Introduction
Positive peer interaction among students is one of the most significant pillars of their development. The relationship with classmates and teachers is of great interest since it is the basis for building future relationships (Keel et al., 2022). Nevertheless, sometimes this trend is not the case as some children often face rejection. As some students enjoy a positive relationship with their colleagues, others, for various reasons, fail to fit in the groups. They are rejected for several reasons, such as religion, social and economic status, and race (Lorijn et al., 2022). These forms of rejection have harmful consequences on these students’ social-emotional, cognitive, and emotional development. This paper aims to explore the various forms of rejections that learners endure in a school set-up, their impacts, and various protocols that have been placed to help these children cope.
Forms of Peer Rejections
In a school set-up, students may experience two main types of rejection-interpersonal and intergroup. First, interpersonal rejection may occur when an individual exhibits withdrawn behavior or struggles with external behavior, such as aggression (Keel et al., 2022). These members are usually victims of interpersonal exclusion from their peers since they are perceived as having social deficits. These personalities cause these children to be victimized and rejected by the members, making them withdrawn.
Second, intergroup rejection among students; tends to occur in one of the three most common forms- physical, social, or emotional. The physical form may occur when the child is bullied, taunted, or maliciously teased by either the teacher or fallows (Lorijn et al., 2022). Group members often receive a clear message that their perpetrators do not value or accept them. Further, teasing or bullying usually occurs in public, creating an element of humiliation.
In the social form, people may ignore specific individuals for their regard in life. They may often be relegated to the periphery of undesired social life. While in other cases, they may be excluded from numerous social activities such as play (Keel et al., 2022). The trend usually results in peer ridicule, isolation, and emotional drain. Finally, these students may be rejected emotionally, especially when they are rejected by their confidants, such as teachers. In this context, they may feel emotionally drained and may engage in some of the most destructive behaviors, such as suicide.
Effects of Rejection on Students’ Performance
Irrespective of rejection, they all lead to adverse behavioral outcomes among the children. For example, young people who report various forms of discrimination, such as abuse and exclusion, usually display incidences of truancy and low academic outcomes. Compared to their regular colleagues, these members usually perform low in most school activities (Goemans et al., 2023). Similar reports indicate that biased-based discrimination may result in higher intergroup conflict, misunderstanding, and mental health concerns. Further studies suggest that adolescents who experience various types of rejection, such as bullying or exclusion against race, are more likely to engage in self-harm and suicidal mission. The intergroup exclusion may also be marred with adverse changes in the social and emotional capacity of the child. Finally, these members often display a low level of motivation in their daily operations. Therefore, proper mechanisms should be adopted to help such members of society to adapt to the scenario and live everyday life.
How to Prepare and Observe the Rejection Behaviors
There are no straightforward mechanisms to prepare and observe children with rejection behaviors. Nevertheless, teachers and other concerned partners should be vigilant to observe any weird behaviors emanating from rejection. The changes comprise the drastic drop in academic performance, drug abuse, and truancy among learners. Professionals are advised to take a keen interest in dysfunctional family units, hyperreactivity, and anger among peers (Goemans et al., 2023). Emotionally speaking, the child may also show signs of depression, anxiety, and withdrawal from their activities. All these changes act as essential signs of challenges that the child may be facing in their lives.
Professionals are alternatively advised to check on specific behaviors, such as avoidance of some situations or relationships. Consequently, they must note that these children often feel highly isolated or lonely. In some circumstances, it has been discovered that students who experience intergroup exclusion may engage in self-harm, suicidal mission, and other forms of intergroup conflict. As an expert in the field, it is essential to take a keen interest in all these changes and make the necessary move to help the student before the situation gets out of hand.
Remedies in School
School systems have made different approaches to help in responding and intervening in various instances of peer rejection. The mechanisms have focused on both the interpersonal and intergroup forms of rejection. One such approach is Creating a Peaceful School Learning Environment (CAPSLE) that accommodates peers from different social, economic, and religious statuses (Downey & Crummy, 2022). Creating such a favorable climate mainly involves shifting school norms towards the inclusivity of cross-group friendships. CAPSLE has also been a powerful tool in encouraging a broader awareness of other students’ feelings and mental states. The mechanism has proved to be a powerful way of reducing cases of victimization, bullying, and aggression among students in school.
The second most approach that can be used is through the use of bystanders and encourages intergroup contact. Ideally, these members can effectively challenge the rejection and exclusion that member groups perpetrate since they may have a strong influence in regulating the behavior norms within the members. In most cases, these people can moderate and create fair treatment of other members of the group. In some cases, they have proved to be powerful pivots where the weak members of the group can find solace. They usually offer peer guidance and work towards creating an inclusive environment for every member of society. Simply put, they usually act in a manner that encourages students to create prejudicial acts. Therefore, by applying these critical approaches, schools will reduce the cases of rejection among the learners in school.
Conclusion
Based on the paper, it is clear that peer rejection is one of the common phenomena in a school set-up. These students are rejected for several reasons, including religion, social, economic status, and race, among many more. In such cases, these children may end up having low academic performance, high levels of intergroup conflict, and drug abuse. Therefore, ideal interventions that would help to regulate these negative behavioral patterns should be adopted. The approaches include Creating a Peaceful School Learning Environment (CAPSLE) and bystanders that accommodate peers from different social, economic, and religious statuses. All these mechanisms aim at promoting a cohesive co-existence among the leaders in school and society. Therefore, all stakeholders should take a keen interest in these approaches to promote healthy living among these children.
References
Downey, C., & Crummy, A. (2022). The impact of childhood trauma on children’s well-being and adult behavior. European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 6(1), 100237. Web.
Goemans, A., Viding, E., & McCrory, E. (2023). Child maltreatment, peer victimization, and mental health: Neurocognitive perspectives on the cycle of victimization. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24(2), 530-548. Web.
Keel, C., Wickes, R., & Benier, K. (2022). The vicarious effects of hate: inter-ethnic hate crime in the neighborhood and its consequences for exclusion and anticipated rejection. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 45(7), 1283-1303. Web.
Lorijn, S. J., Engels, M. C., Huisman, M., & Veenstra, R. (2022). Long-term effects of acceptance and rejection by parents and peers on educational attainment: A study from pre-adolescence to early adulthood. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 1-16. Web.