Joint implications of teachers and classroom peers for adolescents' aggression and engagement

Abstract

This study investigated the mediation and moderation roles of classroom peer norms (CPNs) on the associations of teacher support with student aggression and academic engagement across the first year of middle school (fall and spring of sixth grade). Students (N = 312; 49% females) were from 32 classrooms in three schools. Data included peer-nominated aggression (overt, relational) and self-reported engagement (involved, disruptive behavior) and teacher support. Multilevel modeling analyses indicated a mediation model for disruptive behavior and trends of mediation for aggression, as the negative associations of fall classroom level teacher support with spring disruptive behavior and aggression were mediated by the corresponding CPN. Findings indicated a moderation model for involved behavior; students reported higher levels of involved behavior in the spring if they perceived more teacher support than their classmates and if the involved behavior CPN was high in the fall. Implications for research and practice are discussed.