Peer-rejected students: An analysis of their self-regulatory mechanisms

Abstract

Self-regulation is an essential factor in school well-being and plays a significant role in peer rejection. The connection between peer rejection and self-regulation varies according to the type and quality of peer interaction (e.g., rejection or acceptance). The nature of interactions with peers influences different self-regulatory mechanisms; therefore, it can be assumed that there will be differences in the mechanisms of self-regulation among peer-rejected students. This study analyzes a group of peer-rejected students from the perspective of self-regulatory mechanisms. The participants consisted of 219 students deemed as peer-rejected. The respondent set was obtained from a randomly selected sample of 1,625 lower secondary students in the Czech Republic. Results based on a cluster analysis enabled the identification of five groups of peer-rejected students, each of which differed in terms of self-regulation skills, emotional regulation, self-regulatory failure, and perceived level of peer rejection. Thus, the respondents were characterized in the following five categories: “the Outsiders,” “the Misfits,” “the Overthinkers,” “the Poker Players,” and “the Trapped Despite the Odds.” Intergroup differences in terms of self-regulatory mechanisms were identified and discussed.