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Friendship Network in the Classroom: Parents Bias on Peer Effects

Landini, Fabio ; Montinari, Natalia LU ; Pin, Paolo and Piovesan, Marco (2016) In Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 129. p.56-73
Abstract
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.
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Social networks, primary school, friendships, parents’ bias, homophily, peer effects, Bonacich centrality
in
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization
volume
129
pages
18 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:84977278622
  • wos:000381954900004
ISSN
0167-2681
DOI
10.1016/j.jebo.2016.05.018
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a3a48118-9efb-4a47-b807-da8035d95003
date added to LUP
2016-05-19 12:19:49
date last changed
2022-02-14 02:58:54
@article{a3a48118-9efb-4a47-b807-da8035d95003,
  abstract     = {{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.}},
  author       = {{Landini, Fabio and Montinari, Natalia and Pin, Paolo and Piovesan, Marco}},
  issn         = {{0167-2681}},
  keywords     = {{Social networks; primary school; friendships, parents’ bias; homophily; peer effects; Bonacich centrality}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{56--73}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization}},
  title        = {{Friendship Network in the Classroom: Parents Bias on Peer Effects}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2016.05.018}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.jebo.2016.05.018}},
  volume       = {{129}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}