Improving Peer Ecology and Classroom Norms Using ClassNet: Students’ Academic Engagement and Social Behavior

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of teacher-led interventions in the classroom on students’ academic and social behavior. The intervention focused on improving positive peer relationships and classroom norms. To fulfill this purpose, 115 classes (N = 2,858 students) across elementary, middle, and high school levels were divided into an experimental group (n = 66 classes) and a control group (n = 49 classes). Students’ academic engagement (behavior, emotion), social behavior (overt and relational aggression, prosocial behavior), teacher―student relationships (support, conflict), teacher alignment, and peer network attributes were collected at the beginning and end of the semester through student and teacher reports as well as peer nominations. Multilevel analyses and longitudinal social network analyses were utilized to evaluate the impact of the teacher-led intervention. The results of the multilevel analysis revealed that teacher alignment, teacher―student conflict, and an initial level of academic engagement were significant factors to improve academic engagement. In terms of overt and relational aggression, teacher support played a crucial role in the experimental effect, with varying impacts observed in elementary and middle school groups. Longitudinal social network analysis revealed significant classroom intervention effects on prosocial behavior. Both peer choice and socialization (influence) effects were significant in the experimental group, while only the peer influence effect was observed in the control group. This suggests that the class-based intervention contributed to the development of prosocial behaviors as class norms. This study has educational significance in that it highlights the importance of creating positive class norms and peer ecology to enhance students’ academic engagement and social behavior.