Social Networking

Social networks refer to the peer groups to which a particular student belongs.  In order to measure a social network, we administer a classroom-based survey using free recall (class lists/rosters, pictures, names, etc. are not provided in order to ensure the saliency of the nominated peer groups.  A social network is generated from a classroom-based survey that gathers two pieces of information:

• Individual Centrality – the number of nominations a child receives as part of any peer group 
• Cluster Centrality – the average of two highest cluster members’ individual centrality

The survey also provides information on the following: 

• Friendship Nominations – the number of times a child was nominated as a “friend” by their classmates 
• Friendship Reciprocity – whether the child’s nominated friend also selected them as a friend 
• Rejections – the number of times a child was nominated as “someone other children do not like to hang out with” 
• Peer Connections – the number of peer connections a child has in their classroom