| Many studies of children's peer relations take place in schools, but the influence of the classroom teacher in these studies is often overlooked. The first goal of this study was to examine the role of teacher behavior toward children (positive, corrective/negative) in the link between children's own behavior (aggression, hyperactivity/inattention, prosocial behavior) and peer liking and disliking. The second goal was to examine the role of teacher cognitions about children (liking of students, attributions for disruptive student behavior, attributions for prosocial student behavior) in the link between child behaviors and teacher behavior toward children. Participants were 127 second-graders in 12 classrooms. Data on child behavior were collected through peer and teacher report, data on teacher cognitions about children were collected through self report, data on teacher behavior toward children were collected through naturalistic classroom observations, and data on peer liking and disliking were collected through peer nominations. Data were analyzed using path analysis. Results indicated that teacher cognitions about children and corrective/negative teacher behavior toward children mediated the relation between both aggressive and hyperactive/inattentive child behaviors and peer disliking. Implications and future research directions are discussed. |
