ABSTRACT
Peers are key socializing agents who afford a wide array of learning opportunities to students across distinct life stages. As students age, their time spent with peers increases, and the forms of interactions and relationships become more complex and dynamic. This chapter begins with an introduction of theories supporting peer influence that occurs at different levels (intrapersonal, dyadic, group, network) of one's academic life, followed by a systematic review of empirical studies on the roles of peers in different aspects of cognitive and academic development from early childhood through adolescence. It reviews the literature of adult influence on peer interactions and relationships and the joint influence of adults and peers in students' academic life. The chapter provides a summary of peer influence across the three life stages and a discussion of potential future directions. Overall, it highlights multiple roles of peers in conjunction with influence of adults in students' cognitive and academic development from early childhood to adolescence.
