Reasons for disliking girls in the first cycle of primary education

Abstract

The aim of this research was to obtain the views of young children regarding their reasons for disliking a peer girl. To achieve this goal, we conducted a qualitative study in the context of theory building research using an analysis methodology based on Grounded Theory. The collected information was extracted through semi-structured individual interviews from a sample of 853 five- to seven-year old children (430 boys and 423girls) enrolled in13 urban public schools in Spain. The children provided 3,009 reasons for disliking a classmate. Seven categories of reasons emerged through the qualitative analysis: Personal identity, social identity, unfamiliarity, problematic social and school behaviors, disturbance of well-being, dominance behaviors and aggressive behaviors. Same-sex negative nominations are less numerous than cross-sex ones. Both boys and girls, -especially girls-, give more reasons for disliking boys, which causes boys to be the recipient of most negative nominations (64.1%). Both sexes name more frequently aggression behaviors, especially physical aggression, as a reason for disliking. The frequency order of the categories of reasons for disliking is very similar for boys and girls, although girls give more reasons of verbal aggression, intimidation and disturbance of the well-being, and less of unfamiliarity and physical aggression, than boys do. However, there are notable differences between girls and boys in the reasons for being disliked. The reasons that express aversive relationships or lack of relationship and dominance behaviors are reasons more frequent for girls to be disliked than for boys, whereas for boys the reasons are physical aggression, problematic behaviors and welfare disturbances.

Keywords

• razones de rechazo entre iguales
• teoría fundamentada
• primeros cursos de educación primaria
• relaciones aversivas
• falta de familiaridad
• conductas dominantes
• niñas