Semester Award Granted

Spring 2025

Submission Date

May 2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Brett Laursen

Abstract

Speculation about the developmental shifts in the magnitude of peer influence has outstripped empirical research. Friends are assumed to be particularly influential at the onset of adolescence, as adult oversight declines and the salience of peers increases. Few studies, however, have explored age-group differences in the magnitude of friend influence over academic achievement and physical activity. The present longitudinal study compares friendship dyads in late childhood (grades 4-5) versus early adolescence (grades 6-7), describing the strength of their mutual influence across peer- and self-reports of academic achievement and physical activity. Participants included 170 adolescents (99 girls, 71 boys) in 85 stable friend dyads from two Florida public schools and 268 adolescents (137 girls, 131 boys) in 134 stable friend dyads from nine Lithuanian public schools. Results indicated that one friend’s initial self- and peer-reported academic achievement and physical activity at Time 1 predicted changes in the other friend’s academic achievement and physical activity at Time 2. Grade differences emerged for peer-reports of academic achievement, such that friend influence was greater in grades 6-7 than in grades 4-5. The findings of the current study highlight the importance of friends in promoting healthy academic and physical activity behaviors and can guide the development of effective peer-mediated interventions.

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