Social Influences on Children’s Engagement in School

Vol. 1 No. 3

Year: 2008

Issue: November-January

Title: Social Influences on Children’s Engagement in School 

Author Name: Sarah L. Herald-Brown, Karen P. Kochel, Gary W. Ladd 

Synopsis: 

Children’s social relationships have been linked with various indicators of their school engagement. This overview of the current literature examines evidence concerning the processes through which children’s relationships with teachers, parents, and peers positively or negatively contribute to children’s engagement in school. In this paper, we advance the argument that peers have a more direct and substantial influence on children’s school engagement than either teachers or parents. Moreover, we contend that the influence of parents and, to a lesser extent, teachers on children’s school engagement is more often circuitous than direct. Specifically, we argue that parents and teachers impact children’s peer relations, which, in turn, bear on children’s school engagement.