**4.1 Negative reactivity in the classroom**

Negative reactivity is conceptualized as a child's tendency to feel and express negative emotions (e.g., gets easily angered/frustrated, often cries/yells, moody/ cranky). Children high in negative reactivity become easily upset, react strongly to environmental stimuli or changes, and often seem moody; they will have more difficulty adapting to the world than children who are calmer or inclined to "go with the flow" [5, 17]. Especially without the support of strong regulatory skills, behavior indicative of negative reactivity can be antithetical to the classroom environment. Children who tend to display negative reactivity [categorized as "difficult" 67]. are at risk in the classroom environment because they tend to have lower quality relationships with peers [50] and teachers [51, 52] and poorer academic outcomes.
