Peer Group Influence
and Academic Aspirations Across Cultural/Ethnic Groups of High School
Students
Project 3.5 Final Report
Patricia Gándara
July 1997–June 2001
Peer groups play an important role in the academic achievement of adolescents. Functioning within the context of school, home, and community, peer groups can affect the developmental trajectory of adolescents. CREDE researcher Gandara examined how African American, Southeast Asian, Latino, and European American adolescents from relatively low-income backgrounds form their expectations about schooling and their post-secondary aspirations during the four years of high school, focusing on how peers and families help to shape these attitudes.
Both urban and rural high school contexts were included. Factors affecting the formation and change of friendship groups included perceived shared tastes and dispositions to school and social life, curricular tracking, and language. Surprisingly, with regard to peer influence on academic goals, typically students reported not talking to friends about future plans or school-related plans. Over time, the relative importance of peer groups shifted from closer friends to broader normative groups. There were some notable consistencies and differences by ethnicity, geographic context, and gender. Alarmingly, for all groups, grades went down as aspirations went up from 8th through the 12th grade, indicating a mismatch about what is required for postsecondary schooling and school performance. Rural Latinas seemed particularly at-risk, with high percentages reporting no clear post-high school plans. Black students and Asian females reported the highest aspirations. White and Black students were most likely to consult their parents about future plans, whereas SE Asian and Latino students were much more dependent on others to provide this information. Programs and policies that bring postsecondary planning into the foreground for peers in school, home, and community contexts is clearly needed.
