Positive and negative leadership in childhood: emergence, group process, and outcomes
This dissertation examined positive and negative leadership in late childhood. Leaders play a crucial role in peer groups by establishing group goals, initiating collective activities, and influencing group norms (Tackett et al., 2023). Especially popular leaders set the peer group norms by defining acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. Leaders initiate and shape bullying and defending, both of which are group processes involving multiple participants (Salmivalli et al., 1996). Consequently, identifying who occupies leadership positions is essential to understanding the group dynamics that underlie bullying and defending behaviors. To understand the leadership development process, this dissertation integrates peer-nominated leader identification with analyses of individual differences between leaders and non-leaders, explores leadership styles, and tracks leadership-related outcomes.Using the data from the Dutch KiVa anti-bullying program in grades 3-6 (Dutch grades 5-8), this dissertation answered the following questions: (1) What are the similarities and differences between positive and negative leaders? (2) What are the similarities and differences between positive and negative leaders’ defending-friendship styles? (3) What are the school and psychological adjustment outcomes for children in general and victims in particular in classrooms with different leadership styles? (4) Would anti-bullying programs help negative leaders and other children transition into more positive leadership roles?