The aim was to test whether or not students from differently segregated schools within a city could compensate for this variation through their choices of classmates to work with. Data for 1,697 students from 78 classes in year 6 of compulsory school, with an average of 20 % immigrants, was collected covering both segregated and non-segregated areas with respect to housing and schools. Each student was asked which three peers he/she preferred working with in the classroom and ranked these names in order 1–3. The coherence of the networks formed using bilateral choices was analysed by use of eigenvector centrality (SSI). A higher SSI of a network indicated a high coherence of individuals within the network and therefore considered more isolated (or segregated) than networks with lower SSI. The names of the students were categorized as Scandinavian or non-Scandinavian. Networks were formed consisting of Scandinavians, non-Scandinavians and a mixture. In classrooms with non-Scandinavians, mixed networks were quite common. There was no difference of weighted SSI between the three types of networks within the same school class. Furthermore the coherence of the total number of networks formed by Scandinavians, non-Scandinavians and mixed networks was equal. Segregation between the different student networks could neither be demonstrated at a class level, nor between the three types of networks irrespective of class. Segregation within schools was thus at least partly neutralized by peer effects seen in student´s voluntary choices. Outside networks overrepresentation of lonely non-Scandinavian girls and of absent Scandinavian boys was found.

Aims: To investigate the attitudinal profiles of Popular and Lonely students in school classes and their similarities and differences, relationships to gender and cultural backgrounds, and the classroom characteristics reported by teachers. Study Design: Self-reports on attitudes were collected from 1531 students representing 77 grade 6 classes from comprehensive schools in the city of Göteborg, Sweden. The students were asked to answer 40 questions, each with five possible responses. Each student was asked to rank the three peers they would most prefer to work with in the classroom and to play with during breaks. In addition, data was gathered from the teacher of each class. Place and Duration of Study: Sampling of all data autumn 2003. Work up of sociometric data 2013. Methodology: Based on a previous two-level confirmatory factor analysis, three school factors and four relational factors were identified. Weighted adjacency matrices were used to quantify social relationships. The eigenvector of the largest eigenvalue of each adjacency matrix yielded individual indices drawn from the eigenvector components and a group index from the eigenvalue. Symmetrized matrices were used to reveal the most popular individuals in each network. Lonely individuals were outliers who were not nominated by other students and were identified based on bilateral choices using semi-symmetrized matrices. Results: Popular (11.5%) and Lonely (8.5%) students have similar attitudes to school and teachers. Around 10% of both groups had very positive attitudes for all factors. However, lonely students were three times likelier than popular students to have negative attitudes and also expressed more anxiety, considered disruption to be more common, and sometimes reported problematic relationships with their classmates and peers. Half of the popular students had negative or neutral attitudes to school factors and 40% had negative or neutral scores for relational factors. Conclusion: The working conditions were most positive in classrooms with only one large peer group and a minimum of Lonely students.

The attitudes of students to their school, teachers and peers were investigated with 1,540 students in grade six from 30 schools and 78 classes. Using structural equation modelling, the students’ perceptions of well-being were investigated at class level using seven items with high reliability. Their well-being was dependent on at least three factors: students’ learning (seven items), student-to-student interaction (six items) and teacher–student relationships as described by students (ten items). Together, these factors explained 72 % of the variability of well-being between classes. The students’ well-being appeared to be significantly different between schools and between classes in the same school. The teachers’ opinions of their classes with the highest class score for well-being were compared with the lowest. The differences in the evaluation of the teachers’ own classes explain a number of critical issues which impact on educational outcomes. Students need to be aware of the combined effects of learning and socialisation.

The teacher as a socializing agent with competence to promote social goals is not mentioned among students of education portraying an ideal teacher (1). However, the teacher has great responsibility for teacher-student relationships in classrooms. Also non-verbal behaviours have impact (2). Understanding teacher behaviour encompasses socio-communicative style e.g. a willingness to listen to students. The instructional outcomes including student’s interest towards both the teacher and the course content was shown to rely on collective communication behaviours (3). Teachers’ social and emotional competences develop supportive relationships and management of the classroom and thereby increasing effectiveness and reducing stress (4). A meta-analysis on learner-centred teacher-students relationships pointed out a number of personal teacher variables. Among the individual teacher characteristics nondirective style, empathy and warmth were associated with student outcomes. The largest association was however related to positive teacher-student relationship (5). To fully comprehend this aspect the learner’s situation becomes of interest. Features of the school and the classrooms may influence student motivation. The assumption was that contextual environmental conditions and lack of motivation were intervened (6). In this sense educators become responsible. According to Baker (7) children need relationships to construct the views about themselves and of the social world all in line with the attachment theory. A positive learning situation balances the conflict between academic press and support. Through the whole elementary school period relatively little is known about the development of the nature in teacher-student relationship. Academic competence increases during late middle-school. Similarly the student’s beliefs, attitudes and motivationalsets regarding schooling differentiate. Peer relationships become central for the individual after grade 5 and students’ become more engaged in peer acceptance. Parallel teachers report less positive relationships with boys, including conflicts, than with girls. Individuals at risk of poor school outcomes, who would benefit from closer relationships with a non-familial adult, have the same strong need for peer acceptance. Students with behavioural or learning problems seem more teacher dependent. Across grades, gender, and types of school outcomes students with positive teacher relationship were significantly advantaged compared to affected peers without this (7). Students’ perception of the relationship with their teacher was related to how they evaluated their academic work (8). At least four aspects were argued to influence teacher – student relationship. These were: the context of the teacher, the individual student, the peers, and the interpersonal culture of the classroom and the surrounding school (9). For students to manage teacher expectations, interference between feelings of confidence and appreciation within the classroom is substantial. Teacher expectations were thus important but they regarded classroom relationships either as central or superficial. The authors (9) concluded that few studies have examined teachers’ perceptions of the interpersonal school climate with effects on outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to explore teachers’ knowledge and opinion of classrooms with either high or low students’ attitudes towards wellbeing. The intention was to reveal important characteristics of relational and learning qualities inside differing school environments. Method An investigation of students’ self-reports on attitudes to school, teacher and peers included 1540 students from 78 classes in grade 6. The students and their teachers answered questionnaires using a five point scale. The 78 teachers also responded to 45 background questions about themselves, their students and the conditions in classroom and school (10). Before the results were sampled the author observed the quality of social competence of the students of the class and the quality of teacher-student interaction using a 3 point scale. Class means were calculated for each student item. Students’ Wellbeing was constructed from 13 student items (Cronbach’s α 0.86), Students’ Learning from another 14 statements (α 0.77), and finally Students’ Judgement of Teacher-Student Relationships from another 10 statements (α 0.92). The teachers knowledge and opinion of their classes with the highest (n=15) and the lowest (n=15) scores of Students’ Wellbeing were compared using independent t-test or Mann-Whitney test. Statistics were calculated using SPSS 19.0. Statistical significance was set at p < .05. Expected Outcomes Observed Interaction Teacher-Students correlated with observed Social Competence (r=0.38, p=0.001). The variable Students’ Wellbeing highly correlated to Students’ Learning (r²=0.65) and to Students’ Judgement of Teacher-Student Relationships (r²=0.63). Considerable variation between schools and between classes was found. Classes with high scorings of Students’ Wellbeing (> 50) were compared with those of low scorings (< 45) regarding teachers’ opinion of their own class. In classes with high scorings; academic work was characterized by less frequent plenary teaching, more use of computers, higher school work ambitions , boys and girls worked better together, and students took more responsibility for free choice of work. Teachers reported that work conditions were better, the school environment was less messy, the teachers did not wish to switch to another class, were more fond of their class, and had been teaching the class for a longer period of time. In the classes scoring high on Student wellbeing teachers also reported less disturbance between students, fewer peer groups, less bullying among students, and the students seemed less stressed. The results include both excellent and catastrophic classroom attitudes and relationships. Teachers need awareness of the impact on student outcomes from factors in the context, e.g. relationships and environment.

Gothenburg, the second largest city of Sweden, has a rather high proportion of school segregation (index 0.26), which is above national level. Differences in school quality have been shown due to school segregation. One factor is related to effects from peer relationships (Gustafsson, 2006). Previous obstacles in measuring peer effects have now decreased (see for example Hoxby, 2000; Boozer & Cacciola, 2001; Gustafsson, 2003; Zimmerman, 2003).