“Tu apney dost jaise bantey ja rahi/raha hai.” Desi people might have heard this statement at least once from their parents. Even though they blame our BFFs for all our stupid decisions and bad lifestyle choices, it is true to some extent that our friends do have a lot of influence in our life.
Several educational researchers have earlier listed four factors that reportedly affect a student’s academic performance i.e. his family’s socioeconomic status, time spent learning, studying, and preparing for class, time spent on his hobbies or a job and the learning environment.
Well, now a study indicates that our friends also influence our academic performance and grades, reports Punjab Tribune. According to the researchers at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, if we are friends with students who get good marks, we eventually start getting good grades as well. The research also says that staying friends with ‘A graders’ and interacting with smart students motivates others to work harder and up their academic performances, reports Study Finds.
But most of us don’t really choose our friends based on what grades they get, right? That’s what the researchers of this journal also found out. But after examining data gathered in 2013-2014 regarding the social networks of 117 first-year students at a Russian university, they concluded that ‘about halfway through the academic year, friends’ grades were often very similar.’
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Sofia Dokuka, a Research Fellow at the HSE Institute of Education said, “With the use of data on the dynamics of friendship, assistance and academic performance networks, we monitor essential differences in the functionality of these connections.”
“We have proven that asking for help with studies does not lead to growth in performance. However, friendship with those who get good grades does.”
So, apparently, hanging out with over-achievers positively affects your performance in school. Well, now I actually get it why my bestie and I would get almost the same grades and sometimes even similar marks in a subject even though we never sat in the room examination hall. What do you think of this study? Tell us.