Students’ social relations not only depend on where they sit in the classroom but also depend on
who they sit close to. van den Berg, Segers, and Cillessen (2012) tested whether distance between
classmates was associated with peer relationships and classroom climate. Classrooms were assigned
to an experimental or control condition. Pairs of students who did not like each other were identified
in all classrooms. In experimental classrooms, the seating distance between them was decreased by
assigning all students to new seats while making sure that the target pairs were placed closer
together. In control classrooms, no planned seating rearrangement took place. After 10 to 12 weeks,
students who were disliked the most by their target peers were perceived more positively in experimental
classrooms than in control classrooms. Moreover, overall levels of victimization and social
withdrawal in the classroom were reduced. This study showed that students’ liking of each other is
associated with interpersonal distance in the classroom and can be influenced by a planned rearrangement
of seating.