Elsevier

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology

Volume 32, Issue 5, September–October 2011, Pages 297-303
Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology

Commentary
The promise and potential of studying the “invisible hand” of teacher influence on peer relations and student outcomes: A commentary

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Abstract

Peers influence children's social–emotional development and school engagement in important and unique ways. Recent research on peer social networks documents that children are affected by the nature of the school-based peer ecology, as well as by their personal peer experiences. Yet, little is known about how teachers affect the peer ecology, nor how teachers can promote positive peer influences in the school context. The four studies in this special section examine this issue. Together, they document the promise and the potential of studying the “invisible hand” of teacher influence on peer relations, and illustrate the need for further research in this area. This commentary considers the contributions of these papers for conceptualizing processes of transactional teacher and peer influence on student outcomes, and implications for interventions designed to reduce problem behaviors or increase school engagement. In addition, it considers the limitations of current knowledge and directions for future research.

Section snippets

Teacher influences on peer relations: Studying the invisible hand

The papers in this special section provide a new perspective on this issue, focusing on the impact that teacher attitudes, knowledge, and behavior have on classroom social dynamics and child peer relations, and thereby on student adaptation. This new perspective expands the conceptualization of teacher influence which, as noted by Farmer, Lines, and Hamm (this issue), has been studied primarily in terms of the impact of teacher direct management of child behavior. Indeed, a substantial research

Reducing problem behaviors, aggression, and bullying

Three of the four papers in this special section focused on the impact of teacher behavior on peer influences associated with aggression in the school context. This emphasis is well-justified by the extensive empirical literature that implicates peer influences in the development of child aggression (for reviews, see Coie and Dodge, 1998, Dishion and Tipsord, 2011). Strengthening teachers' abilities to modify these peer influences might increase the control of aggressive behavior and bullying

Promoting adaptive behaviors: Social competence and learning engagement

All four of the papers in this special issue examined teaching processes associated with improved social engagement and/or learning engagement, including prosocial behavior (Luckner & Pianta, this issue), peer acceptance and academic self-efficacy (Hughes & Chen, this issue), feelings of school belonging and support (Hamm et al., this issue), and friendship density and egalitarian social network structures (Gest & Rodkin, this issue). Peer acceptance and school engagement are intertwined

Bi-directional influences

In this set of papers, the skills and preparation of teachers were viewed as central features determining the classroom climates and teacher student interactions that affect peer relations. Each of the papers also discussed the likelihood of bi-directional influences, such that peer dynamics and the characteristics of children assigned to a particular classroom affect teaching practices and teacher–student relationships, as well as the reverse influence. Indeed, Hughes and Chen found evidence

Developmental considerations

The papers in this special section cover the elementary school years and the first year of transition into middle school (grades 1–6; ages 6–12). Developmental research indicates that significant changes take place in the nature of peer relations and peer influence over the course of these years, differentiating the peer dynamics affecting children in early elementary school (grades 1–2), later elementary school (grades 3–5) and at the transition into middle school (grade 6). For example, the

Social-emotional learning interventions and peer relations

Farmer and colleagues (this issue) speculate that teachers affect the peer experiences and social-emotional development of their students in subtle and indirect ways, for example, by “setting the tone” for positive social support and civility in their interactions with students, and using grouping arrangements to foster new social opportunities and reduce peer contagion. In addition, explicit teacher instruction can have indirect effects on the peer ecology, as well as direct effects supporting

Summary

As Gehlbach (2010) notes, teaching and learning are fundamentally social enterprises. Students learn both through the explicit messages and directions given by teachers, and also implicitly, affected by the models and dynamics of the classroom ecology. The articles in this special issue are notable because they expand the examination of these multi-faceted influences, exploring the intertwined influences of teachers and peers. In addition, the papers enrich theoretical frameworks for

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