Mind & behavior · 2018
Are children's social behaviors more closely related to their school grades than to their tested skills?
Yes. In an analysis of grades 5 and 7, social behaviors were more strongly associated with school grades than with measured competencies; peer problems were more strongly related to achievement than was.
Details
Prosocial behavior and peer problems are important correlates of academic development, but these relationships vary with the achievement measure and the social behavior being considered.
Researchers analyzed data from the German National Education Panel Study (NEPS). In this observational analysis, they used structural equation modeling (SEM) to model how prosocial behavior and peer problems related to school grades and competencies in math (n = 4,132) and reading (n = 2,460) in grades 5 and 7. The models accounted for the moderating effects of gender and socioeconomic status (SES).
Social behaviors were more strongly related to school grades than to competencies. Peer problems were more strongly related to achievement than prosocial behavior was, and the relationship between social behaviors and achievement was weaker in later grades.
The researchers discussed the implication that school grades and achievement tests are not interchangeable measures for educators and researchers.
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