Effects of Love in Academic Performance
Journal of Applied Economics and Business Research JAEBR, 3(1): 14- 33 (2013)
Evaluating Impacts of Early Adolescent Romance in High School on Academic Outcomes
Chung Pham, 1 Senior Researcher, Denver Public Schools, USA Tracy Keenan, M.S.W. Senior Researcher, Denver Public Schools, USA Bing Han, Ph.D. RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, USA
This study used the propensity score method to investigate the effects of early adolescent romance in the 9th grade on academic performance, as measured by high school graduation and college enrollment. The study sample included 2,895 9th graders from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth, 1997. Findings from the study uncovered mixed effects of early adolescent romance on student performance. While frequent dating behaviors and early sexual experiences showed significant negative impacts on both academic outcomes, moderate dating activities had an estimated positive impact. Implications from this study may help inform educators and families in developing appropriate policies and educational conversations to guide youth toward a moderate, timely manner of dating Copyright © 2013 JAEBR
Keywords: Adolescent romance, high schools, graduation rate, college enrollment
1. Introduction A romantic relationship is an important element in an adolescent life. Youth spend much of their time thinking, talking, and engaging in romantic relationships. Strong positive or negative emotions in youth are more commonly caused by romantic relationships as opposed to other kinds of relationships (such as with friends, parents, or school staff) (Furman & Shaffer, 2003). It is often believed that romantic relationships may negatively affect youth’s academic outcomes because the time spent with a romantic partner might distract one from schoolwork. This intuition is supported by many empirical studies in the literature. Early studies, e.g., Grinder (1966), Larson et al. (1976), and Simmons et al. (1979), found that romantic relationships
Evaluating Impacts of Early Adolescent Romance in High School on Academic Outcomes
Chung Pham, 1 Senior Researcher, Denver Public Schools, USA Tracy Keenan, M.S.W. Senior Researcher, Denver Public Schools, USA Bing Han, Ph.D. RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, USA
This study used the propensity score method to investigate the effects of early adolescent romance in the 9th grade on academic performance, as measured by high school graduation and college enrollment. The study sample included 2,895 9th graders from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth, 1997. Findings from the study uncovered mixed effects of early adolescent romance on student performance. While frequent dating behaviors and early sexual experiences showed significant negative impacts on both academic outcomes, moderate dating activities had an estimated positive impact. Implications from this study may help inform educators and families in developing appropriate policies and educational conversations to guide youth toward a moderate, timely manner of dating Copyright © 2013 JAEBR
Keywords: Adolescent romance, high schools, graduation rate, college enrollment
1. Introduction A romantic relationship is an important element in an adolescent life. Youth spend much of their time thinking, talking, and engaging in romantic relationships. Strong positive or negative emotions in youth are more commonly caused by romantic relationships as opposed to other kinds of relationships (such as with friends, parents, or school staff) (Furman & Shaffer, 2003). It is often believed that romantic relationships may negatively affect youth’s academic outcomes because the time spent with a romantic partner might distract one from schoolwork. This intuition is supported by many empirical studies in the literature. Early studies, e.g., Grinder (1966), Larson et al. (1976), and Simmons et al. (1979), found that romantic relationships