Investigating the stability of peer friendships amongst preschool children: a longitudinal South African study

[摘要] ENGLISH SUMMARY: There is robust empirical evidence for the benefits of friendships during childhood, including important mental, emotional and physical advantages (Betts & Stiller, 2013). Many parents of preschool children state that their aim for their children during preschool is to develop meaningful and lasting relationships with their peers (Gainsley, 2013). The present quantitative, two-wave longitudinal social network analysis investigated those factors that predict friendship formation amongst a sample of 59 South African preschool children aged four to six years old, and the extent to which these peer friendships are stable over a nine-month period. Data were collected via individual child-friendly interviews in which a peer nomination questionnaire was completed. Results show that, contrary to previous research, preschool children can reliably distinguish best-friendships from other friendships. Furthermore, boys, children in Afrikaans classes, and children who speak English as a home-language formed the most friendships over time, while girls, children in the older classes (aged five to six years old), and children in English classes became more popular over time. Reciprocal friendships were, as hypothesized, more stable than unidirectional friendships over time. Moreover, 38% of best-friendships were stable over time, compared to only 25% of other friendships that were stable over time. Friendship homophily effects for gender, age and school language were significant predictors of friendship formation, but did not predict friendship stability over time. Finally, despite the unique context of the preschool, where friendships are actively encouraged amongst the entire school population, the results indicate that children in this sample preferred to form friendships with children in the same classroom as them. This research contributes to the relatively sparse literature exploring the predictors of friendship and friendship stability amongst preschool children, both internationally and in the South African context. These findings can inform researchers, practitioners, and teachers and their efforts to design interventions that enhance social skills and promote friendship formation amongst preschool children.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University