Abstract: Multilevel data analysis was used to explore the effect of classroom climate on the relations between children’s social behaviors and their academic achievement and peer acceptance. Subjects consisted of 4650 middle school students from 82 classes. Peer nomination was used to measure children’s prosocial, aggressive and withdrawn behaviors and peer acceptance. Classroom climate included teacher’s support, harsh teaching style, student relationship, classroom order and rule clarity. These were measured by student self-reports that were aggregated into classroom variables. Results showed that children's prosocial behavior positively predicted academic achievement and peer acceptance, whereas aggression and withdrawal negatively predicted these two school adjustment variables. Teacher’s support reduced the negative relation between withdrawal and school adjustment; harsh teaching style reduced the negative relation between aggression and peer acceptance and between withdrawal and academic achievement; student relationship reinforced the negative relations of aggression and withdrawal to school adjustment variables; classroom order and rule clarity also enhanced the negative relation between aggression and school adjustment.

Key words: multilevel, classroom climate, social behavior, school adjustment