Social Competence and Humor in Preschool and School-Aged Children [electronic resource] / Olav Sletta and Frode Sobstad.

This study examined relations between children's humor, behavioral characteristics, acceptance by peers in kindergarten and primary school, and self-perceptions. Subjects were 35 kindergarten, 88 fourth grade, and 95 eighth grade Norwegian children. For all students, assessments included sociom...

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Online Access: Full Text (via ERIC)
Main Author: Sletta, Olav
Other Authors: Sobstad, Frode
Format: Electronic eBook
Language:English
Published: [S.l.] : Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse, 1993.
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Summary:This study examined relations between children's humor, behavioral characteristics, acceptance by peers in kindergarten and primary school, and self-perceptions. Subjects were 35 kindergarten, 88 fourth grade, and 95 eighth grade Norwegian children. For all students, assessments included sociometric ratings of classmates, teacher assessments of children's behavioral characteristics, and children's assessments of their own social behavior. Eighth graders also completed a peer assessment measure. Analysis indicated that kindergarten children's humor as assessed by their teachers was not consistently related to peer acceptance or rejection, or to self-perceived humor and behavior. For school-age children, the study used a theoretical model to analyze predictive relations between humor, behavioral characteristics, acceptance by peers, and self-perceptions of humor. For eighth graders, humor was found to be predictive of self-perceptions of humor; and humor as assessed by peers predicted peer acceptance. Self-perceptions of social competence were related to students' perceptions of their own humor. For fourth graders, no direct links from humor were found, but self-perception of humor still affected perceived social competence. (MM)
Item Description:ERIC Document Number: ED360072.
ERIC Note: Paper presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development (60th, New Orleans, LA, March 25-28, 1993).
Physical Description:11 p.