The Moderating Effect Of Classroom Environment On The Relationship Between Children’s Shyness And Psychosocial Adjustment

Shyness is an important risk factor for children’s psychosocial adjustment,and it has been increasingly valued by researchers in recent years.Although many studies have explored the factors influencing the relations between shyness and indices of psychosocial adjustment,most of them only focused on variables of individual level rather than classroom environment.As a microsystem for children’s development,classroom has important influence on their adjustment.Classroom status hierarchy and classroom aggression norm salience are two important components of classroom environment,previous studies have demonstrated that they played a vital role in children’s psychosocial adjustment,but there was little study exploring the special influence of them on shy children.The current study is aimed to exploring the influence of classroom status hierarchy and classroom aggression norm salience on the relations between shyness and indices of psychosocial adjustment,and uncovering the environmental mechanisms that impact shy children’s adjustment problems.The participants in current study were 1275 students of Grade 3 to 7.In order to examine the effect of shyness on children’s psychosocial adjustment and the moderating effect of classroom status hierarchy and classroom aggression norm salience,the questionnaire method was used to collect data,by either self-report or peernomination.The results showed that:(1)Shyness could positively predict children’s depression,internalizing coping and peer victimization,and negatively predict children’s seeking for social support and social preference;(2)Classroom status hierarchy could moderate the relations between shyness and internalizing coping,peer victimization and social preference.Specifically,in classrooms with higher status hierarchy,the predictions of shyness on these indices were stronger;(3)Classroom aggression norm salience could moderate the relations between shyness and depression,seeking for social support,peer victimization and social preference.Specifically,in classrooms with lower aggression norm salience,the predictions of shyness on these indices were stronger.The results of current study demonstrated that classroom environment,especially,classroom status hierarchy and classroom aggression norm salience were important for shy children’s psychosocial adjustment.For one thing,the results enlighten researchers that the important influence of classroom environment on children,especially shy children should be paid attention to and explored.For another,the results enlighten educators in schools that classroom environment should be improved,in this way students could have better development.