Citation

Lorijn SJ, Zwier D, Laninga-Wijnen L, Huisman M, Veenstra R. J. Youth Adolesc. 2024; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10964-024-01991-y

PMID

38704468

Abstract

Previous studies on peer relationships in school transitions neglected individual differences, or did not examine the relation with academic performance in secondary school. This study followed 649 students from their last year of primary school to their first year in secondary school (M(age) at T1 = 11.6 (SD = 0.6); 53.6% girls).

RESULTS revealed that students became more attached to peers, less lonely, and were stable in victimization across the transition. Particularly students with more negative peer experiences in primary school enjoyed a "fresh start" in terms of peer experiences in secondary school. Students who had more co-transitioning peers experienced greater reductions in loneliness. Changes in peer experiences over the transition did not relate to academic performance in secondary school.

Language: en

Keywords

Academic performance; Attachment; Latent Change Score Models; Loneliness; Peer relationships; School transitions