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Aggression, social competence, and academic achievement in Chinese children: A 5-year longitudinal study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2010

Xinyin Chen ,
Xiaorui Huang ,
Lei Chang ,
Li Wang  and
Dan Li
Xinyin Chen*
Affiliation:
University of Western Ontario
Xiaorui Huang
Affiliation:
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Lei Chang
Affiliation:
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Li Wang
Affiliation:
Peking University
Dan Li*
Affiliation:
Shanghai Normal University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Xinyin Chen, Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C2Canada; E-mail: xchen@uwo.ca; or Dan Li, Department of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China; E-mail: lidan501@126.com.
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Xinyin Chen, Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C2Canada; E-mail: xchen@uwo.ca; or Dan Li, Department of Psychology, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China; E-mail: lidan501@126.com.
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Abstract

The primary purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine, in a sample of Chinese children (initial M age = 8 years, N = 1,140), contributions of aggression to the development of social competence and academic achievement. Five waves of panel data on aggression and social and school performance were collected from peer evaluations, teacher ratings, and school records in Grades 2 to 5. Structural equation modeling revealed that aggression had unique effects on later social competence and academic achievement after their stabilities were controlled, particularly in the junior grades. Aggression also had significant indirect effects on social and academic outcomes through multiple pathways. Social competence and academic achievement contributed to the development of each other, but not aggression. The results indicate cascade effects of aggression in Chinese children from a developmental perspective.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 22 , Issue 3: Developmental Cascades: Part 1 , August 2010 , pp. 583 - 592
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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