Abstract
This study examined the effects of participation in a peer support program designed to smooth the transition to adolescence and secondary school for seventh-graders by enhancing self-concept and other desirable outcomes. Participants in the study were students from three secondary schools in Sydney, Australia. Nine hundred and thirty Year 7 students participated in weekly groups facilitated by Year 10 students, and served as the experimental group. The program consisted of 12 fifty minute sessions. Study participants in the experimental and control groups completed an extensive self-report questionnaire on 3 occasions (near the beginning of the year, 12 weeks later, and towards the end of the year). The results elucidated that the program was largely successful in achieving its aims of enhancing Year 7 students' school self-concept, school citizenship, sense of self, connectedness, resourcefulness and sense of possibility for the future. Overall, it appears that peer support programs have the potential to make a significant contribution to schools' efforts to orchestrate positive outcomes for early adolescents.
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | Self-Concept, Motivation and Identity, Where To From Here? : Proceedings of the Third International Biennial SELF Research Conference |
| Publisher | University of Western Sydney |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| ISBN (Print) | 1741080738 |
| Publication status | Published - 2004 |
| Event | International Biennial SELF Research Conference - Duration: 13 Jan 2009 → … |
Conference
| Conference | International Biennial SELF Research Conference |
|---|---|
| Period | 13/01/09 → … |
Keywords
- peer support
- adolescence
- education, secondary
- self-perception
- Sydney (N.S.W.)
- motivation in education