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The Peer Group as a Context: Mediating and Moderating Effects on Relations Between Academic Achievement and Social Functioning in Chinese Children
Author(s) -
Chen Xinyin,
Chang Lei,
He Yunfeng
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/1467-8624.00564
Subject(s) - psychology , academic achievement , peer relations , peer group , developmental psychology , social competence , multilevel model , social environment , social relation , social psychology , social influence , peer acceptance , structural equation modeling , context (archaeology) , social change , machine learning , computer science , political science , law , economics , economic growth , paleontology , statistics , mathematics , biology
The purpose of the study was to examine, in a large sample of Chinese children and adolescents at 9, 13, and 16 years of age, the contextual effects of the peer group on relations between academic achievement and social functioning. Data on informal peer groups, social functioning and academic achievement were collected from multiple sources. It was found that peer groups were highly homogenous on academic achievement. Hierarchical linear modeling analysis revealed that academic achievement and social adjustment were associated at both the within‐group individual level and the group level. Moreover, group academic performance moderated the relations between academic achievement and social adjustment such as peer acceptance, social competence, and leadership, suggesting that individual‐level relations might be enhanced or exacerbated by group academic norms.