A Study of Children's Constructs of Friendship and Their Social Adjustment in Elementary Schools

A review of the literature indicates that children's peer relationship appears to be very critical to their social adjustment in elementary schools. Additional studies suggest that children's constructs of friendship seem to evolve along with the discernible stages of development.

However, the relationship of children's constructs of friendships to their social adjustment in elementary schools remains nebulous. To fill the knowledge gap, this study chose to employ both qualitative and quantitative methods to collect data for analysis. The findings of the study indicate that children's constructs of friendship appear to be different in the developmental order: ranging from physical appearance, playmates, role models, beneficiary of favors, personality traits to reciprocity.