Examining Peer Selection and Influence Processes on Early Adolescents’ Academic Adjustment with Longitudinal Social Network Analysis.

Abstract

The overall objective of this dissertation is to advance understanding of peer relationships and early adolescents’ adjustment at school. Peer relationships are a salient part of the classroom context and important for students’ adjustment at school. Despite the progress that has been made understanding early adolescents’ peer relationships and adjustment at school in recent years (see Rodkin & Ryan, 2012 for a review), there is much we do not know about the peer associations and peer selection and influence processes in regards to academic beliefs and behaviors in the classroom. Further, we do not know how peer selection and influence processes vary by classroom and are associated with teaching practices. This dissertation addresses these questions applying recent developments in Social Network Analysis. Advances and application of Social Network Analysis has provided many insights into social networks and behavior in a variety of settings but has not yet been fully applied to classroom beliefs and behaviors of early adolescent students. Using longitudinal social network analysis, my research aims to explicate the processes of peer selection and influence on early adolescents’ academic motivation, engagement, and achievement (Study 1), and investigate variations of peer selection and influence processes between classes and the roles teaching practices may play (Study 2).