Children's social behaviors as predictors of academic achievement: A longitudinal analysis.

Abstract

This study was an investigation of the relationships among a diverse sample of elementary students’ social skills, problem behaviors, academic competence, and academic achievement. The primary research question addressed the relationship between social behaviors and academic achievement. All data were collected and examined at two timepoints within a school year, which allowed for a replication of the relationships among the variables and an investigation of the predictive relationships over time. The participants in this study were 139 third- and fourth-grade students, and their teachers, from two schools in a large urban community in western Massachusetts. The results of this study indicated that (a) social skills are positively predictive of concurrent levels of academic achievement and (b) problem behaviors are negatively predictive of concurrent academic achievement. Only social skills, however, emerged as a significant predictor of future academic functioning. The linkage between problem behaviors and future academic performance may vary as a function of ethnic or cultural membership status. In schools across the United States, positive social behavior, academic competence, and high levels of achievement are objectives valued by teachers, parents, and other educational stakeholders. Given these valued objectives of education, it is surprising to find that many stakeholders are concerned that interventions focusing on students’ social behavior may diminish or shortchange the development of academic outcomes. This perception is most likely because of the belief that time will be taken away from academics if social behaviors are given a prominent place in instruction. Researchers suggest, however, that there is a strong relationship between social behavior and academic achievement (DiPerna & Elliott, 1999; Feshbach & Feshbach, 1987; Green, Forehand, Beck, & Vosk, 1980; Gresham & Elliott, 1990; Lambert & Nicholl, 1977; Wentzel, 1991,