<![CDATA[Peer interaction is part of everyday school life through which students develop social capacities in their relationships with others. This study examines how experiences within peer relationships relate to students’ social development, the relational conditions that differentiate these experiences, and the role of teachers in shaping the social environment in which peer interaction occurs. A narrative literature review was conducted using 23 research sources covering different levels of education. The literature was analyzed by tracing recurring findings concerning social experiences in peer interaction, relationship quality and students’ positions within peer groups, and teachers’ involvement in classroom social life. Three patterns emerged from the review. First, peer relationships provide a space for social experience in which students cooperate, communicate, receive feedback, manage emotions, make decisions, and assume responsibility. Second, access to these experiences is uneven. Acceptance, rejection, social neglect, peer pressure, and students’ positions within friendship networks shape their opportunities to participate in group life. Third, teachers contribute to the social conditions in which peer relationships develop by organizing collaborative activities, structuring participation, attending to relationship dynamics, and responding to conflict, exclusion, and bullying. The review suggests that social development is better understood through the experiences produced within peer relationships than through the frequency of peer interaction alone. Educational practice therefore needs to attend to relationship quality and the distribution of opportunities for social participation, so that shared classroom activities provide meaningful opportunities for participation, acceptance, and safe peer relationships.]]>
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