Are school friends scaffolds or just playmates? A longitudinal study investigating the direct and context - moderated effects of peer relations on school outcomes

Abstract

Peer relations were investigated with a school-based prospective longitudinal survey study in Greece, testing the Interpersonal Model of School Adjustment (Ladd, 2002). Upon inclusion, the participants (N=65) were attending four first grade classrooms, two each in two distinct educational systems. The same children were re-assessed while attending third grade. At each measurement time children gave sociometric nominations, and rated their classmates and self on social competence. Teachers rated children on school adjustment and performance. Moderated pathways in the prediction of school outcomes from peer acceptance were explored with focus on school context and gender. Only in the Greek school context was peer acceptance significantly predictive of concurrent school adjustment, and only for girls was early peer acceptance (grade 1) distally predictive of academic outcomes (grade 3). Moreover, self-beliefs of social competence moderated the link between peer relations and school outcomes. The results indicate that personal characteristics, gender and contextual factors interact in the prediction of school outcomes. School interventions need to be informed from the context in which they are to be implemented.