Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which suburban sixth-grade teachers and their principals observe that their sixth-grade students exhibit three relatedness behaviors: sense of belonging, reciprocity, and mutuality, and the extent to which they observe aggressive or violent behaviors. Methodology. This descriptive study used cross-sectional surveys and face-to-face interviews to collect data. Seventy-eight teachers and principals from three suburban districts in Orange County, California, completed surveys. Ten of the seventy-eight were interviewed. The distribution of raw scores, mean scores, standard deviation, percentile, Equal-Variance t-tests, and the Mann-Whitney U were used to analyze the quantitative data. Interviews and open-ended questions on the survey were analyzed through qualitative analysis. Findings. Suburban sixth-grade teachers and principals observed that: (1) more than three-fourths of their students exhibited sense-of-belonging behaviors; (2) almost all exhibited reciprocity behaviors; (3) less than three-fourths exhibited mutuality behaviors; (4) over two-thirds exhibited few low-level aggressive behaviors; and (5) over 85 percent demonstrated very few low-level violent behaviors. Conclusions. Suburban sixth-grade students in this study have learned and demonstrate a high level of sense of belonging and reciprocity and a moderate level of mutuality behaviors. Students who demonstrate these relatedness behaviors often develop interpersonal skills, make emotional connections, and develop socially appropriate skills. Students in this study displayed few low-level aggressive behaviors and very few low-level violent behaviors. These behaviors were not atypical of most elementary students. The frequent demonstration of a high level of sense of belonging and reciprocity and a moderate level of mutuality among sixth-grade students in this study were coupled with the demonstration of few low-level aggressive behaviors and very few low-level violent behaviors. Recommendations for future research. This study should be replicated with a larger sample of suburban sixth-grade teachers and their principals and in alternative education schools. The relatedness behaviors of kindergarten students should be studied and barriers to the development of these behaviors should be explored. A case study should follow children who participate in relatedness development programs to determine long-term effects.