How Do Individual Predispositions and Family Dynamics Contribute to Academic Adjustment through the Middle School Years? The Mediating Role of Friends' Characteristics

Autor/inn/en	Vaillancourt, Marie Claire; Oliveira Paiva, Alexandra; Véronneau, Marie-Hélène; Dishion, Thomas J.
Titel	How Do Individual Predispositions and Family Dynamics Contribute to Academic Adjustment through the Middle School Years? The Mediating Role of Friends' Characteristics
Quelle	In: Journal of Early Adolescence, 39 (2019) 4, S.576-602 (27 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0272-4316
DOI	10.1177/0272431618776124
Schlagwörter	Friendship; Early Adolescents; Middle School Students; Academic Achievement; Behavior Problems; Predictor Variables; Student Adjustment; Peer Relationship; Age Differences; Instructional Program Divisions; Grade 6; Grade 7; Grade 8; Family Influence; Student Characteristics; Child Rearing; Family Relationship + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Freundschaft; Middle school; Middle schools; Student; Students; Mittelschule; Mittelstufenschule; Schüler; Schülerin; Schulleistung; Prädiktor; Adjustment; Studentin; Adaptation; Peer-Beziehungen; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; School year 06; 6. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 06; School year 07; 7. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 07; School year 08; 8. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 08; Kindererziehung
Abstract	This study examined the mediating effect of friends' characteristics (problem behavior and academic achievement) in the association between students' background (family and individual factors) and later academic adjustment, as operationalized by problem behavior and academic achievement. We recruited 998 participants in three public middle schools and used three annual waves of data collection (Grades 6, 7, and 8). We found that students' own academic achievement and problem behavior are predictors of later adjustment. Friendship choices are identified as a mediation mechanism that contributes to consistent adjustment from the beginning to the end of middle school. Specifically, high-achieving students in Grade 6 tend to associate with high-achieving friends and are unlikely to associate with friends who exhibit problem behavior in Grade 7, which results in continued achievement in Grade 8. Associating with high-achieving friends in Grade 7 also mediated the link between adolescent problem behavior in Grade 6 and academic achievement by Grade 8. Friends' characteristics in Grade 7 did not mediate the effect of any family factor measured in Grade 6. In general, our results suggest friendship selection is central to sustained success throughout the middle school years. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01