ABSTRACT
What does it mean to be a popular child? This seemingly simple question is, of course, an extraordinarily complex and compelling one for parents, educators, and social scientists. Popularity connotes both an attitudinal disposition and behavioral expectations. Beliefs about the child’s social skills, social acceptability, number of friends and acquaintances, social problem-solving strategies, and so on relate to the construct of popularity, as do expectations about the child’s behaviors when initiating or maintaining social interactions. The picture emerging from research on children’s popularity suggests that being popular typically means that the child is well liked and not disliked, has good social skills, seeks and receives peer interactions in a congenial manner, is sensitive to and supportive of the desires of others, and is not aggressive in, or disruptive of, activities.
