IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2020i8p2848-d348248.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

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

Author

Listed:
  • Arja Rimpelä

    (Faculty of Social Sciences, Unit of Health Sciences, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland
    PERLA—Tampere Centre for Childhood, Youth and Family Research, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland
    Department of Adolescent Psychiatry, Tampere University Hospital, Pitkäniemi Hospital, 33380 Nokia, Finland)

  • Jaana M. Kinnunen

    (Faculty of Social Sciences, Unit of Health Sciences, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland
    PERLA—Tampere Centre for Childhood, Youth and Family Research, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland)

  • Pirjo Lindfors

    (Faculty of Social Sciences, Unit of Health Sciences, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland
    PERLA—Tampere Centre for Childhood, Youth and Family Research, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland)

  • Victoria Eugenia Soto

    (PROESA, Public Health Department, Universidad ICESI, Cali, Colombia
    Institute of Health and Society, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1200 Brussels, Belgium)

  • 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)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Arja Rimpelä & Jaana M. Kinnunen & Pirjo Lindfors & Victoria Eugenia Soto & Katariina Salmela-Aro & Julian Perelman & Bruno Federico & Vincent Lorant, 2020. "Academic Well-Being and Structural Characteristics of Peer Networks in School," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-14, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:8:p:2848-:d:348248
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/8/2848/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/8/2848/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Walburg, Vera, 2014. "Burnout among high school students: A literature review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 28-33.
    2. Juan David Robalino & Michael Macy, 2018. "Peer effects on adolescent smoking: Are popular teens more influential?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(7), pages 1-12, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Caterina Fiorilli & Daniela Barni & Claudia Russo & Vanessa Marchetti & Giacomo Angelini & Luciano Romano, 2022. "Students’ Burnout at University: The Role of Gender and Worker Status," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-15, September.
    2. Luciano Romano & Giacomo Angelini & Piermarco Consiglio & Caterina Fiorilli, 2021. "The Effect of Students’ Perception of Teachers’ Emotional Support on School Burnout Dimensions: Longitudinal Findings," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-7, February.
    3. Martin Fischer & Ulf-G Gerdtham & Gawain Heckley & Martin Karlsson & Gustav Kjellsson & Therese Nilsson, 2021. "Education and health: long-run effects of peers, tracking and years," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 36(105), pages 3-49.
    4. Natalia A. Woropay-Hordziejewicz & Aleksandra Buźniak & Rafał Lawendowski & Paweł A. Atroszko, 2022. "Compulsive Study Behaviors Are Associated with Eating Disorders and Have Independent Negative Effects on Well-Being: A Structural Equation Model Study among Young Musicians," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-19, July.
    5. Katharina Rathmann & Katharina Loter & Theres Vockert, 2020. "Critical Events throughout the Educational Career: The Effect of Grade Retention and Repetition on School-Aged Children’s Well-Being," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-30, June.
    6. Seunghyup Lee & Mingee Choi & Dahyun Kim & Jaeyong Shin & Junghyun Kim, 2022. "Did the COVID-19 Lockdown Reduce Smoking Rate in Adolescents?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-10, December.
    7. Gawain Heckley & Martin Nordin & Ulf‐G. Gerdtham, 2022. "The health returns of attending university for the marginally eligible student," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(5), pages 877-903, May.
    8. Takagi, Daisuke & Yokouchi, Nobutada & Hashimoto, Hideki, 2020. "Smoking behavior prevalence in one's personal social network and peer's popularity: A population-based study of middle-aged adults in Japan," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    9. Sharma, Anupam Joya & Subramanyam, Malavika Ambale, 2020. "Psychological responses to reservation-based discrimination: A qualitative study of socially marginalized youth at a premier Indian university," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    10. Ani Emilia Cernea-Radu, 2023. "The Relationship between Burnout and School Satisfaction Based on the Student’s Age," Research & Education, Weik Press SRL, issue 8, pages 77-96, July.
    11. Chih‐Sheng Hsieh & Xu Lin, 2021. "Social interactions and social preferences in social networks," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(2), pages 165-189, March.
    12. Cuevas Ruiz, Pilar & Borra, Cristina & Sevilla, Almudena, 2023. "The causal impact of maternal educational curricula on infant health at birth," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 121334, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    13. Aleksandra Grobelna, 2022. "A Study–Life Conflict and Its Impact on Tourism and Hospitality Students’ Burnout and Their Employment Aspirations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-18, May.
    14. Wang, Qiong & Hu, Wei & Ouyang, Xiao & Chen, Huiling & Qi, Yijing & Jiang, Yihe, 2020. "The relationship between negative school gossip and suicide intention in Chinese junior high school students: The mediating effect of academic burnout and gender difference," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    15. Ana Telma Pereira & Maria João Brito & Carolina Cabaços & Mário Carneiro & Frederica Carvalho & Andreia Manão & Ana Araújo & Daniela Pereira & António Macedo, 2022. "The Protective Role of Self-Compassion in the Relationship between Perfectionism and Burnout in Portuguese Medicine and Dentistry Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-14, February.
    16. Luciano Romano & Xin Tang & Lauri Hietajärvi & Katariina Salmela-Aro & Caterina Fiorilli, 2020. "Students’ Trait Emotional Intelligence and Perceived Teacher Emotional Support in Preventing Burnout: The Moderating Role of Academic Anxiety," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-15, July.
    17. Peggy Cheung & Chunxiao Li, 2019. "Physical Activity and Mental Toughness as Antecedents of Academic Burnout among School Students: A Latent Profile Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-10, June.
    18. Jennifer M. Murray & Sharon C. Sánchez-Franco & Olga L. Sarmiento & Erik O. Kimbrough & Christopher Tate & Shannon C. Montgomery & Rajnish Kumar & Laura Dunne & Abhijit Ramalingam & Erin L. Krupka & F, 2023. "Selection homophily and peer influence for adolescents’ smoking and vaping norms and outcomes in high and middle-income settings," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-35, December.
    19. María Cristina Martínez-Fernández & Isaías García-Rodríguez & Natalia Arias-Ramos & Rubén García-Fernández & Bibiana Trevissón-Redondo & Cristina Liébana-Presa, 2021. "Cannabis Use and Emotional Intelligence in Adolescents during COVID-19 Confinement: A Social Network Analysis Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-10, November.
    20. José Jesús Gázquez Linares & María del Mar Molero Jurado & María del Carmen Pérez-Fuentes & África Martos Martínez & María del Mar Simón Márquez, 2022. "Mediating Role of Emotional Intelligence in the Relationship between Anxiety Sensitivity and Academic Burnout in Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-14, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:8:p:2848-:d:348248. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.