Abstract
In the situation where there is concern about the polarization of academic achievement due to remote education after the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to pay attention to academic engagement, which is mentioned to play a strong and decisive role in students’ adaptive school life. In this sense, this study examined how the influence of peer relationships and grit on academic engagement of elementary school students differs according to the teacher-student relationship. For this purpose, in this study, two groups (a High and a Low T-S group) were formed according to the level of teacher-student relationship, and a multi-group analysis was conducted by setting grit as a mediating factor in the relationship between peer relationship and academic engagement. For the analysis, KYCPS data was used (2067 4th grade elementary students, 49.1% girls), and the results were as follows: 1) In the High T-S group, the direct effect of the peer relationship on academic engagement was not significant, 2) In the Low T-S group, the peer relationship not only had a direct and significant effect on academic engagement, but also had a significant effect through grit as a mediator. This study emphasizes the importance of interpersonal resources in promoting academic engagement and enhancing the grit in school contexts. Finally, based on these findings, implications and suggestions were discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available in the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey 2018 (KCYPS 2018) archive repository, https://www.nypi.re.kr/archive/mps/program/examinDataCode/dataDwloadAgreeView?menuId=MENU00226
References
Al-Mutawah, M. A., & Fateel, M. J. (2018). Students' achievement in math and science: How grit and attitudes influence? International Education Studies, 11(2), 97–105. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v11n2p97
Bae, S., Hong, J., & Hyun, M. (2015). A validation study of the peer relationship quality scale for adolescents. Korean Journal of Youth Studies, 22(5), 325–344. G704–000387.2015.22.5.004.
Browne, M. W., & Cudeck, R. (1993). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In K. A. Bollen & J. S. Long (Eds.), Testing structural equation models (pp. 136–162). Sage.
Cappella, E., Kim, H. Y., Meal, J. W., & Jackson, D. R. (2013). Classroom peer relationships and behavioral engagement in elementary school: The role of social network equity. American Journal of Community Psychology, 52, 367–379. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-013-9603-5
Carmona-Halty, M. A., Schaufeli, W. B., & Salanova, M. (2019). The Utrecht work engagement scale for students (UWES-9S): Factorial validity, reliability, and measurement invariance in a Chilean sample of Undergraduate University students. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1017. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01017
Carter, E. W., Sisco, L. G., Brown, L., Brickham, D., & Al-Khabbaz, Z. A. (2008). Peer interactions and academic engagement of youth with developmental disabilities in inclusive middle and high school classrooms. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 113(6), 479–494. https://doi.org/10.1352/2008.113:479-494.
Chen, J. J. (2005). Relation of academic support from parents, teachers, and peers to Hong Kong adolescents’ academic achievement: The mediating role of academic engagement. Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs, 131(2), 77–127. https://doi.org/10.3200/MONO.131.2.77-127
Cheung, G. W., & Rensvold, R. B. (2002). Evaluating goodness-of-fit indexes for testing measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling, 9(2), 233–255. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15328007SEM0902_5
Choi, J., & Lim, H. (2021). Predictors of academic resilience among elementary and middle school students: The mediating effect of grit and academic engagement. Journal of Learner-centered Curriculum and Instruction, 21(1), 921–950. https://doi.org/10.22251/jlcci.2021.21.1.921
Choi, E., & Park, J. (2019). Mediating effect of school engagement in the relationship between peer status and academic achievement and school-level differences in this relationship. Korean Journal of Educational Psychology, 33(3), 341–369. https://doi.org/10.17286/KJEP.2019.33.3.02
Choi, E., & Yoon, Y. (2021). Mediating effect of grit and academic engagement and the moderating effect of gender on the association between social relationship and academic achievement of middle school students. The Korean Journal of Educational Psychology, 35(1), 121–148. https://doi.org/10.17286/KJEP.2021.35.1.06
Chung, H., Kim, Y., & Park, S. (2020). Exploring variables on grit of elementary and middle school students: Application of penalized regression. Journal of Learner-centered Curriculum and Instruction, 20(8), 673–693. https://doi.org/10.22251/jlcci.2020.20.8.673
De Laet, S., Colpin, H., Vervoort, E., Doumen, S., Van Leeuwen, K., Goossens, L., & Verschueren, K. (2015). Developmental trajectories of children’s behavioral engagement in late elementary school: Both teachers and peers matter. Developmental Psychology, 51(9), 1292–1306. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039478
Doctoroff, G. L., & Arnold, D. H. (2017). Doing homework together: The relation between parenting strategies, child engagement, and achievement. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 48, 103–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2017.01.001
Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance. Scribner.
Duckworth, A., & Gross, J. J. (2014). Self-control and grit: Related but separable determinants of success. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23(5), 319–325. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721414541462
Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087–1101. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087
Eskreis-Winkler, L., Duckworth, A. L., Shulman, E. P., & Beal, S. (2014). The grit effect: Predicting retention in the military, the workplace, school and marriage. Frontiers in Psychology, 5(36), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00036
Furman, W., & Buhrmester, D. (1985). Children’s perceptions of the personal relationships in their social networks. Developmental Psychology, 21(6), 1016–1024. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.21.6.1016
G20 Information Centre (2020). G20 Education Ministers’ Statement on COVID-19. Available at http://www.g20.utoronto.ca/2020/2020-g20-education-0627.html. Accessed 20 Feb 2022.
Goodenow, C. (1993). Classroom belonging among early adolescent students: Relationships to motivation and achievement. Journal of Early Adolescence, 13(1), 21–43. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431693013001002
Gremmen, M. C., van den Berg, Y. H. M., Steglich, C., Veenstra, R., & Dijkstra, J. K. (2018). The importance of near-seated peers for elementary students' academic engagement and achievement. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 58, 42–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2018.04.004
Hamre, B. K., Pianta, R. C., Mashburn, A. J., & Downer, J. T. (2007). Building a science of classrooms: Application of the CLASS framework in over 4,000 U.S. early childhood and elementary classrooms. Foundation for Child Development.
Han, S. (2019). Exploring the personal and social predictors of the longitudinal changes in grit and examining the effects of the program to improve grit [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Chungnam National University.
Hobfoll, S. E. (2002). Social and psychological resources and adaptation. Review of General Psychology, 6, 307–324. https://doi.org/10.1037//1089-2680.6.4.307
Hodge, B., Wright, B., & Bennett, P. (2018). The role of grit in determining engagement and academic outcomes for university students. Research in Higher Education, 59(4), 448–460. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-017-9474-y
Hoerr, T. R. (2013). Fostering grit: How do I prepare my students for the real world? (ASCD arias). ASCD.
Hong, M., & Lee, S. (2019). Effects of grit and conscientiousness on academic performance: The mediation effects of self-determination motivation. Journal of the Korea Convergence Society, 10(10), 143–151. https://doi.org/10.15207/JKCS.2019.10.10.143
Howard, J. M., Nicholson, B. C., & Chesnut, S. R. (2019). Relationships between positive parenting, overparenting, grit, and academic success. Journal of College Student Development, 60(2), 189–202. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2019.0018
Hwang, M. (2019). Exploring the meaning of grit and interventional implications for the academic counseling. The Korean Journal of Elementary Counseling, 18(1), 1–21.
Jang, Y., & Kim, S. (2021). A study on factors affecting Adolescent’s grit: Individual factor, parent factor, school factor. Journal of Industrial Convergence, 19(4), 57–64. https://doi.org/10.22678/JIC.2021.19.4.057
Jiang, W., Xiao, Z., Liu, Y., Guo, K., Jiang, J., & Du, X. (2019). Reciprocal relations between grit and academic achievement: A longitudinal study. Learning and Individual Differences, 71, 13–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2019.02.004
Kang, H & Park, S. (2020). The mediating effect of the grit effort steadiness on the relationship between the growth mindset and resilience of gifted youths. The Journal of Humanities and Social Science 21, 11(6), 829–844.
Kim, H., & Hwang, M. (2015). Validation of the Korean grit scale for children. The Journal of Education, 35(3), 63–74. https://doi.org/10.25020/je.2015.35.3.63
Kim, H., & Hwang, Y. (2019). The relationships between external developmental assets, internal developmental assets, and academic stress on academic achievement. The Journal of Humanities and Social Science 21, 10(5), 1607–1622. https://doi.org/10.22143/HSS21.10.5.115
Kim, J., & Kim, N. (2009). Validation of student-teacher attachment relationship scale (STARS) as a basis for evaluating teachers’ educational competencies. Korean Journal of Educational Psychology, 23(4), 697–714.
Kim, J. K., & Yoo, A. J. (2002). Preadolescent communication skills and quality of peer relationships by institutionalization, sex, and age. Korean Journal of Child Studies, 23(2), 121–135.
Korea Youth Policy Institute. (2017). Korean children and youth panel survey data (KCYPS), 1-7th survey data user guide. Korea Youth Policy Institute.
Lan, X. (2020). Grit and peer relationships in early adolescence: A person-centered approach. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 37(7), 2250–2269. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407520921557
Lan, X., & Moscardino, U. (2019). Direct and interactive effects of perceived teacher-student relationship and grit on student wellbeing among stay-behind early adolescents in urban China. Learning and Individual Differences, 69, 129–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2018.12.003
Lan, X., & Radin, R. (2020). Direct and interactive effects of peer attachment and grit on mitigating problem behaviors among urban left-behind adolescents. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 29(1), 250–260. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01580-9
Lee, J., & Lee, S. M. (2012). The development and validation of Korean academic engagement inventory (KAEI). The Korean Association for Educational Methodology Studies, 24(1), 131–147. https://doi.org/10.17927/tkjems.2012.24.1.131
Lee, M., & Lee, S. M. (2020). Teacher and peer relationships and life satisfaction: Mediating the role of student resilience in south Korean elementary schools. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1017/jgc.2020.21
Lee, H., & Lim, H. (2020). A study on the causal relation between grit and academic achievement using propensity score matching. Journal of Educational Studies, 51(4), 63–86. https://doi.org/10.15854/jes.2020.12.51.4.63
Lee, H. G., & Seo, S. G. (2021). Mediating effects of grit and academic engagement on the relationship between middle school students' microsystem variables and academic achievement. Journal of Emotional & Behavioral Disorders, 37(4), 245–264. https://doi.org/10.33770/JEBD.37.4.11
Lee, M., Lee, T., & Lee, S. M (2021). Role of peer support in competitive classroom climates: Focusing on the mediation effect of academic hatred in the JD-R model. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1017/jgc.2021.24
Lei, H., Cui, Y., & Zhou, W. (2018). Relationships between student engagement and academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 46(3), 517–528. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.7054
Lim, H., & Lee, S. (2020). The mediating effect of grit on the relationship between variables related to parents, teachers, friends, and academic engagement. The journal of Korea elementary. Education, 31(1), 109–127. https://doi.org/10.20972/kjee.31.1.202003.109
Martínez, I. M., Youssef-Morgan, C. M., Chambel, M. J., & Marques-Pinto, A. (2019). Antecedents of academic performance of university students: Academic engagement and psychological capital resources. Educational Psychology, 39(8), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2019.1623382
O’Neal, C. R., Goldthrite, A., Weston Riley, L., & Atapattu, R. K. (2018). A reciprocal, moderated mediation model of grit, engagement, and literacy achievement among dual language learners. Social Development, 27(3), 665–680. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12288
OECD. (2014). Social and emotional skills constructs and measures for the OECD longitudinal study of skill dynamics. OECD.
Parker, J. G., & Asher, S. R. (1993). Friendship and friendship quality in middle childhood: Links with peer group acceptance and feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction. Developmental Psychology, 29(4), 611–621. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.29.4.611
Pianta, R. C. (1999). Enhancing relationships between children and teachers. American Psychological Association.
Rimfeld, K., Kovas, Y., Dale, P. S., & Plomin, R. (2016). True grit and genetics: Predicting academic achievement from personality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 111(5), 780–789. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000089
Ryan, R. M., Stiller, J. D., & Lynch, J. H. (1994). Representations of relationships to teachers, parents, and friends as predictors of academic motivation and self-esteem. Journal of Early Adolescence, 14(2), 226–249. https://doi.org/10.1177/027243169401400207
Schaufeli, W. B., Salanova, M., González-Romá, V., & Bakker, A. B. (2002). The measurement of engagement and burnout: A two sample confirmatory factor analytic approach. Journal of Happiness Studies, 3(1), 71–92. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015630930326
Schwabe, F., Korthals, R., & Schils, T. (2019). Positive social relationships with peers and teachers as moderators of the big-fish-little-pond effect. Learning and Individual Differences, 70, 21–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2018.12.006
Shechtman, N., DeBarger, A. H., Dornsife, C., Rosier, S., & Yarnall, L. (2013). Promoting grit, tenacity, and perseverance: Critical factors for success in the 21st century. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Education Technology.
Steinberg, L. (2013). Does recent research on adolescent brain development inform the mature minor doctrine? Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, 38(3), 256–267. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmp/jht017
Tak, H., & Cho, G. (2021). Relationship between grit and academic achievement in middle school students: The mediating effect of academic engagement. Journal of Education and Culture, 27(3), 329–348. https://doi.org/10.24159/joec.2021.27.3.329
Tang, X., Wang, M. T., Guo, J., & Salmela-Aro, K. (2019). Building grit: The longitudinal pathways between mindset, commitment, grit, and academic outcomes. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48, 850–863. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-00998-0
Teuscher, S., & Makarova, E. (2018). Students’ school engagement and their truant behavior: Do relationships with classmates and teachers matter? Journal of Education and Learning, 7(6), 124–137. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v7n6p124
Waters, L. E., Loton, D., & Jach, H. K. (2019). Does strength-based parenting predict academic achievement? The mediating effects of perseverance and engagement. Journal of Happiness Studies, 20(4), 1121–1140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-018-9983-1
Yoo, J., & Park, J. (2020). Examining the socialization of grit and the effects of peer community and teacher closeness using longitudinal social network analysis. Journal of Learner-centered Curriculum and Instruction, 20(14), 1267–1285. https://doi.org/10.22251/jlcci.2020.20.14.1267
Funding
This work was supported by Research Resettlement Fund for the new faculty of Kwangwoon University in 2021.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
This manuscript is an original work that has not been submitted to nor published anywhere else. All authors have read and approved the paper and have met the criteria for authorship.
Informed Consent
All parents or guardians consented to children’s participation in the KCYPS.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lee, M., Ha, G. The role of peer relationships among elementary school students: Focusing on the mediation effects of grit depending on teacher-student relationships. Curr Psychol 42, 18463–18472 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03359-6
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03359-6