ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that peer relations affect classroom experiences and classroom learning in ways that are often underestimated by teachers and underexplored by researchers. It considers the way in which peer relations have been examined in relation to school learning is in terms of the status in the peer group, for example, in terms of rejection and popularity. The chapter examines relations between peer relations and school attainment and academic adjustment; social networks and school outcomes; friendships and learning interactions; the effects of school factors on peer relations; and finally the formal role of peer relations in classroom learning specifically, research on collaborative group work. The research team of Social Pedagogic Research into Group work (SPRinG) project worked with teachers to develop a programme of group work which took on board the concerns and difficulties teachers can have with group work. As every teacher knows, pupils in classrooms vary a good deal in how well they work together.
