Peer Influence on Children's Reading Skills: A Social Network Analysis of Elementary School Classrooms

• Published in: Journal of educational psychology 2017-07, Vol.109 (5), p.727-740
• Main Authors: Cooc, North, Kim, James S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Children & youth; Class Activities; Classroom Techniques; Classrooms; Correlation; Elementary School Students; Elementary Schools; Emergent Literacy; Female; Grade 2; Grade 3; Human; Longitudinal Studies; Low Income; Male; Network Analysis; Peer Influence; Peer Relations; Peers; Reading Achievement; Reading comprehension; Reading Fluency; Reading Instruction; Reading Programs; Reading Skills; Reading Tests; Regression (Statistics); Social Network Analysis; Social Networks; Student Characteristics; Teacher Characteristics
• ISSN: 0022-0663; 1939-2176
• DOI: 10.1037/edu0000166

Research has found that peers influence the academic achievement of children. However, the mechanisms through which peers matter remain underexplored. The present study examined the relationship between peers' reading skills and children's own reading skills among 4,215 total second- and third-graders in 294 classrooms across 41 schools. One innovation of the study was the use of social network analysis to directly assess who children reported talking to or seeking help from and whether children who identified peers with stronger reading skills experienced higher reading skills. The results indicated that children on average identified peers with stronger reading skills and the positive association between peer reading skills and children's own reading achievement was strongest for children with lower initial levels of reading skills. The study has implications for how teachers can leverage the advantages of peers via in-class activities. Educational Impact and Implications Statement This study shows that early elementary schoolchildren report identifying and interacting with peers with stronger reading skills within the same classroom. Children with low initial reading skills are more likely to identify such peers than high achieving children and those who do so experience higher reading outcomes later on. The study suggests that peer effects may occur through the peer-seeking patterns of children and the direct expertise of their peers.