Scott Gest

Scott Gest is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Human Services at the University of Virginia's School of Education and Human Development. His research examines how children's school-based peer experiences influence academic competence and problem behaviors, with a focus on teaching practices and interventions to improve school adjustment.

• Leadership: Chair, Department of Human Services
• Key projects: Classroom Peer Ecologies Project, Head Start REDI (collaborating investigator), PROSPER Peers (collaborating investigator)
• Associated programs: Youth & Social Innovation (B.S.Ed.), Clinical & School Psychology (Ph.D.), School Psychology (Ed.S.)

Using theories from developmental, educational, and social psychology alongside social network analysis, Gest studies peer network dynamics across grades K-12. His work includes:

• Classroom Peer Ecologies: Analyzing 3,500 youth across 207 classrooms to identify how peer status hierarchies and behavioral norms impact academic/behavioral adjustment
• Head Start REDI: Investigating pre-kindergarten interventions enhancing school readiness through language literacy and social-emotional skills
• PROSPER Peers: Studying friendship networks' role in substance use and problem behavior emergence in grades 6-9