| Abstract: | This study focused on the development of an instrument for the measurement of the quality of a student’s perceived relationship with his peers in an elementary school classroom. Jackson’s model of person-group relationships was employed for describing a student’s group membership. An initial 36-item instrument was administered to 181 fifth and sixth grade students. A factor analysis performed on these data resulted in a new 22-item instrument (My Classmates). This instrument was then administered to 621 fifth and sixth grade students. The quality of a student’s group membership was found to be related to his or her achievement level in reading, level of school-related anxiety, attitudes toward school and self-concept as a learner. |
