Friendship network in the classroom: Parents bias on peer effects

TY - JOUR

T1 - Friendship network in the classroom

T2 - Parents bias on peer effects

AU - Landini, Fabio

AU - Montinari, Natalia

AU - Pin, Paolo

AU - Piovesan, Marco

PY - 2016/9/1

Y1 - 2016/9/1

N2 - We interview both parents and their children enrolled in six primary schools in the district of Treviso (Italy). We study the structural differences between the children network of friends reported by children and the one elicited asking their parents. We find that the parent-reported network has a bias that is consistent with the following explanation: parents expect peer effects on school achievement to be stronger than what they really are. Thus, parents of low-performing students report their children to be friends of high-performing students. Our numerical simulations indicate that when this bias is combined with a bias on how some children target friends, then there is a multiplier effect on the expected school achievement.

AB - We interview both parents and their children enrolled in six primary schools in the district of Treviso (Italy). We study the structural differences between the children network of friends reported by children and the one elicited asking their parents. We find that the parent-reported network has a bias that is consistent with the following explanation: parents expect peer effects on school achievement to be stronger than what they really are. Thus, parents of low-performing students report their children to be friends of high-performing students. Our numerical simulations indicate that when this bias is combined with a bias on how some children target friends, then there is a multiplier effect on the expected school achievement.

U2 - 10.1016/j.jebo.2016.05.018

DO - 10.1016/j.jebo.2016.05.018

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0167-2681

VL - 129

SP - 56

EP - 73

JO - Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization

JF - Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization

ER -