Peer Socialization of Achievement -Related Beliefs

Abstract

Study 2 examined children's classroom discourse as one mechanism through which peers may influence children's beliefs about their academic capabilities. Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade students (N = 106) participated in two waves of data collection, approximately one year apart. During the first year of the study, children's verbal interactions with their classmates were observed and recorded. During the spring of each year, children's self-perceptions of competence were assessed. Analyses revealed that changes in children's competence perceptions could be predicted from the types of statements that children made and had directed toward them by peers in the classroom setting. Examining sequences of children's statements proved helpful in explaining the observed changes in children's perceptions of competence over time.