Patrick OConner

Observation and Research Report Part B

SCED6100
Dr Fabrikant

On April 7
th
, 2014, I submitted Part A of my Observation and Research
Assignment. In it I reported my observations of adolescents at the Savannah and
Statesboro Mall food courts. The purpose of my research was to observe
adolescents in an environment free of direct adult supervision and then compare
my observations with what we have learned in class this semester. The most
noticeable trend was that younger adolescents tended to be grouped in cliques
while older adolescents tended to be in pairs or trios. The older ones seemed to
have a purpose that brought them to the mall, whether it was trading in a cell
phone or grabbing a quick meal. They may have been enjoying the time spent
with a couple of friends or a romantic partner, but they had a primary task that
brought them to the mall, completed that task, and left. The middle school
students, on the other hand, may have grabbed a drink or a snack, but their
purchases seemed to be secondary. The primary reason they were at the mall
was to hang out with each other. They seemed to be a more defined peer group
that exhibited characteristics of a clique. Our textbook defines a clique as small
groups of between 2 and 12 individuals, generally of the same age and sexthat
provide the main social context in which adolescents interact with one another
(Steinberg, 2014). This report will examine some of the possible factors, based
on a survey of relevant scholarly literature on the subject, that cause younger
adolescents to gravitate towards cliques and help explain the differences that
were observed between the social patterns of younger and older adolescents. It
will then examine some of the effects these peer groups have on individuals and
the implications this knowledge might have for educators trying to create a
classroom environment and curriculum for middle school students.
Changes in self-esteem that begin in early adolescence may explain why
middle school students gravitate towards cliques. Peer groups are generally very
important during early adolescence (Ryan 2001). Early adolescents have lower
self-esteem, are more self conscious, and have a more unstable self image and
these changes in self-perception are more pronounced during early adolescence.
(Steinberg 2014). This drop in self-esteem may cause middle school students to
feel more secure in a close-knit peer group whose members are all going through
the same changes. Older adolescents, on the other hand, have higher levels of
self-esteem on-balance. Friendships are important to them, as they are to many
people of all ages, but their higher level of self-esteem and more stable self-
image may give them less of a need to cling as tightly to their peer group or
define themselves by their role in it.
The need for peer acceptance may explain both why younger adolescents
gravitate to peer groups and may also account for their selection of friends
comprising their group. The transition into adolescence is a difficult time for
many, and being accepted by peers has a significant positive effect on the social-
emotional adjustment of middle school girls and boys (Wentzel and Caldwell,
2007). The fact that this younger African-American peer group and the others I
observed tended to have members of one race and one gender exclusively was
typical according to research, while the mixed-gender group I observed in
Statesboro was not. Under natural conditions, adolescents tend to select friends
of the same race and gender (Hansell,1984). Perhaps they have fewer worries
about being accepted by people who look like them and have things in common.
Because of heightened sensitivity to rejection at this age and lower self-esteem,
many young adolescents may have no particular negative feelings towards peers
of a different race or sex than themselves but may lack the confidence to attempt
to reach out to peers in different groups. Without taking that first step, it is
probably more difficult to avoid seeing members of other racial groups with the
finer distinctions that one might be able to easily make when observing members
of other racial groups (Steinberg, 2014).
Another reason young adolescents may gravitate towards peer groups is that
these groups can help them make sense of the world around them and their own
emerging identities. While it may be putting it too strongly to suggest that young
adolescents are forming their own culture with their own values, their peer groups
do serve as a filter through which the expectations of teachers, parents, and
society must pass before they are fully accepted by the individual members of
the peer group (Siman, 1977). As children, they had little autonomy and little
need to figure things out. They had little perspective beyond their own
experiences. As adolescents, they start to compare experiences and make
judgments about those experiences. Theyll compare the actions of their
respective teachers, their parents, and their classmates. As a child they may not
have questioned the decisions of a teacher or a parent. However, theyll now
often compare one parent or teachers decisions to those of the parents of the
other group members and come to a consensus as to whether the decision was
right or reasonable. While I couldnt make out every bit of the conversations
taking place around me, the middle school clique I observed at the Savannah
Mall seemed to be talking about peers and teachers. While it might have
sounded like insignificant gossip at the time, in light of the research Ive surveyed
it is better understood as a significant part of their social and emotional
development.
There is a good deal of difficulty involved in measuring precisely the effects of
peer groups on individuals. Isolating different variables can be a very difficult
task. The effects of peer groups are complex and can be the result of both seen
and unseen variables. For example, the choice of ones peer group can be
influenced by other variables such as the quality of the schools or the parents
choice of neighborhood, so the choices an individual has for peers can be as
much an effect of other variables than a cause of whatever follows this choice.
(Evans, Oates, & Schwab, 1992) One study of British students suggested the
reverse of this, that conventional measures of school quality are not good
predictors for academic attainment once peer group effects are controlled for
(Robertson & Symons 2003). Many factors are reciprocal, and controlling for
every possible variable can make measuring peer group effects as much of an
art as a science.
Despite the acknowledged difficulties in measuring the influence of peer
groups on individuals, it was very clear from my survey of the literature that there
is a broad consensus that peer groups matter. There are some things beyond
dispute. Peer groups influence both pro-social and anti-social behavior. (Ellis and
Zarbatany, 2007). The academic performance of friends influences ones own
academic performance during adolescence (Steinberg, 2014). As one study put
it, Adolescents select peer-groups for non-academic reasons, but academic
characteristics are subsequently influenced by the peer group (Ryan 2001). It is
likely that if one of the members of the clique I observed is less of an achiever
than the other members but the clique values academic success, the lower-
achieving member will likely try harder and make better grades. It also works in
the opposite direction. Peer groups can also influence problem behavior and
drug use. The effects of peer groups on individuals have been shown to be
consistent for boys and girls and across ethnic groups (Ryan 2001).
Implications for the classroom:
75% of 7
th
graders are members of cliques (Steinberg, 2014). Understanding
the psycho-social changes of early adolescence, how peer groups are utilized by
students and how they influence students can greatly influence how we educate
them. In early adolescence, in addition to drops in self-esteem and a less stable
self-image, middle school students tend to experience a declines in motivation,
just at the time when their academic and other choices start to effect the
trajectory of their lives and careers (Maher & Anderman, 1994). The standardized
test scores of US students are much more competitive in 4
th
grade with the
scores of their foreign counterparts than they are in 8
th
grade. (National Center
for Education Statistics, 2014). We are losing kids during middle school. One
explanation for this is that classrooms are typically structured in ways that
prevent educators from using the structure and function of peer groups in ways
that make instruction more effective. The way cliques formed and the ways the
influence student behavior are greatly affected by the way a teacher sets up the
classroom and the way the teacher interacts with the students (Hallinan & Smith,
1989).
Peer groups do not merely effect the individuals in a particular peer group.
They can effect the other peer groups, which in turn can change the environment
in the entire classroom. There is a pecking order among cliques, particularly in
early adolescence. Whatever the central or most popular peer group is doing is
often emulated by the other peer groups. The more popular a peer group is, the
more effect it has on the other peer groups (Ellis & Zarbatany, 2007). This means
the teacher needs to realize that getting the students motivated doesnt mean
just reaching individual students. The instruction and values of the curriculum
must pass through the filters of several different peer groups, where they will be
evaluated and either accepted or rejected. Since the judgments of the most
popular cliques are then passed through the filters of the other groups, getting
the most influential members of the most influential cliques to buy into the
instruction can probably improve the chances of getting many of the other
students to buy into it as well. If students see some social benefit from their peer
group as a result of academic success, they are likely to try harder and
accomplish more. As one study put it children are active players and likely to
use peer group membership to maximize their social benefits (Ellis and
Zarbatany, 2007). Teachers stand to benefit greatly if they can get academic
success to become something associated with higher status in ones peer group.
The literature was not really clear on precisely how to make this happen. Several
studies I surveyed discussed the idea of simply having teachers alter the
composition of peer groups (Winkler, 1975; Siman, 1977; Hansell, 1984). This
has been attempted in order to bring about better relations among students of
different racial groups or to help lower-achieving students benefit by being
surrounded by high-achieving peers. None of the literature I read suggested that
this approach had very much success. The ties between members of peer
groups may be heavily influenced by the school setting, but they arent
something teachers can simply control and manipulate at will. If teachers try to
be too heavy-handed in changing these groups, it can cause a backlash from
students and not have the desired effects. The authoritative approach to
teaching, like parenting, seems to be the most effective in getting an adolescent
to become motivated and value learning. One approach that did have some
success was to encourage ties between various peer groups instead of
attempting to alter the composition of the groups (Hansell, 1984).
When setting up my classroom, understanding the ways in which cliques filter
the information and values Im trying to convey will be invaluable. Ive always
strived to be conscious of what Im communicating, how I communicate it (both
verbally and non-verbally) and who Im communicating it to. I realize now that Im
not merely communicating to 20 individuals or one class. Im passing information
through several social networks, and it can be amplified, muzzled, or completely
altered during the transmission. My goal is effective management, not complete
control, of my students. Understanding how they are likely to process and
respond to my instruction will enable me to create a learning environment
conducive to their success.




































Works Cited

Ellis, W., & Zarbatany, L. (2007). Peer Group Status as a Moderator of Group
Influence on Children's Deviant, Aggressive, and Prosocial Behavior. Child
Development, 78(4), 1240-1254. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from the JSTOR
database.

Evans, W., Oates, W., & Schwab, R. (1992). Measuring Peer Group Effects: A Study of
Teenage Behavior. Journal of Political Economy, 100(5), 966-991. Retrieved
April 20, 2014, from the JSTOR database.

National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Facts. (n.d.). Fast Facts. Retrieved May
10, 2014, from [Link]

Hansell, S. (1984). Cooperative Groups, Weak Ties, and the Integration of Peer
Friendships. Social Psychology Quarterly, 47(4), 316-328. Retrieved April 20,
1974, from the JSTOR database.

Meehan, M., & Schusler, R. (1967). Small Groups In Sixth Grade. The Elementary
School Journal, 67(5), 241-245. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from the JSTOR
database.


Robertson, D., & Symons, J. (2003). Do Peer Groups Matter? Peer Groups versus
Schooling Effects On Academic Attainment. Economica, 70(277), 31-53.
Retrieved April 20, 2014, from the JSTOR database.

Ryan, A. (2001). The Peer Group as a Context for the Development of Young
Adolescent Motivation and Achievement. Child Development, 72(4), 1135-
1150. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from the JSTOR database.

Siman, M. (1977). Application of a New Model of Peer Group Influence to Naturally
Existing Adolescent Friendship Groups. Child Development, 48(1), 270-274.
Retrieved April 20, 2014, from the JSTOR database.

Wentzel, K., & Caldwell, K. (1997). Friendships, Peer Acceptance, and Group
Membership: Relationships to Academic Achievement In Middle School. Child
Development, 68(6), 1198-1209. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from the JSTOR
database.

Winkler, D. (1975). Educational Achievement and School Peer Group Composition.
The Journal of Human Resources, 10(2), 189-204. Retrieved April 20, 2014,
from the JSTOR database.