The Relationship Among Peer Acceptance, Social Impact, and Academic Achievement in Middle Childhood

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of academic achievement to four categories of social status including popular, rejected, isolated, and amiable, and to the variables of peer acceptance and social impact. Subjects were 145 elementary school children, grades 3 through 6. The children responded to a questionnaire designed to assess peer acceptance as well as rejection. Data consisted of (a) acceptance scores based on the predominance of either acceptance or rejection responses from peers and (b) social impact scores based on the number of children who mentioned a given child either positively or negatively. These scores were correlated with each child’s Iowa Test of Basic Skills composite score. Pooled-within correlations indicated that acceptance correlated positively and significantly with academic achievement, whereas social impact correlated negatively and significantly with achievement. Children above average in achievement were significantly more often considered amiable or popular than rejected or isolated. They were just as likely to be considered amiable as popular. Students below average in achievement were significantly more often rejected than were above average students. When they were given positive mention, these youngsters were more often considered amiable than popular.

Achieving Developmental Synchrony in Young Children With Hearing Loss

“…Social competence in childhood is a powerful predictor of academic achievement (Berghout Austin & Draper, 1984;Green, Forehand, Beck, & Vosk, 1980;Wentzel, 1992). Children who are accepted by their peers or demonstrate prosocial behaviors in school tend to be high achievers, whereas socially rejected children appear to be at high risk for academic failure.…”

Positive Peer Relationships Facilitate Adjustment in the Transition to University for Emerging Adults With ADHD Symptoms

“…Interestingly, variance in end of first-year GPA was explained by ADHD symptoms and social acceptance but not by reciprocated friendships. Although studies have consistently linked greater peer acceptance with better academic performance (e.g., Austin & Draper, 1984;Wentzel & Caldwell, 1997), findings on the association between friendships and academic achievement have been admittedly mixed (Swenson Goguen, Hiester, & Nordstrom, 2010;Wentzel, Barry, & Caldwell, 2004). It has been suggested that acceptance by a larger peer group motivates interest in classroom activities (Wentzel, 1994).…”

Školski uspjeh, inteligencija i učiteljske procjene sposobnosti učenika u odnosu na popularnost učenika unutar razrednog odjela

“…Od prosječnih se učenika razlikuju po tome što ih vršnjaci češće smatraju odličnim učenicima te po tome što učitelji smatraju da više pomažu drugim suučenicima (Wentzel i Asher, 1995). Popularni učenici imaju bolji školski uspjeh te se češće upuštaju u pozitivnije interakcije s vršnjacima od onih prosječnih (Berghout Austin i Draper, 1984). Školski uspjeh učenika u dosadašnjim istraživanjima operacionaliziran je na različite načine pa se pojam školskog uspjeha često izjednačuje s pojmovima školskog učinka, školske kompetencije, školske sposobnosti i sl.…”