Links Between Positivity and Students’ Perceptions of Peer Climate at School: A Daily Diary Study in Early Adolescents

Early adolescence is characterized by significant developmental changes in social relationships and identity construction (Bukowski et al., 2020; LaFontana & Cillessen, 2010; Laursen & Veenstra, 2021). During this period, peer relationships become increasingly salient and play a central role in adolescents’ self-understanding, particularly as their identity formation is a “work in progress” (Laursen & Veenstra, 2021). Within the school context, the classroom environment represents a key social setting where early adolescents interact daily with peers and teachers. In particular, the perceived classroom climate—characterized by respect, inclusion, and supportive interactions—may influence how early adolescents perceive themselves, their future, and life more broadly (Lerner et al., 2005). In this vein, previous researchers have documented a bidirectional relationship between positivity—defined as the tendency to view one’s life and future in a positive light (Caprara et al., 2012) — and students’ perceptions of a positive classroom and school climate (e.g., Luengo Kanacri et al., 2017). However, these associations have primarily been examined across longer time intervals and have not yet been explored at the daily level during early adolescence. Day-to-day fluctuations in perceived peer relationships and positivity may help to better understand the dynamic nature of early adolescents’ everyday social experiences and the interplay between individual dispositions and contextual factors. The present study aimed to address this gap by examining how adolescents’ daily peer experiences at school are associated with their perceptions of positivity (and vice versa). Participants were N = 150 students (52% girls; Mage = 12.11, SD = 0.76) recruited in middle schools, who completed a 10-day daily diary, assessing their levels of positivity (item example “today I was satisfied with myself”; Caprara et al., 2012) and perceptions of peer climate (item example “thinking about today, did the students in your class treat each other with respect?”; Spier, 2016). A series of Dynamic Structural Equation Models (DSEMs) were ran to test carry-over effects and the within- and between-person levels reciprocal associations between positivity and peer climate. Results revealed significant carry-over effects for both positivity and peer climate, indicating day-to-day stability across the 10 days. Moreover, higher-than-usual perceptions of a positive peer climate on a given day were associated with higher-than-usual positivity the day after. However, the reverse association (from positivity to peer climate) was not statistically significant. Additionally, positivity and peer climate were positively related within-person on the same day. Older participants perceived the peer climate more negatively and reported lower levels of positivity than their counterparts. Males reported higher positivity levels than females. Overall, findings highlight the importance of adolescents’ daily peer experiences in shaping their positive outlook on life. Promoting a respectful and inclusive classroom climate may therefore represent a favourable context for fostering adolescents’ positivity and supporting early adolescents’ positive development during everyday school experiences (Luengo Kanacri et al., 2017).