and careful teacher attention to the composition of the groups would give children opportunities to engage with others that they know only by reputation. A little over one-third of the children in the follow-up sample did maintain a friendship between kindergarten and third grade. These stable friendships were not independent of social status. Popular children were more likely to maintain
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329
friendships than rejected children and friendships between two children classified as popular were most likely to be maintained. These results help to explain the association between friendship stability and social competence reported for younger children (Howes, 1988). Children who are more socially competent may be better able than less competent children to maintain friendships over time. Alternatively, friendships between socially competent children may be more functional in terms of providing intimacy and support than friendships between less competent pairs of children. Some children may find it difftcult to resist peer pressure and remain friends with a child rejected by the group. Teachers might be able to intervene in this process by assisting children in their efforts to remain friends despite group pressure. The social structure of the studied peer group was disrupted by the attribution of students from the school. The relatively high attrition rate in the study school is not atypical of urban and suburban communities in the United States. Most children probably experience the loss of friendships. Parents, teachers, and school administrators may need to be concerned about the meaning of these losses to children.
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