The importance of near-seated peers for elementary students' academic engagement and achievement

Longitudinal social network analysis (RSiena) showed that students' academic engagement and achievement got better when friends scored better, and vice versa, regardless of their physical position in the classroom. In contrast, near-seated peers who were not befriended got more diverse scores over time. These results imply that teachers should consider students' friendships and academic engagement and achievement in designing seating arrangements. Moreover, it is recommended to actively monitor ongoing peer influence processes.