Assessments of class climate by primary school children with externalizing behavior problems – An exploratory study

ABSTRACT

Children with externalizing behavior problems are likely to show poor school achievements, problems in social interactions with teachers and peers and an elevated school-related stress. Though class climate is a meaningful variable to explain school achievements and aspects of emotional well-being, there are hardly any studies that consider class climate from the perspective of children with externalizing problems. The present study examines the question how children with externalizing problems assess class climate. Furthermore, the study analyzes the possible impact of internalizing comorbidities. The sample of fourth grade primary school children (N = 119) includes 27 students with hyperactive-inattentive and 47 children with dissocial symptoms. Data are analyzed using ANOVAS and hierarchical linear regressions. Externalizing problems coincide with negative assessments of class climate, which are even more negative among students with dissocial symptoms and internalizing comorbidities. While hyperactive-inattentive children primarily focus on a few aspects of class climate (especially unfair teacher decisions), children with dissocial symptoms show more global negative perceptions. The results point to low levels of social participation of children with externalizing problems. Future studies should consider the potential importance of class climate for school-based diagnostics and behavior modification.

KEYWORDS:

• Children
• class climate
• comorbidity
• externalizing problems
• internalizing problems

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Sören Lüdeke, upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sören Lüdeke

Sören Lüdeke received his PhD in Educational Sciences under the mentorship of Prof. Dr. Friedrich Linderkamp at the University of Wuppertal in 2017. His research focuses primarily on children’s and adolescents` social-emotional development in school contexts and on stress regulation processes in adolescents with internalizing and externalizing problem behavior.

Bodo Przibilla

Bodo Przibilla received his PhD in Educational Sciences under the mentorship of Prof. Dr. Friedrich Linderkamp and Prof. Dr. Michael Krezmien at the University of Wuppertal/University of Massachusetts in 2019. His research focuses on teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education and parental stress perceptions.

Friedrich Linderkamp

Friedrich Linderkamp is a full professor of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Wuppertal. He earned his PhD in Psychology at the University of Dortmund in 1997. His research focuses on the development and evaluation of cognitive-behavioral interventions for children and adolescents with disruptive behavior.