Unraveling the SES-science performance link: the distinct roles of peer closeness and conflict in primary and middle school

Introduction: This study proposed a moderation model to examine the moderating effect of peer closeness and conflict on the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and science performance among Chinese primary and middle school students. Peer closeness and peer conflict are conceptualized as social-relational contexts that may condition how family socioeconomic resources are translated into students' science learning outcomes. Methods: A total of 19,108 4th graders and 9,983 8th graders completed online questionnaires and a standardized science test. Results: The moderation analysis indicated that peer closeness neither predicted students' science performance nor moderated the association between SES and science performance for both grades. In contrast, peer conflict negatively predicted the science performance of 4th graders and moderated the association between SES and the science performance of 8th graders. Specifically, with a higher level of peer conflict, the positive relationship between SES and science performance was weaker. Discussion: The findings indicate that peer conflict is differentially associated with students' science performance across grade levels. These findings highlight the distinct roles of positive and negative peer relationships in shaping science learning outcomes and underscore the importance of addressing peer conflict when promoting educational equity across different grade levels.