Peer non-cognitive self-perception and school performance: estimates using the student friendship network at classroom level

Abstract

This article investigates whether the individual academic performance is affected by peers’ self-perception about own personality and being valued in the classroom. The empirical estimations use a unique educational dataset that comes from a research institute of the Brazilian Ministry of Education (Fundação Joaquim Nabuco – FUNDAJ/ MEC, 2013), which provides crucial information for the proposed identification strategies. These strategies are based on: (i) the architecture of friendships network composed of heterogeneous reference groups within the classroom, (ii) the use of longitudinal evaluation of scholastic achievement, where all the students surveyed are submitted to a math test in the beginning and at the end of scholar year and (iii) the control of the network fixed effects. The results show students perform better when their friends demonstrate a positive self-perception of own personality and do not feel left behind in the classroom. Furthermore, when omitted variable bias is controlled for, the impact of peers’ socio emotional skills on individual achievement is even stronger.