Academic performance and social networks of adolescents in a caribbean city in Colombia

Abstract

Background: Social factors and networks of friends can influence an adolescent's behavior, including academic performance (AP) in school. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between AP and adolescents' social networks in a Caribbean city in Colombia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 806 schoolchildren from 12 to 17 years old of both sexes (52.7% girls), selected by multi-stage sampling from schools in the rural and urban areas of the city of Montería, Colombia. The AP was obtained from the school records; the sociodemographic variables included the location of the school (rural or urban), family structure, family functioning (Apgar score), and family affluence scale. Social network variables included social activity, popularity, reciprocity, homophily, friends' academic performance, network size, network density, cluster of friends, and centrality.

Results: The AP was inversely associated with the Apgar score in boys. No associations of AP with the school location, family structure, family affluence scale, and age were observed. In social network variables, AP was positively associated with popularity and friends' academic performance in girls and boys, and negatively associated with homophily in boys.

Conclusions: AP was associated with social network variables. These results could help implement interventions to improve adolescents' social environment and AP.

Keywords: Education; Friendship; Social Network Analysis.