The purpose of this study was to conduct an ecological study of a self-contained classroom of 8-, 9-, and 10-year-olds in order to: (1) define various techniques through which students offer help to and receive help from peers; (2) identify the types of situations under which these different types of peer helping relationships are likely to occur; and (3) determine correlations between type and frequency of helping behavior and sociometric status, attitude toward school, and achievement. Students were found to vary widely in their ability to work with peers. However, results indicate that engaging in peer helping relationships does seem to have some positive effects in relation to school attitude, peer acceptance, and self-esteem. (Author/HMV)