The association between class clown dimensions, school experiences and accomplishment

Abstract

Recent research (Ruch, Platt, & Hofmann, 2014) identified four dimensions of class clown behavior (identifying as a class clown, comic talent, disruptive rule-breaker, and subversive joker). This study investigates whether these dimensions show differential relationships with school achievement, self-reported school satisfaction, positive experiences at school, and teacher-rated classroom behavior in a sample of 157 secondary school children (mean age: 15.4 years). School achievement showed a negative relation to two of the four dimensions of class clown behavior. Class clown behavior was related to less positive classroom behavior and with lower school satisfaction, which was mediated by the dimensions of school experiences. While class clowns experience positive emotions at school, their negative relationship with teachers might impair their school satisfaction and achievement. Positive psychology concepts give new insight into the field of class clown behavior and may also be able to offer some solutions.