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School achievement and adolescents’ interactions with their fathers, mothers, and friends

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Abstract

This article explores effects of parents’ and friends’ behaviour in verbal interactions with adolescents concerning adolescents’ school achievement. The behaviour of adolescents’ partners was observed in interactions elicited by a plan-something-together task at first measurement of a two-year longitudinal investigation. Grades in school and perceived school success at measurement points 1, 2, and 3 were included to capture adolescents’ academic achievement. Cross-sectional correlations (n=32) and longitudinal partial correlations (n=24–26) served to analyse contemporaneous associations and directed effects across a one-and two-year time interval. Findings confirmed systematic influences of parents’ as well as friends’ behaviours on the objective and subjective measures of school achievement. Patterns of effects, however, partly depending on the type of partner in interactions. The differential effects are discussed with reference to structural differences between adolescents’ family and friendship relationships.

Résumé

Cet article concerne les effets du comportement qu’adoptent les parents ou les amis des adolescents dans des discussions avec ces derniers à propos de leurs résultats scolaires. Les comportements des interlocuteurs des adolescents ont été enregistrés à la faveur d’interactions suscitées par une tâche de ‘plan-something-together” au début d’une étude longitudinale d’une durée de 2 ans. Les notes scolaires et l’auto-estimation de la résussite scolaire ont été enregistrés à trois reprises pendant cet intervalle, afin de cerner l’évolution de la réussite scolaire des adolescents. L’analyse corrélationnelle à chaque étape et entre les étapes permet de confirmer l’influence systématique des comportements des parents et des amis sur la réussite scolaire objective et subjective des adolescents. Des structures d’effets différents apparaissent cependant selon les types de partenaires. Ces différences sont mises en relation avec les différences structurales de relations que les adolescents entretiennent avec leurs parents et avec leurs amis.

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The study was supported by the German Research Council. Correspondence should be addressed to Peter Noack, Institute of Psychology, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Am Steiger 3/1, D-07743 Jena, Germany.

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Noack, P. School achievement and adolescents’ interactions with their fathers, mothers, and friends. Eur J Psychol Educ 13, 503–513 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03173101

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