Abstract
Background
Despite the recognition of the impact of peer relationships, learning motivation, and learning engagement on academic achievement, there is still a gap in understanding the specific mechanisms through which peer relationships impact academic achievement via learning motivation and learning engagement.
Methods
This study aims to investigate how peer relationships affect junior high school students’ academic achievement through the chain mediating roles of learning motivation and learning engagement, employing the self-system model of motivational development as the theoretical framework. In January 2024, 717 participants were selected from two middle schools in eastern China (mean age = 13.49 years, SD = 0.5). The data analysis in this study was performed using the structural equation model (SEM) in AMOS 24.0 and SPSS 24.0.
Results
The results showed that peer relationships were directly and significantly related to junior high school students’ academic achievement, and that peer relationships were indirectly and positively related to junior high school students’ academic achievement via learning motivation and learning engagement respectively. The results also revealed a significant indirect and positive relationship between peer relationships and junior high school students’ academic achievement, mediated by the sequential mediating roles of learning motivation and learning engagement. Moreover, the path “peer relationship→learning motivation→academic achievement” has the strongest indirect effect.
Conclusion
For junior high school students to achieve academic success, the appropriate interventions should be implemented to improve peer relationships, learning motivation, and learning engagement.
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Introduction
Academic achievement is a multifaceted construct that can be defined in broad and narrow aspects. Marsh and McCallum defined it broadly as the extent to which students achieve the objectives or goals of their educational institution or program [1]. In contrast, Hattie defined it narrowly as the progress that students make in their academic studies, demonstrated through their performance on tests, exams, and other assessments [2]. Many researchers have adopted the narrow definition, focusing on test scores in specific subjects [3,4, To mitigate potential bias inherent in self-reported data obtained from junior high school students, the Harman single-factor test was conducted using SPSS 24.0 [59]. According to the test result, 11 factors exhibited characteristic roots exceeding 1, with the first factor accounting for 31.029% of the total variance, which fell below the critical threshold of 40% [60]. These findings suggest that no significant common method variance was present, indicating that the study’s reliability and validity were not substantially impacted. The sample was composed of 717 participants selected from two middle schools in eastern China. The average age of participants was 13.49 years (SD = 0.5, range = 13–14 years). As indicated in Table 1, the sample was gender-balanced, with males accounting for 50.1% and females accounting for 49.9%. The distribution of students across different grades was as follows: 53.7% in Grade Seven and 46.3% in Grade Eight. The majority of students resided in towns. Regarding the educational level of the participants’ fathers, 48.8% had completed junior high school or below, 36.8% had attended senior high school or vocational school, 8.9% had attended college, and 5.4% had attended university. Similarly, for the participants’ mothers, 51.9% had completed junior high school or below, 33.8% had attended senior high school or vocational school, 9.2% had graduated from colleges, and 5.2% had attended university. The conventional approach to assessing a measurement model involves examining its reliability and validity [70]. This study further demonstrates that peer relationships are a predictive factor of academic achievement. The results of the study indicated that learning motivation partially mediated the association between peer relationships and academic achievement among Chinese middle school students. The finding builds upon previous research conducted by Wentzel [17], as it further elucidates the mediating role of learning motivation as a mediator between peer relationships and academic achievement among junior high school students. This finding can be explained by the increased reliance on peers for support and guidance, particularly after transitioning to junior high school. In Chinese culture, where collective values and social harmony are emphasized, peer relationships serve as a crucial source of support and guidance for students [71]. This heightened interaction with peers positively influences their learning attitude and personal values [72]. Consequently, this positive influence on learning attitudes and personal values contributes to the enhancement of learning motivation, ultimately leading to improved academic achievements among junior high school students. Additionally, the study’s results indicated the most substantial mediating role of learning motivation, supporting the notion that motivation is a more critical contributor to academic achievement [25]. This finding provides further evidence of the significant role of learning motivation in mediating the correlation between peer relationships and junior high school students’ academic achievement. The results of the study demonstrated that learning engagement also partially mediated the association between peer relationships and academic achievement among junior high school students. This suggests that a high level of learning engagement can help elucidate why junior high school students who foster positive relationships with their peers tend to exhibit improved academic performance. When students have positive peer relationships, their increased learning engagement is reflected in their active participation in class, eagerness to complete assignments, and proactive pursuit of additional learning opportunities, ultimately leading to enhanced academic achievement [19]. This finding aligns with prior research [73, 74], which postulates that learning engagement is a pivotal factor linking peer relationships and junior high school students’ academic achievement. The connections that teenagers forge with their contemporaries will facilitate increased participation in the educational process, which in turn will lead to enhanced academic performance [75]. The finding provided more evidence that learning engagement plays a significant role in the link between peer relationships and academic achievement. The study further revealed that learning motivation and learning engagement played a chain mediation role in the association between peer relationships and academic achievement, which is one of the most astonishing conclusions drawn from the investigation. This result aligns with the self-system model of motivational development [20], which suggests that positive interactions and support from peers contribute to the development of individuals’ learning motivation. This motivation, in turn, influences their level of learning engagement, leading to improved academic achievement. Furthermore, the study revealed that junior high school students’ learning motivation contributed less to their level of learning engagement (β = 0.244, P < 0.001) than their peer relationships (β = 0.183, P < 0.001). This suggests that junior high school students’ primary source of learning engagement was learning motivation, because motivation plays a crucial role in driving their interest, effort, and persistence in academic tasks [76]. Furthermore, teachers should provide timely and constructive feedback that helps students monitor their learning progress and adjust their strategies accordingly to foster students’ sense of intrinsic motivation. Additionally, teachers should understand the pressures students face in the learning process and provide appropriate support and strategies, such as offering flexible deadlines and providing alternative assignments. To enhance learning engagement, teachers should strive to gain a deeper understanding of teenagers’ needs and employ tactics and skills that strengthen their commitment to learning through meaningful classroom activities. Additionally, emotional support should be provided to help prevent learning fatigue and promote a positive attitude toward the learning process. This study contributes to the literature in two ways. Firstly, it investigates the complex relationships among peer relationships, learning motivation, learning engagement, and academic achievement utilizing the self-system model of motivational development, which may provide insights for future research in other countries. Secondly, it explores the mediating mechanism between peer relationships and junior high school students’ academic achievement through examining the roles of learning motivation and learning engagement. The novel perspective can enrich our understanding of the link between peer relationships and academic achievement among junior high school students. There are some limitations that should be acknowledged. Firstly, the study was carried out in a cross-sectional manner, making it difficult to establish a causal relationship between variables. Therefore, future longitudinal research is needed to investigate the association between peer relationships and academic achievement more conclusively. Secondly, this study was conducted within the context of China’s test-oriented learning environment, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other educational settings. To enhance the external validity of the study, future research should be conducted in different countries. Thirdly, the study did not account for potential confounding factors such as academic pressure and self-evaluation, which may also influence academic achievement. Future research should consider these factors within a comprehensive theoretical framework. Finally, apart from academic achievement, all other variables were self-reported by participants, which may introduce potential bias. Future studies could benefit from incorporating observational data from parents, teachers, and classmates to provide a more objective perspective.Results
Common method variance
Sample characteristics
Measurement model
Limitations and future research directions
Data availability
The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to ethical issues but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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This work was supported by the International Chinese Language Education Research Program [Grant no. 23YH82C].
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YS designed the study, performed the statistical analysis, and contributed to writing the manuscript. QL also contributed to writing the manuscript. SK supervised all aspects of the study’s implementation, and reviewed the manuscript. CZ proofread the English expression and reviewed the manuscript. RL collected the data and performed the statistical analysis. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
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Shao, Y., Kang, S., Lu, Q. et al. How peer relationships affect academic achievement among junior high school students: The chain mediating roles of learning motivation and learning engagement. BMC Psychol 12, 278 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01780-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01780-z