Table 1

The definitions of the variables

NameVariableAttributeDefinition
Panel A: Inependent variable (Peers’ Problem Behavior)
AbsentThe number of close friends of the participants who were absent from class(es)BinaryA dummy variable indicates if any close friends of the participants were absent from class: “0” for none absent, “1” for one or more absent
FightThe number of close friends of the participants who were engaged in fighting with othersBinaryA dummy variable signifies whether any of the participant’s close friends were involved in fights: “0” for none, and “1” for one or more
Quit_SchoolThe number of close friends of the participants who dropped out of schoolBinaryA dummy variable represents whether any of the participant’s close friends dropped out of school: “0” for none, and “1” for one or more
Panel B: Dependent variable (Student Academic Performance)
ChineseStudent test scoresContinuousThe scores obtained by students in their Chinese mid-terms (the maximum score of the tests is 150)
MATHStudent test scoresContinuousThe scores obtained by students in their mathematics mid-terms (the maximum score of the tests is 150)
ENGStudent test scoresContinuousThe scores obtained by students in their English mid-terms (the maximum score of the tests is 150)
Panel C: Moderating variable
ExpectationEducational expectationBinaryStudent-reported educational expectations varied from 0 (indicating high school and below) to 1 (signifying college level or above)
Panel D: Control variable
Friend_NoThe number of friendsContinuousThe number of close friends
Registration_TypeThe category of household registrationBinaryA dummy variable denotes the reported household registration status of students: “1” for Rural Hukou and “0” for Non-rural Hukou
One_ChildFamily characteristics reported by studentsBinaryWhether or not the student is the only child in the family
DialectWhether the student is proficient in handling the local languageBinaryThe variable being examined pertains to the student’s proficiency in the local language
Class_ReallocationWhether the student was reallocated to a different classBinaryThe status of students was reallocated to a different class upon promotion to eighth grade
Source(s): Authors’ own work

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