Social, academic, and psychological characteristics of peer groups in Chinese children: Same-domain and cross-domain effects on individual development.

Abstract

The primary purpose of the present study was to examine the contributions of social, academic, and psychological characteristics of peer groups to individual development in the same and different domains in Chinese children. Participants included 1,864 elementary school students (945 boys, M age = 11 years) in China. One-year longitudinal data on social competence, academic functioning, and psychological problems were obtained from peer nominations, teacher ratings, school records, and self-reports. Multilevel structural equation modeling analysis showed that group-level social competence, academic performance, and psychological problems had significant same-domain effects on later individual outcomes. Moreover, group-level social competence had a positive cross-domain effect on later individual academic performance and a negative cross-domain effect on later individual psychological problems. Group academic performance had a positive cross-domain effect on later individual social competence, and group psychological problems had a negative cross-domain effect on later individual social competence. The results suggest that affiliation with peer groups, particularly socially competent groups, may have pervasive implications for children's performance and adjustment from a developmental perspective.

Leaders of Peer Groups in Chinese Early Adolescents: The Roles of Social, Academic, and Psychological Characteristics in Group Leadership

“…The bi-strategic view is consistent with the argument about the complex and ambivalent nature of leadership (Van Vugt et al, 2008). Given their extensive peer interactions spanning social, academic, and psychological domains (Liu et al, 2023), the two categories in the leadership framework may be reflected by the behaviors and attributes that are important for achieving the developmental tasks for school-age adolescents (e.g., Masten et al, 2005). Based on the literature (e.g., Ladd et al, 2000), the present study examined social competence, aggression, shyness, academic performance, and loneliness and their associations with peer group leadership in this study.…”

“…Finally, according to the homophily theory (Rubin et al, 2015), peer groups often comprise members with similar traits, such as misconduct (Ellis et al, 2012), shyness (Zhao et al, 2016), academic performance, social competence (Liu et al, 2023), and psychological problems (Conway et al, 2011). Group functioning including activities is also largely based on similar interests and behavioral styles (Laursen, 2017).…”

“…This context may make the role of academic achievement salient in shaping peer group leadership. High academic achievement is not only an indication of individual success but also a valuable resource for the group (Liu et al, 2023). Group leaders who are academically competent can assist others in the group with academic work and help enhance the reputation and visibility of the group in school, creating a favorable environment for group activities.…”

Concern for mianzi: Relations with adjustment in rural and urban Chinese adolescents

“…The variables were formed based on the corresponding items, with higher scores indicating higher social competence or aggression. The measure was used and shown to be reliable and valid in previous studies with Chinese students (e.g., Chen et al, 2005, 2019; Liu et al, 2022). The internal reliabilities of the measure were 0.92 and 0.87 for social competence and 0.85 and 0.83 for aggression for the rural and urban groups, respectively, in the present study.…”

“…Leadership scores were standardized within the class and then used in the analyses. This information has been shown to be a useful indicator of social competence in Chinese students (Chen et al, 2005; Liu et al, 2022).…”