Friendship in middle school- article review

The 2004 article by Wentzel, Barry, and Caldwell, titled "Friendships in Middle School: Influences on Motivation and School Adjustment," examined how having friends and the characteristics of those friends impact students' social and academic well-being during the transition to middle school. This paper was mentioned in the reference section related to prosocial behaviour in course material of psychology course. I was not able to read the original paper but acquired a brief from the AI engine.

The study followed 242 students over a two-year period, finding that having a friend is a protective factor for young adolescents. Students with reciprocal friendships (where the friendship is mutually recognized) in the sixth grade showed higher levels of prosocial behavior and academic achievement, and lower levels of emotional distress compared to their peers without friends. The lack of a friend in sixth grade was also linked to emotional distress two years later.

The research also highlighted the qualities of friends as an important influencing factor. It found that a friend's prosocial behavior directly predicted changes in an individual's own prosocial goals and behaviors over time. This suggests that the influence of friends is not just about having a support system, but also about the specific values and behaviors that are modeled and reinforced within the friendship.

Pratyush Chaudhuri