THE SUBGROUP TYPES IN CLASSROOMS AND CHILDREN'S FRIENDSHIP CHARACTERISTICS
1988 Volume 27 Issue 2 Pages 157-162
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1988 Volume 27 Issue 2 Pages 157-162
The sociometric choice data were obtained from 112 fifth and sixth graders in four classrooms to investigate two related problems. First, the sociometric structures in each classroom were analyzed on the bases of the Condensation Method presented by Kano (1985) and validated by Kusumi (1986).
Four types of subgroups, namely, the chosen component (CN), the choosing component (C), the mediate component (M), and the independent component (I), were identified in all classrooms. Next, the friendship characteristics within the four subgroups were analyzed. The friendship characteristics were described in terms of the stability of children's friendship on the ideal and actual dimensions, and of the degree of agreement between the two dimensions. The results revealed that (1) the stability of friendship choice was the highest for the CN groups, and were the lowest for the C groups on both ideal and actual dimensions, and (2) the highest agreement between ideal and actual friends, and the lowest agreement were observed in the CN and I groups, and in the C groups, respectively.
