Alexandra McCann

110144843
EDUC 4213
Peers, Relationships & Health

Assignment 2- Case Study

‘John’

Becoming capable of establishing and maintaining peer relationships is an essential part of a

child’s social, emotional and cognitive development. Through peer interactions children are
essentially learning and developing a collection of social skills; persuasion, cooperation,
compromise, conflict resolution and self-regulation (Asher & Parker, 1989; Erwin, 1993; Gauvain,
2001; Maxmell, Jarrett, & Dickerson, 1998; Sutton-Smith, 1979). Peers uphold a significant role in a
child’s life, the initial foundations built in the stages of early childhood. The ability to obtain a
friendship is often overlooked especially as children enter later stages of schooling but it is through
friendships that children develop their understanding of the world around them and form their
own identify, understanding their self in relation to the world. As children mature and enter
adolescent stages, friends essentially provide a form of coping mechanism and assist in
navigating challenges and experiences. I am writing to you, the school principal, to discuss one
of my student’s troubling behaviour and the concerns I have for his personal and academic
future. John, age 9, originates from a background of drugs, domestic violence, psychological
neglect and instability. Deciphering previous observations and records, I believe John is
incompetent in a range of social and emotive areas. As this is my first year with John, I want to
focus on building certain areas that I as an educator believe will assist John in improving peer
relations and obtaining appropriate learning outcomes. It is evident through John’s behaviour
that the areas of concern are friendship stability, social skills and competency, aggression
towards others, his idea of self and resilience. Aggressive and irrational children are often rejected
by peers, imposing threat to learning and development. I am presenting this case to explain,
support and justify why I claim to believe working within these main areas will enable John, and
how I intend to implement strategies that will ultimately assist him in improving peer relations and
academic levels. Rutter et al. (1979) found that ‘at risk’ children were more probable to display
resilience if working alongside nurturing educators. By working with these children, a form of
attachment is provided so that they are supported in handling adverse circumstances. I hope to
provide this for John throughout the duration of the year through my teaching pedagogy and
the strategies discussed throughout.

Friendships: Acceptance & Rejection

Friendship is effectively a relationship between friends. Hartup (1992) acknowledged four

functions of friendships for development, with friendships providing; ‘a context for skill learning,
knowledge about selves, others, and the world, emotional and cognitive resources that children
can access during their normal interactions and during times of stress, and models for subsequent
relationships’ (Sebanc, 2003, p. 249). Essentially, children who have friends are more socially
competent, less troubled than children who do not, are more sociable, cooperative, altruistic,
self-assured and less lonely (Hartup, 1993 cited in Hartup, 1996, p. 4). John has been identified as
having no close friends and has not yet be accepted into a peer group at school, but rather
forces his way into them. He is deemed as unpopular and is often teased and taunted by peers.
The peer group of most value to John is his older brothers group. I believe due to a combination
of social incapacities and modelled negative interactions, John does not acquire the
fundamental skills necessary to establish and maintain long-term friendships.

Children’s friendships may also become a source of negative influence and become risk factors
for antisocial behaviour (Sebanc, 2003, p. 250). They may also provide children with detrimental
information and mistaken models for subsequent relationships (Sebanc, 2003, p. 250). Features of
negative friendships entail of contention, conflict, betrayal, control, exclusivity and aggression
(Sebanc, 2003, p. 250). John’s said friendship with Dean consists of negative attributes of control
and mistreatment. This is John’s concept of friendship and his attempt to secure a relationship
with minimum rejection. Hartup (1992) stresses as educators, we need to be aware of these
formed relationships and ‘ensure we are emphasising the importance of positive and healthy
relationships so that our students are able to determine the difference between a positive or
negative relationship early on (Hartup, 1992 cited in Sebanc, 2003, p. 250).

In order to support John is the area of making friends and sustaining relationships, I plan to
implement strategies designed to assist him in developing positive social and friendship skills. I aim
to do so through teaching the concept, modelling appropriate behaviour, scaffolding
interactions with feedback and supporting John’s use of behaviour in context. Modelling may
include adult figure or peers demonstrating appropriate friendship skills through role play or video
(Webster-Stratton & Hammond, 1997). Provide interactions in a variety of contexts and discuss
alongside John how these actions are used to obtain a particular positive reaction. Another
strategy is to introduce a buddy system or peer partners. These partners are intended to support
and provide direct models of behaviour within a classroom context. This creates necessary
distance between John and Dean, while offering John with another support system. This will be
intensely monitored and buddies may change regularly depending on the pairs behavioural
outcome. Through the use of these strategies and constant direction and encouragement,
John’s struggles with acceptance and rejection will expectantly reduce.

Social Skills & Social Competence

From as early as infant/toddler years, children are beginning to develop a sense of understanding
communication, responses, social and emotional expression and the actions of others around
them (Thompson, 2006, p. 26). ‘At each age, social cognitive understanding contributes to social
competence, interpersonal sensitivity, and an awareness of how the self relates to other
individuals and groups in a complex social world’ (Thompson, 2006, p. 26). Social understanding
is considered particularly significant due to the social nature of humans and provides the
foundation to build and maintain relationships, from the first initial years of life through to
adulthood. Social skills refer to behaviour and the particular behaviour types in which a person
should aim to comprehend and perfect in order to participate successfully in a variety of social
settings (Vahedi et al., 2012, p. 126). Vahedi et al. (2012) explains how a person’s awareness of
how their intended behaviours may affect their surroundings and their sensitivity to the needs of
others are the ‘differentiating points of social competence’ (Vahedi et al., 2012, p. 126). Social
competence can be defined as a ‘construct involving variety of qualities and traits such as
positive self-image, social assertion, frequency of interaction, social cognitive skills and popularity
with peers’ (Vahedi et al., 2012, p. 126) Greater social competence is generally associated with
‘peer acceptance, emotional health, and capability as established in school such as school
readiness, interpersonal relationships, and social adjustment’ (Vahedi et al., 2012, p. 126).
Children who are socially responsive, assertive, accommodating and approachable tend to
successful in academic and social areas while displaying a greater psychological resilience
(Vahedi et al., 2012, p. 126).

Children with established parent-child relationships and secure attachments, in comparison to

those with insecure or no attachments, were discovered to be more engaging, cooperative,
compliant and affectively positive in their interactions with peers (Ladd, 1999, p. 337). Aspects of
parenting such as emotional expressiveness and responsiveness have been specified in array of
frameworks and mechanisms that ultimately support and enable children to acquire similar skills
needed for the successful development of peer relationships, interactions and acceptance
(Ladd, 1999, p. 334). Ladd (1999) further describes that parent’s child-rearing styles such as
warmth, agreeableness and responsiveness were associated with children’s level of social
competence while personalities of disagreeableness, coercion and permissiveness were related
with skill deficits and behavioural issues (Ladd, 1999, p. 337).

It is evident through John’s observed behaviour, that he displays signs of social incompetency.
Due to his relationship with his mother being interrupted at such a young age, John was unable
to form a secure attachment. His mother Carol was often absent and when present, her
behaviour was inconsistent due to her involvement with drugs. With Carol being the local drug
dealer, she has constant visitors to the home, essentially becoming susceptible to domestic
violence. In an attempt to keep her in his life and form some sort of attachment, John copies this
violent behaviour he has witnessed towards his mother, using elements of control and physical
aggression. Lack of social skills, skill deficits and irregular behaviour appeared to more frequent
amid children who were exposed to family disruption and dysfunction (Ladd, 1999, p. 337).
Ultimately, children experiencing these circumstances were found to be more hostile in their
interactions with peers and less successful at forming and maintaining friendships (Ladd, 1999, p.
337). This may lead to the development of internal problem behaviours; anxiety and withdrawal,
external behaviours; acting out, violence and conduct disorders, and issues of inhibited,
dependent, impulsive and aggressive behaviours (Vahedi et al., 2012, p. 126). John exhibits
external problem behaviours, in particular through interactions with his school peers, being
separated from his previous class due to intense violent outbursts. A consequence of John’s lack
of social skills and competency, he has no close friends or peer group and essentially controls
and victimizes his one buddy Dean. As John has been described as disruptive, unpredictable
and impulsive, his behaviour is not reflective of positive social expression and competency.

In order to support John’s development of social skills and social competency, I will place a strong
importance of the concept of goal setting within the classroom. Wentzel (2003) suggests that
students are competent when they are able to achieve established goals that are valued to
themselves, as well as educators and peers (Wentzel, 2003, p. 324). As well as individual goals, I
want to focus on whole class goals or goals that can only be made through working together as
a peer group. Through this strategy of goal setting, I aim for John to be supported in developing
socially responsible behaviour through a cooperative learning process (Ames & Ames, 1984, cited
in Wentzel, 2003, p. 324). As the goal is group orientated, John and his class peers will need to
support each other and work together as ‘perceived social and emotional support from peers,
has been associated with pursuit of academic as well as prosocial goals’ (DuBois et al., 1992;
Wentzel, 1994 cited in Wentzel, 2003, p. 324). Positive interactions with peers can also heighten
the development of intellectual skills, perspective taking and problem-solving strategies (Damon
& Phelps, 1989 cited in, Wentzel, 2003, p. 324). Goals may be orientated around activities and
sports as John has indicated an interest in outdoor games. As his social competence increases
when he is in a situation where his self-esteem is boosted, it is essential that the activity or goal be
interest driven. By modelling positive social behaviour and establishing individual and group
goals, I aim to support John in understanding and developing social skills and competency in
order to advance academically and form peer relationships within the class.

Aggression, Bullying & Victimisation

An explicit form of antisocial behaviour is bullying. Bullying can be defined as ‘negative actions
being directed at a specific youngster or group of youngsters repeatedly’ (Olweus 1993 cited in
Pellegrini, 2000, p. 78). The manner of bullying is a deliberate interpersonal aggression that
involves a power imbalance, physical or psychological and is repeated over time (Rigby, 2002
cited in Gregory, 2011, p.35). Negative actions are broadly described in the terms of physical
aggression and consider acts of hitting, verbal aggression, name calling, social exclusion and
indirect aggression, particularly common amongst females (Crick, 1996; Crick & Grotpeter, 1995;
Lagerspetz et al., 1998 cited in Pellegrini, 2000, p. 78). Bullying takes many forms and may be
defined as a subcategory of interpersonal aggression (Hymel & Swearer, 2015, p. 295). Bullies tend
to be physically stronger are commonly non-compliant and aggressive in other aspects of their
life (Olweus, 1993, p. 80). The ongoing aggressive behaviour of bullies often results in unpopularity,
rejection and denial by peers (Dodge, 1991; Olweus, 1993 cited in Pellegrini, 2000, p. 81).

John has said to exhibit antisocial behaviour generally associated with bullying. John has no
intimate peer group as he was separated due to intense levels of violence. Dean is listed as
common company although he falls victim to John’s bullying behaviour. Although John is
considered a bully, he is also victimised by peers. ‘There are increased rates of emotional and
behavioural problems in bullies and victims, but the worst outcomes are seen in bully-victims, who
both bully others and experience being the victim’ (Arseneault et al., 2006 cited in Gregory, 2011,
p. 36). Labelled as aggressive victims, they are the most rejected members of the peer group
(Pellegrini, 2000, p. 82). The effects of extreme rejection essentially puts John at risk of negative
developmental outcomes and increases the likelihood of dropping out of school, behaviour
problems or homicide (Parker & Asher, 1987 cited in Pellegrini, 2000, p. 82). Aggressive victims are
characterised through adversative and power-assertive interactions (Pellegrini, 2000, p. 82)
however can be described as having inconsistent parents or a history of abuse (Bowers et al.,
1994 cited in Pellegrini, 2000, p. 82). Falling victim of abuse and domestic violence, John has been
exposed and accustomed to this style of interaction due to his dysfunctional home life. Pellegrini
(2000) describes how research of socialisation suggest that families of bullies are ‘conflict ridden’
and often family members use aggression and other power-assertive techniques to control
behaviour (Loeber & Dishion, 1984; Schwartz, 1993 cited in Pellegrini, 2000, p. 81). ‘Following
exposure to adults using power-assertive strategies and exposure to violence in the home, these
children have learned that aggression can be used to obtain desired goals, secure reinforcement
and get things done’ (Bandura, 1973 cited in Pellegrini, 2000, p. 81). In John’s case, the witnessed
domestic violence and his mother’s unavailability has offered him means of coping that consist
of manipulation, aggression and control. He experiences violence in the form of dominance at
home and assumes that this is tolerated behaviour when at school. It could be an attempt at
gaining status and control over his other peers, a mistaken approach to establishing friendships.

In an attempt to prevent and end bullying, you must come to understand what a child acquires
or is attempting to gain through bullying others. For many perpetrators, bullying appears to be
motivated by the ‘pursuit of visibility, power and a high status within the peer group’ (Salmivalli,
2014, p. 286). As an educator, we have an important role in establishing a learning environment
that does not support bullying. As a strategy to help reduce John’s antisocial behaviour and to
support prosocial and positive interactions with peers, I will promote and teach empathy to the
class. This will be constructed through demonstration, role-playing, cooperative groups, and
discussion. These methods aim to help students learn to speak and listen to each other, while
developing empathy for their peers and recognizing their obligation as a member of a learning
community to assist and support classmates in dealing with antisocial behaviours (Rock et al.,
2002). Students will be provided with opportunities to support perspective taking, interaction skills
to assist in expressing their feelings, problem solving and conflict resolution (Rock et al., 2002). By
supporting John in recognising his experienced emotions, promoting empathy for class peers and
assisting him in self-regulation, I aim to enable John to recognise prosocial coping mechanisms
and conflict solutions to essentially improve peer interactions and develop academically.

The Self & Resilience

Concepts of self essentially enable an individual to adopt a particular stance on which to view
the world (Schaffer, 1996, p. 155). We each attain an image of the type of person we believe
that we are, provided through our own construction of predetermined values and partialities
(Schaffer, 1996, p. 159). The outcome of our constructive efforts is self-concept; ‘this refers to the
cognitive aspects of the self-esteem and expresses the subjective knowledge people have of
themselves as psychological and physical beings’ (Schaffer, 1996, p. 160). Schaffer (1996) refers
to self-esteem as an individual’s feelings of worthiness and competence (Schaffer, 1996, p. 160).
Issues of self-esteem are most instable during initial foundation in childhood and remains
influenced and reformed throughout adolescence. Previous records suggest that John has a
perverse idea of self-concept and expressed low self-esteem. John has spent his childhood
oppressing and being a victim to antisocial behaviours which have ultimately predetermined his
view of self. John has previously made statements saying, ‘he hates himself’ and that ‘no one
likes him’. Resilience can be outlined as the resistance to imposed environmental experiences
and the overcoming of stress and hardship (Rutter, 2011, p. 34). ‘It is the ability to cope or ‘bounce
back’ after encountering negative events, difficult situations, challenges or adversity and to
return to almost the same level of emotional wellbeing’ (Farrelly, n.d, p. 3). It is also the ability to
respond adaptively to problematic circumstances and still thrive (Bernard, 1996, Burns, 1996,
Fuller, 1998, Luthar, 2000, Johnson, 2008 cited in Farrelly, n.d, p. 3). Such circumstances may
include living in poverty, dysfunctional family life, disability, low intellect levels, neglect, sexual or
physical abuse, long-term absence of caregiver, separation, death and exposure to extreme
violence (Garmezy & Rutter, 1983 cited in Green et al., 2007, p. 133). John has suffered a number
of these experiences throughout his childhood including the absence of his grandmother,
violence in the home and his estranged relationship with his mother. His levels of resilience appear
to be low as depicted through his aggressive and unstable behaviour at school.

Effectual approaches to building the resilience of children and young people include active and
positive relationships with peers, staff, parents and community (Farrelly, n.d, p. 7). Children who
feel cared for and supported by individuals who share the academic goals of the school, are less
likely to suffer academic, social or mental health problems (Blum, 2005, Bond et al., 2007, Jose et
al., 2012 cited in Farrelly, n.d, p. 7). It is important for our role as educators to recognise our
capacity as role models to influence and develop student resilience. Educators can demonstrate
resilient attitudes and skills in how they manage the challenges of everyday stress and discuss
with students about how they dealt with previous setbacks (Mindmatters, 2017, p. 6). Green et al.
(2007) has explained how research has shown that ‘influences such as teachers’ actions and
expectations, school-wide policies, classroom and school climate play a key role in enhancing
resilience and motivating positive attitudes towards school’ (Wang, Haertel & Walberg, 1997
cited in Green et al., 2007, p. 134). John’s resilience could become a great strength if motivated
and supported correctly, while failing to do so, could become one of his biggest defeats. To assist
in strengthening John’s self-esteem and resilience, I plan to use strategies that involve
participation processes, development of relationships and regular feedback (Mindmatters, 2017,
p. 6). By allowing John to experience roles of leadership and responsibility, I hope for John to
develop a sense of accountability. When signs of resilience are indicated, I will provide John with
feedback, reinforcing and outlining resilient attitudes (Mindmatters, 2017, p. 6). I will offer John a
quiet space or area he can visit when he feels overwhelmed, to assist in regulation and provide
him with the opportunity to bounce back. In turn, I hope that the combination of these underlying
strategies will support John in improving peer relationships, his concept of self and academic
learning.

In summary, I plan to implement these approaches to effectively assist John in achieving learning
outcomes and improving the relationships and interactions between peers. The key areas of
focus incorporate underpinnings of social skills, prosocial behaviours, positive interactions and
resilience. Supported by literature, these main areas have proven to be of great necessity for a
child’s social, emotional and cognitive development. Through working alongside John in the
main areas of aggression, self and resilience, friendships and social competence, I intend for the
underlying skills involved to provide coping mechanisms and techniques that may support him in
his journey through school and life at home. These capacities act as a scaffold and work in
collaboration, supporting all facets of social development. It is through the discussed strategies
that I aim to support John as the potential of a positive outcome will transform John’s future,
academically and socially.

References

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Hartup, W.W. (1996) The Company They Keep: Friendships and Their Developmental Significance,
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