Địa vị trong nhóm đồng đẳng tại lớp học làm trung gian cho mối quan hệ giữa vấn đề hành vi và kết quả học tập của học sinh tiểu học

353 CLASSROOM PEER STATUS AS A MEDIATOR OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS AND ACADEMIC OUTCOMES AMONG PRIMARY STUDENTS Nguyen Minh Khue1, Nguyen Hong An1, Vo Tan Phuong Hong1, Tran Thi Truc Phuong1, Nguyen Minh Thanh*1 Abstract The academic outcome is one of the essential factors affecting the comprehensive development of children. The present study examines the correlation between primary students’ behavior problems and their academic outcomes via the mediation role of classroom peer status in a cross-sectional study. Participants include 1855 Vietnamese primary students (Mage = 9.88, SD = 0.841 years). The strengths and difficulties questionnaire was used to measure students’ behavior problems. The students’ classroom peer status was measured by using homeroom teachers’ reports. Academic outcomes were collected using the school office reports about students’ academic scores in a whole school year. The results support two main findings: (a) students’ behavior problems has a direct effect on academic outcomes (effect = -0.167, p < .001, 95% CI [-0.210, -0.124]), and (b) the mediating role of classroom peer status in this model was significant (effect = -0.04, 95% CI [-0.055, -0.026]). The study’s results have shown that reducing behavior problems can help to improve primary students’ classroom peer status and academic outcomes. Based on the results, we suggest that implementing intervention programs for children with behavior problems and constructing a suitable educational environment focused on peer relationships will support children in improving their academic achievement. Keywords: behavior problems, classroom peer status, academic outcome, primary students 1 Department of Psychology, Hoa Sen University * Corresponding email: nguyenminhthanhpsy@gmail.com 354 ĐỊA VỊ TRONG NHÓM ĐỒNG ĐẲNG TẠI LỚP HỌC LÀM TRUNG GIAN CHO MỐI QUAN HỆ GIỮA VẤN ĐỀ HÀNH VI VÀ KẾT QUẢ HỌC TẬP CỦA HỌC SINH TIỂU HỌC Tóm tắt Kết quả học tập là một trong những yếu tố có ảnh hưởng quan trọng đến sự phát triển toàn diện của trẻ. Nghiên cứu hiện tại xem xét mối tương quan giữa các vấn đề về hành vi của học sinh tiểu học và kết quả học tập của các em thông qua vai trò trung gian của địa vị trong nhóm đồng đẳng tại lớp học trong một nghiên cứu cắt ngang. Đối tượng tham gia gồm 1.855 học sinh tiểu học Việt Nam (Tuổi trung bình = 9,88, SD = 0,841 tuổi). Bảng câu hỏi về điểm mạnh và khó khăn (SDQ) được sử dụng để đo lường các vấn đề về hành vi của học sinh. Địa vị đồng đẳng trong lớp của học sinh được đo lường bằng cách sử dụng báo cáo của giáo viên chủ nhiệm. Kết quả học tập được thu thập bằng cách sử dụng điểm tổng kết của học sinh trong cả năm học. Kết quả hỗ trợ hai phát hiện chính: (a) các vấn đề về hành vi của học sinh có ảnh hưởng trực tiếp đến kết quả học tập (effect = -0.167, p <.001, 95% CI [-0.210, -0.124]) và (b) vai trò trung gian của địa vị trong nhóm đồng đằng tại lớp học trong mô hình này đã xuất hiện (effect = -0.04, 95% CI [-0.055, -0.026]). Kết quả của nghiên cứu đã chỉ ra rằng việc giảm thiểu các vấn đề về hành vi có thể giúp cải thiện địa vị trong nhóm đồng đẳng tại lớp học, và từ đó nâng cao kết quả học tập của học sinh tiểu học. Dựa trên kết quả đạt được, chúng tôi đề xuất rằng việc thực hiện các chương trình can thiệp cho trẻ có vấn đề về hành vi và xây dựng một môi trường giáo dục phù hợp tập trung vào các mối quan hệ đồng đẳng sẽ hỗ trợ trẻ cải thiện thành tích học tập. Từ khóa: các vấn đề về hành vi, địa vị trong nhóm đồng đẳng tại lớp học, kết quả học tập, học sinh tiểu học I. INTRODUCTION The academic outcome was a familiar concept in education. The learning theory has been evolving for many years with varied definitions of learning (Illeris, 2018). Learning is a universal experience which endures throughout our lives. It is viewed as a source of personal and communal enrichment and an important component of the development of societies 355 (Yardley et al., 2012). Lanchman (1997) defined learning outcomes or academic outcomes as the result of experiences that we acquire through learning. Academic achievement is important for children, obtaining good grades can improve their academic motivation (Hayat et al., 2020). It is also used to measure the quality of children’s life (Blair & Raver, 2012). According to the discussion above, academic outcomes significantly impact a child’s overall development, making it critical to explore further these factors. Students’ behavior problems and their academic outcomes Children with emotional issues can express their problems through behaviors such as hostility, defiance, destruction, disruption, impulsivity, overactivity, and aggressiveness (Campbell et al., 1996). These external behaviors have been shown to have a negative relationship with children’s learning capacity (Grusec, 1992). This relationship is reflected in the bioecological model of human development (Bronfenbrenner and Morris, 2006) which claims that individuals’ unique characteristics and experiences, including psychological and behavioral difficulties, can influence children’s developmental outcomes. A previous study of Mundy et al. (2017) suggested that students with conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, emotional issues, and peer problems have lower average reading scores than other peers. The children with difficulties also have a higher risk of having lower English and Maths skills (Mundy et al., 2017; Castro et al., 2020). Combining the research evidence above, we hypothesized that primary students’ behavior problems would influence their academic outcomes. Primary students’ classroom peer status as a mediator variable In Bronfenbrenner and Moris’s bioecological model of human development, individual characteristics (e.g., internal psychological, and behavioral) can influence friendship connections. On the other hand, the microsystem of peer relationships (including peer status) can contribute to a child’s academic success (Bronfenbrenner and Moris, 2006). Santrock (2018) illustrated peer status as a degree to which children’s peers like or loathe them. The peer status can have an impact on a child’s academic life 356 as well as his/her mental health. Students’ behavior problems are linked to their lower level of peer status (Sturaro et al., 2011). Boys with proactive aggressiveness were associated with a negative relationship with peers (Useche et al., 2014). Children’s harsh and negative behaviors can predict their peer status in the future, they will have more risk of being rejected (Sturaro et al., 2011). Students’ classroom peer status, then, can influence their academic outcomes. Students with aggressive behavior, in particular, may have disadvantages in their social preferences as well as their academic performance (Risi et al., 2003). Peer rejection, marginalization, and victimization can lower children’s school engagement and sense of self- competence which can affect children’s academic performance (Gou et al., 2018). Meanwhile, having a high peer status can assist a youngster in avoiding academic problems (Östberg, 2003). Based on the research evidence above, we hypothesized that students’ classroom peer status mediates the relationship between behavior problems and academic outcomes. The study’s research framework The current study aimed to explore the relationship between students’ behavior problems and students’ academic outcomes, with classroom peer status as a mediator variable. First, we want to determine an association between students’ behavior problems, academic outcomes, and classroom peer status. Then we want to look at the mediation role of classroom peer status in the relationship between behavior problems and students’ academic outcomes. As a result, the current research hypotheses and model is as follows: Hypothesis 1: Students’ behavior problems, classroom peer status, and academic outcomes are significantly and positively correlated. Hypothesis 2: Students’ behavior problems have a direct influence on academic outcomes. Hypothesis 3: Classroom peer status plays a mediatory role between students’ behavior problems and academic outcomes. 357 Students’ behavior problems Students’ classroom peer status Students’ academic outcomes Figure 1. Conceptual model. Classroom peer status as a mediator of behavior problems and academic outcomes among primary students II. METHOD 2.1. Participants and procedures The participants included 2297 students (age from 7 to 13, Mage = 9.88, SD = .841 years) in a local primary school at Ho Chi Minh City who sampled using convenience sampling. This research followed American Psychology Association (APA) ethical principles for psychology studies and was approved by Hoa Sen University’s Department of Psychology ethical committee for psychological research. Written informed consents were obtained from the school’s principal and students’ parents. Oral consent was obtained for students. The survey process had three different stages. First, the students completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in 30 minutes at their classroom after being guided by trained researchers. Meanwhile, classroom peer status was collected from student’s homeroom teachers. Finally, the school’s office was contacted in order to receive the students’ academic outcomes using students’ academic grades. The final qualified and validated questionnaire was 1855. There were 922 (49.7%) girls and 933 (50.3%) boys, and 766 (41.3%), 602 (32.5%), and 487 (26.3%) corresponding to grades 3,4, and 5 respectively. 358 2.2. Measurements Primary students’ behavior problems The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is usually used to evaluate students’ behavior problems (Goodman, 1998). This scale includes 25 self-reported items and is divided into 5 subscales: Hyperactivity Scale, Emotional Symptoms Scale, Conduct Problems Scale, Peer Problems Scale, and Prosocial Scale. SDQ used Likert-3 points scale (0 = “Not True,” 1 = “Somewhat True,” and 2 = “Certainly True”). The current study used the Vietnamese version which was translated and validated in previous studies (Dang., Nguyen., & Weiss, 2017). However, the prosocial behaviour scale was not employed. Four other sub-scales consisting of 20 items were reported by the students. In our present study, the Cronbach’s alpha of the total scale was 0.633. In the present study, the CFA showed that the measurement model produced an acceptable fit at χ2/df = 2.966 (p < .001), CFI = 0.900; TLI = 0.872; SRMR = 0.032; RMSEA = 0.032, and 90%CI = [0.029, 0.036], indicating an acceptable construct validity. Primary students’ classroom peer status Students’ classroom peer status was measured by using the social distance measurement method (Bogardus, 1925). Bogardus’s scale was applied in this study to measure students’ social distance, and peer status also. A review form, including all students’ names, was sent to homeroom teachers to help them rate their students’ level of peer status. There is a guidance sentence in the heading of the review form that said: “Please rate your students’ classroom peer status according to the real situation in your classroom”. This questionnaire used Likert-9 points scale ranging from 1 (meaning the homeroom teacher consider that the student has the lowest status in the classroom and has the least influence on other students) to 9 (meaning the homeroom teacher consider that the student has the highest status in the classroom and has the most influence on other students). In the present study, the score ranged from 2 to 9. Primary students’ academic outcomes The students’ academic outcomes were obtained from the school office and were collected after students completed their final semester’s 359 exam. The last academic year’s average result is the indicator of each student’s academic performance. Each grade has its criteria for a final score. It would be Math, Vietnamese, and Foreign Languages for grades 3; Math, Vietnamese, Foreign Languages, Science, History, and Geography for grades 4 and 5. The school office sent the researcher all the materials several weeks after the final exam took place. The average scores are in- between 0 and 10.0, all the research work has been referred to by Circular 22 of the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training (MOET, 2016). 2.3. Data analysis In the present study, we used the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 26.0 for managing data, descriptive analysis, and correlation analysis. At the same time, the Process macro v3.5, also designed by Hayes (2017), analyzes the relationship between primary students’ behavior problems and academic outcomes via students’ classroom peer status. Finally, simple mediation model 4 was used by researchers to develop the research framework (Hayes, 2017). III. RESULTS 3.1. Descriptive statistics of the variables Table 1 shows the descriptive statistics of Means, Standard Deviation, and Correlations between the variables. The data analysis showed that primary students’ behavior problems were significantly negatively correlated with both students’ classroom peer status and students’ academic outcomes. On the other hand, classroom peer status was significant positively with academic outcomes. Table 1. Means, Standard Deviation, and Correlations between variables Variables M SD 1 2 1 Students’ behavior problems 12.30 4.942 - - 2 Students’ classroom peer status 7.130 1.343 -.135** - 3 Students’ academic outcomes 8.90 8.218 -.208** .321** ** p < .01 360 Testing for mediation model of students’ classroom peer status First, the total effect of primary students’ behavior problems on students’ academic outcomes was analyzed using multiple linear regression (R = .207, R2 = .043, F = 83.570, β = -.207, t = -9.141, p < .001). Second, when classroom peer status was put into the model as a mediator variable, the direct effect of children’s behavior problems on academic outcomes was significantly negative (c’ = -.167, SE = .021, 95% CI [-.210, -.124]). Third, the Bootstrap confidence interval of 95% (sampling 5,000 times) was used to test the hypothesis, which is the mediating effect of classroom peer status in the relationship between children’s behavior problems and academic outcomes. The results showed that the mediating of classroom peer status in this model was significant negatively (a*b = -.04, SE = .007, 95% CI [-.055, -.026]) (see Fig. 2). Students’ behavior problems Classroom peer status Academic outcomes a*b = -.040 a = -.135*** b = .298*** c = -.207*** c’ = -.167*** *** p < 0.001 Figure 2. Testing mediation model of students’ classroom peer status (Based on Hayes’s mediation model number 4, 2017) IV. DISCUSSION The direct effect of students’ behavior problems on academic achievement The present study indicated that students’ behavior problems had a direct, significantly negative influence on academic achievement. The negative correlation between the two variables suggests that when 361 students have more behavior problems will result in lower academic success. This finding aligns with previous research that has found a link between aggressive behavior, emotional issues, and academic achievement in students (Tamayo Martinez et al., 2021). In other words, behavior problems consume the students’ attention and motivation; therefore, time spent on essential learning tasks is diminished (Miles & Stipek, 2006). As a result, their academic outcomes have been reduced (Miles & Stipek, 2006). The findings of this study combined with data from previous studies support the hypothesis that students’ behavior problems directly impact their academic achievement. The mediating role of classroom peer status This study showed that students’ behavior problems, classroom peer status, and academic achievement significantly correlate. The data analysis also supported the mediating role of classroom peer status on the direct pathway from students’ behavior problems to academic achievement. This mediating effect means that students’ behavior problems will decrease classroom peer status and negative classroom peer status, in turn, will affect their academic achievement. The present study results are consistent with previous findings showing that student behavior problems affect classroom peer status and ultimately reduce their academic achievement (Cillessen, 2020; Wang et al., 2018). A previous study explained that disruptive, violent children and those who are socially nervous and withdrawn earn a disproportionate number of negative and few favorable nominations from their peers (Cillessen, 2020). Children who engage in aggressive conduct have a lower chance of being selected as friends than children who normally behave (Shin, 2017). This means that children’s behaviors strongly affect their peer status (Cillessen, 2020). On the other hand, recent research has found that children rejected by classmates have a worse social adjustment ability, especially in academics (Prinstein et al., 2018). Students will achieve higher academic success if they are engaged by more peers (Wang et al., 2018). Disengaged students have a more challenging time dealing with school issues, which leads to a devaluation of their academic achievements and subsequent disengagement from school (Wang & Fredricks, 2014). Combining the 362 above data analysis and research evidence supports our hypothesis that primary students’ classroom peer status mediates the relationship between behavior problems and their academic outcomes. V. CONCLUSION Our findings revealed two paths from conduct to academic success: one direct and one indirect. Behavior problems have a natural and indirect impact on academic performance through classroom peer status. This is one of the few Vietnamese studies to examine the link between behavior problems and academic achievement in primary school, as mediated by classroom peer status. Based on the study’s findings, we recommend that educators and school counselors boost effective intervention for children with behavior problems, and provide appropriate activities to promote students’ classroom peer relationships to enhance their academic achievement. Of course, our current study contains some limitations. First, this is a cross-sectional study; the findings measured are those at the time, the ability to predict long-term results is restricted. It is impossible to establish a cause-and-effect relationship without longitudinal data. 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