The interaction between school poverty and agreeableness in predicting educational attainment

Jaap Nieuwenhuis

doi:10.1016/j.paid.2018.02.002

Abstract

This study examined the relation between school poverty and educational attainment of adolescents, and tested whether personality trait agreeableness moderated this link. The sample consisted of 4236 adolescents, whose math abilities were assessed twice, at ages around 13/14 and 15/16. Agreeableness was assessed at age 13. School poverty was measured as the proportion of children eligible for free school meals in the school. The results showed a negative relation between school poverty and educational attainment, however, this negative relation was weaker for adolescents with higher levels of agreeableness. Specifically, in low poverty schools, agreeableness did not predict differences in educational attainment. The results were in line with the diathesis-stress model. This suggests that higher levels of agreeableness can contribute to resilience and better coping with contextual stressors in the school environment.

Highlights

Many studies have linked contextual poverty in general and school poverty to educational outcomes of individuals (Lacour & Tissington, 2011; Nieuwenhuis & Hooimeijer, 2016; Nieuwenhuis, Hooimeijer, van Dorsselaer, & Vollebergh, 2013; Portes & MacLeod, 1996)
The results showed a negative relation between school poverty and educational attainment, this negative relation was weaker for adolescents with higher levels of agreeableness
Both the diathesis-stress and differential susceptibility models lead to the following hypothesis: The relation between school poverty and educational achievement is moderated by agreeableness such that this relationship will be weaker for adolescents with higher levels of agreeableness (H1)

Summary

Introduction

Many studies have linked contextual poverty in general and school poverty to educational outcomes of individuals (Lacour & Tissington, 2011; Nieuwenhuis & Hooimeijer, 2016; Nieuwenhuis, Hooimeijer, van Dorsselaer, & Vollebergh, 2013; Portes & MacLeod, 1996). The differential susceptibility model predicts that adolescents who are more malleable are more likely to be negatively affected by stressful environments than less malleable adolescents, and more likely to be positively affected by positive environments (Belsky & Pluess, 2009) In this case, less malleable adolescents are expected not to be affected by the level of school poverty, while malleable adolescents are expected to have better educational outcomes in high SES schools and worse outcomes in low SES schools. Both the diathesis-stress and differential susceptibility models lead to the following hypothesis: The relation between school poverty and educational achievement is moderated by agreeableness such that this relationship will be weaker for adolescents with higher levels of agreeableness (H1). From differential susceptibility follows: In low poverty schools, adolescents with high levels of agreeableness have lower educational attainment than adolescents with low levels of agreeableness (H2b)

Participants

Measures

Analyses

Results

Discussion

Parental education