Peer rejection in preschool: Foregrounding children’s voices

Authors:
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Existing studies on peer rejection are predominantly quantitative in nature and do not adequately engage children’s voices and provide a comprehensive view of the peer rejection phenomenon. There are also limited studies at the preschool level, especially in the Singapore context. This study addresses these limitations by presenting insights into what constitutes a holistic understanding of the phenomenon. The objective is to investigate the subjective perceptions of the rejection phenomenon as experienced by different preschool children, and to draw out the essential characteristics of these experiences. A qualitative collective case study methodology informed by phenomenology was employed. It utilized in-depth individual interviews and children’s dialogic engagement with their drawings to elicit the meaning of experiences from eight preschool children from four to seven years old. Seven major themes and 31 sub-themes emerged from the data, illustrating the complexities of the children’s perceptions. They demonstrate that the children were capable of identifying and appraising their peer rejection experiences in terms of attributions, coping mechanisms and effects. The study reveals that peer rejection appeared to be an inevitable component of peer interactions, predisposing them to a host of adverse consequences. Although there are common elements, the personal construction of experiences led to diversities existing within the phenomenon, illustrating the uniqueness of some of the experiences. The implications for appropriate pedagogical practices to help preschool children cope more effectively with peer rejection are presented.

This publication has 29 references indexed in Scilit: