Relatedness with teachers and peers during early adolescence: an integrated variable-oriented and person-oriented approach.

The primary aims of the present longitudinal study were to examine (a) patterns of early transition relatedness with teachers and peers in 6th grade, (b) whether pre-transition behavior in 5th grade predicted early transition relatedness in 6th grade, and (c) how unique indicators of early transition relatedness with teachers and peers and patterns of early transition relatedness were associated with school adjustment among 383 rural, lower- to middle-class, White youth. Results suggest that behavioral characteristics in elementary school may contribute to early transition patterns of relatedness with teachers and peers in middle school. Findings also indicate that having a pattern of poor relationships with the primary social partners in the school context is negatively associated with adjustment above and beyond the independent indicators of relatedness. Implications for school practice are discussed.