School Coexistence and Its Relationship with Academic Performance Among Primary Education Students

Past research has shown the influence of various factors, both personal and contextual, on school performance. This study explores the association between academic performance and students’ perceptions of school coexistence from a multidimensional approach. The participants were 1016 Chilean students (49.9% girls, 50.1% boys; M=9.72, SD=.97 years). A structural equation model relating academic performance with the eight dimensions of coexistence considered in this study was performed. The model explains a 39.6% of the variability in school performance. We highlight the negative impact of levels of indiscipline, aggression, victimization, and teacher apathy on academic performance; and conversely, the positive and protective role of positive interpersonal management, normative adjustment, and peer social networks. The implications of these results for intervention in the school system are discussed from an individual and contextual perspective.