Students' peer relationships, social and academic goals, and academic achievement: A social network analysis approach

A multiwave study examined how high school students' peer relationships impact with their academic motivation, social motivation, and academic achievement. Students' motivation was framed in terms of Achievement Goal Theory and their peer relationships were measured using social network analysis. The three overarching research objectives were: 1) to describe the dynamic nature of the high school peer social networks and students' academic and social motivation, 2) to understand the relationships and predictive influence among students' academic goals, social goals, peer network position, and academic achievement across the school year, and 3) to examine the impact of peers' academic goals, social goals, and academic achievement on students' own goals and achievement. Students (n = 851) at a Midwestern U.S. public high school completed surveys at three time points: the beginning, middle, and end of the 2010-2011 school year. Results demonstrated that students' academic goals, social goals, network position, and academic achievement changed across the school year and that there were several differences by grade level, gender, and race. Structural equation models provided evidence that academic and social variables served as both predictors and outcomes, supporting the notion that these processes and outcomes are reciprocally influential. Students' social goals stood out as especially important for influencing positive changes in social network position and academic achievement across the school year. Academic achievement also emerged as an important predictor of change in students' academic goals, social goals, and social network position. Furthermore, changes in students' academic goals, social goals, and academic achievement were predicted by the average levels of motivation and achievement of the peers with whom they regularly interacted at school. The present study thus provided a comprehensive demonstration of the importance of peers for students' academic development. Future research and implications for educational practice are discussed.