Social Comparisons and Decisions Making Among Teacher-Members of Secondary School Disciplinary Panels

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23918/ijsses.v12i3p127

Keywords:

Social Comparison, Cautious Decisions, Risky decisions, Shifts in Decisions, Teachers, Secondary Schools

Abstract

Educational institutions continue to adopt group decision making to address student related behaviours. However, incidences of student behaviour problems continue to rise in schools. The present study explored social comparisons and Decisions making among teacher-members of secondary school disciplinary panels. A multiple case study research design was adopted in this study. The sample size comprised 10 teachers. Data was collected using interviews and analysed thematically. The findings reported lateral, upward and downward social comparisons among the teachers which resulted in cautious shifts in decisions on offending students with behavioural problems.  Implications have been discussed. There is need for designing a training manual in group decision making for teachers in schools.

Author Biography

  • Peter J.O. Aloka, Studies in Education, Wits School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

       

References

Aloka, P. J. O. (2022). Social comparison and academic buoyancy among freshmen in one selected public university. EUREKA: Social and Humanities, (3), 49-59. https://doi.org/10.21303/2504-5571.2022.002447

Arigo, D., Mogle, J.A., Brown, M.M., Pasko, K., Travers, L., Sweeder, L., & Smyth, J.M. (2020). Methods to assess social comparison processes within persons in daily life: A scoping review. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2909. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02909

Bault, N., Coricelli, G., & Rustichini, A. (2008). Interdependent utilities: How social ranking affects choice behavior. PLoS One, 3(10), e3477. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0003477

Bolton, G.E., Ockenfels, A., & Stauf, J. (2015). Social responsibility promotes conservative risk behaviour. European Economic Review, 74, 109-127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2014.10.002

Bolton, G. E., & Ockenfels, A. (2009). Risk taking and social comparison. A comment. American Economic Review, 100, 628-633

Boyatzis, R. E. (1998). Transforming qualitative information: Thematic analysis and code development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3 (2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Bursztyn, L., Ederer, F., Ferman, B., & Yuchtman, N. (2014). Understanding mechanisms underlying peer effects: Evidence from a field experiment on financial decisions. Econometrica 82 (4), 1273-301.

Buunk, B. P., & Gibbons, F. X. (2007). Social comparison: The end of a theory and the emergence of a field. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 102, 3-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2006.09.007

Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Dijk, O. (2017). For whom does social comparison induce risk-taking? Theory and Decision 82, 519–541. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11238-016-9578-4.

Drucker, P. F. (2010). The practice of management. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

DuBrin, A. J. (2012). Leadership: research findings, practice and skills. Mason, OH: Cengage South-Western.

Eisenfuhr, F. (2011). Decision making. New York, NY: Springer

Eliahoo, R. (2011). Dilemmas in measuring the impact of subject-specific mentoring on mentees’ learners in the lifelong learning sector. Practitioner Research in Higher Education, 5(1), 39-47. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1130567

Eriksen, K.W., & Kvaløy, O. (2010). Myopic investment management. Review of Finance, 14 (3), 521-542.

Fernández-Theoduloz, G., Paz, V., Nicolaisen-Sobesky, E., Pérez, A., Buunk, A. P., Cabana, Á., & Gradin, V. B. (2019). Social avoidance in depression: A study using a social decision-making task. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 128(3), 234–244. https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000415

Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7, 117–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872675400700202.

Fornasari F., Ploner M., & Soraperra, I. (2020). Interpersonal risk assessment and social preferences: An experimental study. Journal of Economic Psychology, 77, 102183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2019.06.006.

Gall, M. D., Borg, W. R., & Gall, J. P. (1996). Educational research: An introduction (6th ed.), White Plains, NY: Longman.

Gamba, A., Manzoni, E., & Stanca, L. (2017). Social comparison and risk-taking behavior. Theory and Decision, 82, 221–248. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11238-016-9562-z

Gerber, J.P., Wheeler, L., & Suls, J. A. (2018). Social comparison theory meta-analysis 60+ years on. Psychological Bulletin, 144(2), 177-197. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/bul0000127.

Heaton J. (2015). Use of social comparisons in interviews about young adults' experiences of chronic illness. Qualitative Health Research, 25(3), 336–347. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732314553122

Kacperczyk, A., Beckman, C. M., & Moliterno, T. P. (2015). Disentangling risk and change: Internal and external social comparison in the mutual fund industry. Administrative Science Quarterly, 60(2), 228–262. https://doi.org/10.1177/0001839214566297

Kirchler, M., Andersson, D., & Bonn, C. (2017). The effect of fast and slow decisions on risk taking. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 54, 37–59. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11166-017-9252-4

Linde, J., & Sonnemans, J. (2012). Social comparison and risky choices. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 44(1), 45–72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11166-011-9135-z

Linde, J., & Sonnemans, J. (2015). Decisions under risk in a social and individual context: The limits of social preferences? Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 56, 62–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2015.03.003

Lunenburg, F. C. (2010). Managing change: The role of the change agent. International Journal of Management, Business, and Administration, 13(1), 1 - 6

Lunenburg, F.C. (2011). Decision making in organizations. International Journal of Management, Business, and Administration, 15(1), 1-10.

Magai, D.N., Malik, J.A., & Koot, H.M. (2018). Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Children and Adolescents in Central Kenya. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 49, 659–671. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-018-0783-y

March, J. G. (2010). Primer on decision making. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster

Margolis, J. A., & Dust, S. B. (2019). It’s all relative: A team-based social comparison model for self-evaluations of effectiveness. Group & Organization Management, 44(2), 361–395. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601116682901

Matthews, M. J., & Kelemen, T. K. (2024). To Compare Is Human: A Review of Social Comparison Theory in Organizational Settings. Journal of Management, 51(1), 212-248. https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063241266157

Miao, H., Li, Z., Yang, Y., & Guo, C. (2018). Social comparison orientation and social adaptation among young Chinese adolescents: The mediating role of academic self-concept. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 1067-1076. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01067

Mokoena, S. (2011). Participative decision-making: perceptions of school stakeholders in South Africa. Journal of Social Sciences, 29(2), 119-131.

Mukherjee, M. (2010). Comparison of risky decision-making processes in dyads and individuals. Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3621

Pan, C., & Xing, X. (2025). “spillover” or “specificity”? The effect of upward social comparison on intertemporal decision. Current Psychology: A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psychological Issues. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-025-07380-3

Pahlke, J., Strasser, S., & Vieider, F. (2015). Responsibility effects in decision making under risk. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 51(2), 125-146.

Patton, M.Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods. 3rd Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA.

Petrescu, M., Siqueira, J.R., Dobre, C., Mrad, S.B., Ciuta, A.M., & Kara, A. (2025). Social comparison and self-determination in luxury consumption motivations. Psychology & Marketing, 42(2), 292-310. https://commons.erau.edu/publication/2305/

Peng, M., Shi, Y., Tang, R., Yang, X., Yang, H., Cai, M., Gu, R., & Li, X. (2025). Good luck or bad luck? The influence of social comparison on risk‐taking decision and the underlying neural mechanism. Psychophysiology, 62(2), Article e14730. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.14730

Rancourt, D., Leahey, T. M., LaRose, J. G., & Crowther, J. H. (2015). Effects of weight-focused social comparisons on diet and activity outcomes in overweight and obese young women. Obesity, 23(1), 85–89. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.20953

Raue, M., D'Ambrosio, L.A., & Coughlin, J.F. (2020). The power of peers: Prompting savings behavior through social comparison. Journal of Behavioral Finance, 21(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427560.2019.1587762

Ritchie, J., Lewis, J., & Elam, G. (2003). Designing and selecting samples. In Jane Ritchie & Jane Lewis (Eds.), Qualitative research practice. A guide for social science students and researchers (pp.77-108) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Schwerter, F. (2013). Social reference points and risk taking. Bonn Discussion Papers No. 2013-11.

Smith, C., & Amushigamo, A. (2016). The perceived influence of school leadership on learner behaviour in a Namibian secondary school. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 44(4), 650–667. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143214559232

Stoner, J. A. F. (1961). A comparison of individual and group decisions involving risk. Unpublished Master’s Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Sun, L., Xiao, Y., Mao, W., Cao, B., Mao, H., Wang, D., & Hu, Y. (2023). The influence of social comparison on risk decision-making for self and groups in intergroup contexts. Australian Journal of Psychology, 75(1), 11-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2023.2220414

Tian, J., Li, B., & Zhang, R. (2025). The Impact of Upward Social Comparison on Social Media on Appearance Anxiety: A Moderated Mediation Model. Behavioral Sciences, 15(1), 8-19. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15010008

Towler, M. (2010). Rational decision making: An introduction. New York, NY: Wiley

Tor, A., & Garcia, S.M. (2023). The neuroscience of social comparison and competition. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 23, 920–943. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-023-01107-2

Wang, D., Zhu, L., Maguire, P., Liu, Y., Pang, K., Li, Z., & Hu, Y. (2016). The influence of social comparison and peer group size on risky decision-making. Frontiers in Psychology, 7,1232. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01232

Yin, R. K. (1994). Case study research design and methods: Applied social research and methods series. Second edn. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc.

Yip, J.J., & Kelly, A.E. (2013). Upward and downward social comparisons can decrease prosocial behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 43, 591-602. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2013.01039.x

Zeigler-Hill, V., & Shackelford, T.K. (2018). Upward and downward social comparisons: A brief historical overview in encyclopaedia of personality and individual differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1912-1

Downloads

Published

26.08.2025

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

J.O. Aloka, P. (2025). Social Comparisons and Decisions Making Among Teacher-Members of Secondary School Disciplinary Panels. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 12(3), 127-140. https://doi.org/10.23918/ijsses.v12i3p127

Similar Articles

1-10 of 364

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.