Peer effects in education
How do classmates and peers influence students’ learning, choices, and future prospects? This project explores how the people around students shape educational outcomes - both in and beyond the classroom.
Photo by Sushanta Rokka on Unsplash
How peers shape educational outcomes
From preschool to adult education, students are influenced by the people around them. Peer effects can be positive, encouraging stronger habits and achievement, but they can also contribute to outcomes such as school absence or disengagement. Existing research suggests that peer effects may be particularly important for behavior.
This project investigates how these effects operate across different educational and social settings.
Rather than assuming that peer effects are the same for everyone, the research examines whether students respond differently depending on their own circumstances and those of their peers. For example, do struggling students benefit more from high-performing classmates than those classmates are negatively affected?
Beyond the classroom
Peer influences do not stop at the school gates. The project therefore also considers the role of family background and neighborhood environments.
Using detailed data from Swedish schools, the research examines how peers across school, family, and neighborhood settings influence students’ educational trajectories and later outcomes in the labor market.
The project contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how social environments shape educational inequality and students’ opportunities over time.
Related research
- Dadgar, I. (2026). The effect of ordinal rank in school on educational achievement and income in Sweden. Economics of Education Review, 110, 102737.
- Andersson, L., Dadgar, I., & Shahbazian, R. (2026). Does the Bigger-Fish-in-the-Pond Hatch More Fry? A register-based analysis of students’ grade rank and family outcomes. Working Paper, Center for Educational Leadership and Excellence, Stockholm School of Economics. (No. 26/3).
- Wennberg, K., & Norgren, A. (2021). Models of Peer Effects in Education. Working Papers, Stockholm School of Economics, Center for Educational Leadership and Excellence (No. 21/3).
- Dadgar, I., Nermo, M., & Shahbazian, R. (2026). Who becomes a teacher? Relative academic rank and entry into the teaching profession. Working Paper, Stockholm School of Economics, Center for Educational Leadership and Excellence (No. 26/1).