Early rejected status and later social adjustment: A 3-year follow-up

Positive peer nomination in kindergarten was more predictive of later acting-out in grades 2 and 3 than rate of interaction, and rejected children were rated as less physically attractive, doing less well in reading and in arithmetic.

Abstract

Sociometric measures and rates of social interaction were obtained from 186 kindergarten children. Subjects were classified into popular, rejected, and average status groups on the basis of sociometric data. Teachers' ratings on the Bristol Social Adjustment Guides were obtained when the children were in grade 2 and again in grade 3. Analyses of variance showed rejected children to be significantly more acting-out than popular or average children by grade 3. Rejected children were rated as less physically attractive, doing less well in reading and in arithmetic. Negative peer nomination in kindergarten was more predictive of later acting-out in grades 2 and 3 than rate of interaction.