ABSTRACT
Social relationships constitute a significant and salient feature of the school context for students. Daily, students’social experiences, as well as their expec-
tations and concerns about possible social encounters affect the way they engage in school activities. The strong associations between the academic and the social dimensions of school are reflected in researchers’ arguments that these dimensions are almost inextricable; that “cognitive processes and social relations are so intricately interwoven in learning at school that it is difficult to separate them” (Perret-Clermont, Perret, & Bell, 1991, p. 58). It follows, then, that in order to understand students’ motivation and performance in school we must consider social factors.
