The role of teachers in classroom peer networks

This study examined whether and how the quality of teacher-student interactions played a role in the classroom peer ecology as reflected in friendship and victimization dynamics across the school year. Longitudinal social network analysis (SIENA) was conducted on a sample of 2,389 elementary children in 107 classrooms to investigate the development of friendship networks and victimization over time. Meta-analytic random effects and mixed effects models were applied via ‘metaphor’ package to test the moderating role of early teacher-student interactions quality, which was observed using Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), on the yearlong classroom social dynamics. Results showed that the quality of teacher-student interactions did not significantly moderate the network-level processes related to peer victimization, but significantly moderated the structure of the friendship networks in the classroom. Specifically, in classrooms where teachers had warm and responsive interactions with students, children were more likely to nominate their classmates as friends, creating a tight-knit and egalitarian network structure by the end of the school year. Overall, this study provides evidence consistent with the longstanding view that teachers play a key role in regulating the social dynamics in the classroom