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Peer Groups, Popularity, and Social PreferenceTrajectories of Social Functioning Among Students With and Without Learning Disabilities
David B. Estell
Indiana University, Bloomington
Martin H. Jones
University of Memphis, Tennessee
Ruth Pearl
University of Illinois at Chicago
Richard Van Acker
University of Illinois at Chicago
Thomas W. Farmer
Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Philip C. Rodkin
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The extant literature on the social functioning of students with learning disabilities (LD) has indicated that whereas a majority belong to peer groups, a higher proportion are isolated and most have lower social status among peers in general than their typically achieving classmates. Although some work has examined these issues over short-term longitudinal studies, none to date have examined them over extensive time periods. Toward this end, the current study examined a sample of 1,361 students (678 girls and 683 boys; 55 with LD) using multiple measures of peer social functioning assessed each semester from spring of third grade through fall of sixth grade. The results indicated that whereas students with LD were similar to their typically achieving peers in terms of group functioning and characteristics, they were viewed as lower in social standing among their classmates as a whole. These effects were maintained over time, indicating that long-term inclusion may not substantially affect peer social functioning among students with LD.
Key Words: longitudinal research method • peer relations • social development • popularity • social preference • peer groups
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Journal of Learning Disabilities, Vol. 41, No. 1,
5-14 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0022219407310993
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