Classroom Model and Peer Influence: The Relationship Between Preschoolers\u27 Behavior and Academic Achievement in the Classroom

Research indicates that classroom behaviors in students may be good predictors of academic success. The present study investigated the relationship between classroom peers, positive and negative classroom behaviors, early literacy and mathematics ability, and classroom model in 214 predominately low-income preschool children in 21 classes across a six-county area. It was hypothesized that peer classroom behavior would be a significant predictor of individual child ability and that peers would have differential influence across classroom models. Results indicated that peer classroom behavior was not a significant predictor of individual child ability. Individual child classroom behaviors, specifically positive behaviors, emerged as a significant predictor of child ability. Peer ability and peer positive classroom behaviors emerged as significant predictors of individual child ability in classrooms that were structured with an academically directed model, but not in classrooms that were more structured with a combination of academic and child-centered models