The Implications of Having High‐achieving Versus Low‐achieving Friends: A Longitudinal Analysis

Altermatt and Pomerantz (2005) found that low-achieving youth in fifth through seventh grade were more likely to report a lower academic self-concept but also higher academic engagement if they had high-achieving friends than if they had low-achieving friends.

“Altermatt and Pomerantz (2005) found that low-achieving youth in fifth through seventh grade were more likely to report a lower academic self-concept but also higher academic engagement if they had high-achieving friends than if they had low-achieving friends.”

Friends' academic characteristics have been found to positively predict changes in youths' academic self-concept, engagement, and performance.

“friends' academic characteristics have been found to positively predict changes in youths' academic selfconcept, engagement, and performance (Altermatt & Pomerantz, 2005;Berndt & Keefe, 1995;Ryan, 2001).”

Affiliation with high-achieving peers may provoke social comparisons that undermine a youth's academic self-concept if a contrast is perceived between her own skills and her peers' skills.

“affiliation with high-achieving peers may provoke social comparisons that undermine a youths' academic self-concept if a contrast is perceived between her own skills and her peers' skills (Altermatt & Pomerantz, 2005;Dweck, 2002;Guay et al., 1999).”

Low-achieving youth's academic self-concept is lowest when their comparison reference is high achievers.

“academic self-concept is lowest when their comparison reference is high achievers”

Studies of adolescents find that affiliation with peers who are highly academically competent may produce benefits for academic effort by motivating improvements in academic standards and performance, or by providing models for how to complete challenging academic tasks.

“studies of adolescents find that affiliation with peers who are highly academically competent may, on the one hand, produce benefits for academic effort by motivating improvements in academic standards and performance, or by providing models for how to complete challenging academic tasks, serving as a form of”

There is some evidence that youths' own academic skill level moderates the effect of peers' academic skills on youths' academic self-concept.

“there is some evidence that youths' own academic skill level moderates the effect of peers' academic skills on youths' academic self-concept (Altermatt & Pomerantz, 2005;Guay et al., 1999).”