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Clones in the Classroom: A Daily Diary Study of the Nonshared Environmental Relationship Between Monozygotic Twin Differences in School Experience and Achievement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Kathryn Asbury ,
David Almeida ,
Jacob Hibel ,
Nicole Harlaar  and
Robert Plomin
Kathryn Asbury*
Affiliation:
Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, United Kingdom. k.asbury@iop.kcl.ac.uk
David Almeida
Affiliation:
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, United States of America.
Jacob Hibel
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Pennsylvania State University, United States of America.
Nicole Harlaar
Affiliation:
Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, United Kingdom.
Robert Plomin
Affiliation:
Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, United Kingdom.
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr Kathryn Asbury, PO Box 83, SGDP Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK.

Abstract

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Do genetically identical children experience the same classroom differently? Are nonshared classroom experiences associated with differences in achievement? We designed a telephone diary measure which we administered every school day for 2 weeks to 122 10-year-olds in 61 monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs. Each pair shared genes, a classroom, peers and a teacher. We found that MZ twins did experience their classrooms differently (rMZ < 0.65 for all measures of classroom experience). Furthermore, MZ differences in peer problems were significantly associated with MZ differences in Mathematics achievement (ES = 8%); differences in positivity about school were significantly associated with differences in Mathematics (ES = 15%) and Science (ES = 8%) achievement; and differences in ‘flow’ in Science lessons were associated with differences in Science achievement (ES = 12%). In a multiple regression analysis, MZ differences in positivity about school significantly predicted MZ differences in Mathematics achievement (R2 = 0.16, p < .01) and MZ differences in ‘flow’ in Science significantly predicted MZ differences in Science achievement (R2 = 0.10, p < .05). These results indicate that MZ twins experience the classroom differently and that differences in their experience are associated with differences in their achievement.

Keywords

Nonshared environmentdiary studyclassroom environmentacademic achievementmonozygotic twins
Type
Articles
Information
Twin Research and Human Genetics , Volume 11 , Issue 6 , 01 December 2008 , pp. 586 - 595
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008