Student's and Classmates' Prosocial Behavior predict Academic Engagement in Middle School
Nicole R Brass1, ChenYu Hung2, Tayla Stephen2
1University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA. nrbrass@missouri.edu.
Journal of Youth and Adolescence
|June 12, 2024
Summary
Students
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Classroom social climate significantly influences student academic engagement.
- Limited research exists on how specific peer behaviors, particularly prosocial actions, shape academic engagement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between perceptions of classmates' prosocial behavior and students' academic engagement (cognitive, behavioral, affective).
- To examine indirect effects through students' own prosocial behavior over the school year.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study with 905 middle school students from rural, low-income communities.
- Self-report surveys administered in fall and spring of the 2022-2023 school year.
- Analysis of perceptions of classmates' prosocial behavior, students' own prosocial behavior, and academic engagement dimensions.
Main Results:
- Perceptions of classmates' prosocial behavior positively correlated with students' own prosocial behavior.
- Students' prosocial behavior positively associated with cognitive, behavioral, and affective engagement.
- A significant positive indirect effect of classmates' prosocial behavior on engagement was found, mediated by students' own prosocial behavior.
Conclusions:
- Classmates' prosocial behavior positively impacts individual academic engagement through fostering students' own prosocial actions.
- Findings underscore the importance of peer influence on academic outcomes.
- Results suggest potential for classroom-based interventions targeting collective prosocial behavior to enhance engagement.
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