Abstract
This study was designed to investigate friend influence over mathematical reasoning in a sample of 374 children in 187 same-sex friend dyads (184 girls in 92 friendships; 190 boys in 95 friendships). Participants completed surveys that measured mathematical reasoning in the 3rd grade (approximately 9 years old) and 1 year later in the 4th grade (approximately 10 years old). Analyses designed for dyadic data (i.e., longitudinal actor-partner interdependence model) indicated that higher achieving friends influenced the mathematical reasoning of lower achieving friends, but not the reverse. Specifically, greater initial levels of mathematical reasoning among higher achieving partners in the 3rd grade predicted greater increases in mathematical reasoning from 3rd grade to 4th grade among lower achieving partners. These effects held after controlling for peer acceptance and rejection, task avoidance, interest in mathematics, maternal support for homework, parental education, length of the friendship, and friendship group norms on mathematical reasoning.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 519-532 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | British Journal of Developmental Psychology |
Volume | 33 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2015 |
Keywords
- Friend influence
- Mathematical reasoning
- Mathematics
- Primary school children
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Developmental Neuroscience