Adolescent Friendship Networks: Continuity and Change Over the School Year

Continuity and change were assessed at multiple levels of adolescent friendship networks over the school year. Middle and high school students from two school systems nominated their close friends in fall and spring. Using these nominations students were classified into five network roles: clique me...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMerrill-Palmer Quarterly Vol. 44; no. 3; pp. 313 - 337
Main Authors Değirmencioğlu, Serdar M., Urberg, Kathryn A., Tolson, Jerry M., Richard, Protima
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Detroit Wayne State University Press 01.07.1998
Subjects
Adolescence
Adolescents
Age Differences
Behavior Patterns
Child development
Children & youth
Continuity
Developmental psychology
Dyadic relations
Dyadics
Educational Environment
Friendship
Gender differences
Influence
Interpersonal Relationship
Mechanical springs
Nominations
Peer Relationship
Peer relationships
Reciprocatory motion
RESEARCH REPORTS
School systems
School year
Secondary Education
Sex Differences
Social Behavior
Social networking
Social Networks
Students
Teenagers
Time
New York
United States > US
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Summary:Continuity and change were assessed at multiple levels of adolescent friendship networks over the school year. Middle and high school students from two school systems nominated their close friends in fall and spring. Using these nominations students were classified into five network roles: clique members, loose group members, dyad members, isolates, and remainders. There was moderate stability and continuity at all levels of adolescent networks. The fall best friend is very likely to be a close friend, if not still the best friend in spring. Half of all close friendships are stable over the school year. Friendship groups, especially cliques, are also quite stable. Many adolescents also retain their pattern of connections, especially if they have a dense network. Stability at one level does not necessarily co-occur with stability at other levels of the network. Friendship networks become more stable with grade. Results differ little with gender or school.
ISSN:0272-930X
1535-0266