About this srcd poster session

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Panel information
Panel 8. Education, Schooling

Abstract

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Prosocial behavior, defined as voluntary actions aimed at benefiting others, has been linked to various positive developmental outcomes, including academic achievement (Caprara et al., 2000; Wentzel, 2014). Research using multi-informant approaches—such as self-, teacher-, and peer-reports—may provide a more comprehensive view of prosocial behavior compared to relying on a single source, as each offers distinct perspectives on a child's social functioning (De Los Reyes et al., 2015). Although some studies have shown that self-reported prosocial behavior predicts academic outcomes (Eisenberg et al., 2015), others suggest that peer and teacher assessments may be stronger predictors of academic success, as they reflect observable behaviors in group settings (Wentzel, 1993). However, few studies have examined the longitudinal role of prosocial behavior reported by different informants in predicting academic performance within a single study.

This longitudinal study examined the relationship between multi-informant reports of prosocial behavior in elementary school and academic success on 12th grade GPA. The primary goal was to explore how different informants' assessments of early adolescents' prosocial behavior predicted academic outcomes in later adolescence, while controlling for baseline reading and math performance in elementary school.

Participants included 66 4th and 5th graders (48% female; 58% in 5th grade) from ethnically and economically diverse public elementary schools in Western Canada. Their prosocial behavior was assessed in 4th and 5th grade using three sources: self-reports (Social Goals Questionnaire; Wentzel, 1993b), teacher-reports (Teacher Social Competence Rating Scale; Kam & Greenberg, 1998), and peer nominations (students identified classmates who displayed behaviors such as "helps other kids when they have a problem"; Wentzel, 1994). GPA was collected during the students' 11th and 12th grades of high school.

Zero-order correlations showed significant relationships among the variables (Table 1). Hierarchical regressions were conducted into two blocks to assess the incremental predictive value of 4th and 5th grade prosocial behavior on 12th-grade GPA, after controlling for baseline academic performance. The first block included baseline reading and math scores as the predictors. In block two, we added 4th and 5th grade self, peer, and teacher reports of prosocial behavior as a predictor in three separate models.

Baseline reading and math scores explained 43% of the variance in 12th-grade GPA, F(2,38) = 14.38, p < .001, R²=.43. When analyzed separately, each informant’s ratings of prosocial behavior revealed unique patterns. Self-reported prosocial behavior did not significantly predict 12th-grade GPA, contributing no additional variance beyond baseline reading and math scores (ΔR² = 0.00). In contrast, peer-rated (ΔR² = 0.11) and teacher-rated prosocial behavior (ΔR² = 0.10) significantly predicted 12th grade academic outcomes (see Table 2).

These findings suggest that while self-reported prosocial behavior in early adolescence is not a significant predictor of later academic success, peer- and teacher-reported prosocial behaviors are. This highlights the importance of considering multiple informants in understanding the impact of early social behaviors on long-term academic achievement. Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms underlying these relationships.

Author information

Author	Role
Joshua Lovett, University of Illinois Chicago	Presenting author
M. Jennifer Kitil, University of Illinois Chicago	Non-presenting author
Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl, University of Illinois Chicago	Non-presenting author

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