Academic Well-Being and Structural Characteristics of Peer Networks in School

Arja Rimpelä, Jaana M. Kinnunen, Pirjo Lindfors, Victoria Eugenia Soto, Katariina Salmela-Aro, Julian Perelman, Bruno Federico and Vincent Lorant
Additional contact information
Arja Rimpelä: Faculty of Social Sciences, Unit of Health Sciences, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland
Jaana M. Kinnunen: Faculty of Social Sciences, Unit of Health Sciences, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland
Pirjo Lindfors: Faculty of Social Sciences, Unit of Health Sciences, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland
Victoria Eugenia Soto: PROESA, Public Health Department, Universidad ICESI, Cali, Colombia
Katariina Salmela-Aro: Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
Julian Perelman: Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1600-560 Lisboa, Portugal
Bruno Federico: Department of Human Sciences, Society and Health, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, 03043 Cassino, Italy
Vincent Lorant: Institute of Health and Society, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1200 Brussels, Belgium

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 8, 1-14

Abstract: Peer networks at school and students’ position in these networks can influence their academic well-being. We study here individual students’ network position (isolation, popularity, social activity) and peer network structures at the school level (centralization, density, clustering, school connectedness) and their relations to students’ academic well-being (school burnout, SB; schoolwork engagement, SE). Classroom surveys for 14–16-year-olds ( N = 11,015) were conducted in six European cities (SILNE survey). Students were asked to nominate up to five schoolmates with whom they preferred to do schoolwork. SB and SE correlated negatively (−0.32; p < 0.0001). Students had on average 3.4 incoming (popularity; range 0–5) and 3.4 outgoing (social activity; 0–5) social ties. Percentage of isolated students was 1.4. Students’ network position was associated weakly with academic well-being—popular students had less SB and higher SE, and socially active students had higher SE. School-level peer networks showed high clustering and school connectedness, but low density and low centralization. Clustering was associated with higher SB. Low centralization and high school connectedness protected from SB. Dense networks supported SE as did high average school connectedness. Correlations between these network indicators and academic well-being were, however, low. Our study showed that both students’ network position and network characteristics at the school level can influence adolescents’ academic well-being.

Keywords: adolescents; peers; school burnout; schoolwork engagement; social network analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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