Summary Titkova V.V. (Сетевой анализ факторов социального признания и исключения в среде подростков), страница 2

Starting from the early school age, aggression acts as a strong predictorof perceived popularity [Xie et al., 2006]. Bullying is often consciously used byadolescents to preserve their social status [Dijkstra et al., 2008]. However, a wholenumber of papers describes a situation, where the status of the adolescent expressingaggression is determined by the characteristics of their social environment [Juvonen,Graham, 2014]. Whether the aggressor will be popular or socially excluded isdetermined by the attitude the other group members on bullying [Rodkin et.al., 2006;Aslund, 2009; Salmivalli, 2010; Salmivalli et.al., 1996].Examining the connection between social status and risk behaviours theresearchers pay attention to such factors as the presence of social pressure in thegroup, as well as the mutual influence between the adolescents. Students aspiring toacquire a higher social status tend to adopt behaviours practiced by their peers.

Themore popular the student is, the more their influence on the other group members is[Gommans et al., 2017; Cohen, Prinstein, 2006; Juvonen, Ho, 2008; Sandstrom,2011]. Students’ aspiration to become friends with the popular individual can dragthem into practicing risky behaviours[Geven et al. 2013; Popp et al. 2008; Bot et al.,62005; Deutsch et al., 2014].The way adolescents behave is influenced by the class culture: trying to takethe established norms into account, students choose behaviours and adopt attitudes,that will be approved of and supported within the group [Coleman, 1960, 1961].Macro environment (cultural peculiarities and institutional characteristics of thecountry) influence individuals’ behaviours as well as their preferences [Chen,French, Schneider, 2006, рр.

3-10; Chen, French, 2008]. The cultural context presentin particular countries, as well as the school system and institutional rights are stillnot taken into account in current studies on popularity and social exclusion.4. Theoretical framework of the studyThe current study is based on relational approach originating from the classicworks of G. Simmel and further developed at Harvard university as a result ofresearchers’ aspiration to ‘combine mathematical techniques and sociologicalconcepts of social actions’ [Prell 2012, p.

42]. Relational approach (H.White,P.Bearman, R. Gould, C. Tilly) examines social networks and structures inconnection with the cultural context, including local norms and values [Fuhse,2014]. Within the framework of this approach the individual is viewed as an actorembedded into various social relationships rather than an autonomous subject witha set of personal characteristics. The aim of this approach is to describe how theactor is formed by the social relations, as well as to understand the mechanisms ofsocial structure formation based on the interactions between the actors of thenetwork [Crossley, 2010, pp. 1-7]. The determined mechanism allows to provideexplanations for social phenomena: the causal relationship between the narrow setof factors, actions and the result [Hedström, Ylikoski, 2010].Using the approach formulated by М.

Granovetter and his followers to analyzethe structure of economic interactions of individuals [Грановеттер, 2002], thecurrent study focuses on studying the interactions of adolescents within one class.Discussing popularity is impossible without considering social networks (ties).Creating and breaking social ties, such as friendships and negative ties determines7the adolescent’s opportunity to influence the structure of the teenage community.The embeddedness of the adolescent’s actions in the network allows his/her peers toinfluence his/her individual characteristics. The current study uses several middlerange theories, describing the following mechanisms [Merton, 1968, pp.

39-73]:Ecological approach [Bronfenbrenner, 1981], Balance theory [см. Heider, 1958],Social identity theory [Tajfel, 1984], Social misfit theory [Wright, Giammarino,Parad, 1986], Social exchange theory [Хоманс, 1984], Differential associationreinforcement theory [Akers et al, 1979], Goal-framing approach [Lindenberg,2008] and others.The main methodology used in the study is social network analysis. Networkanalysis is an individual direction of Social structural approach in sociology, thatoriginated from the theory of social exchange introduced by G. Homans.5. Personal contribution of the author to the problem development anddata collectionThe author of the thesis has made the following contribution to the study: (1)The author has conducted a systematic review and analyzed the results of the priorstudies.

It has demonstrated the present gap in understanding the connection betweenpopularity, social exclusion, and behaviour both on the individual and the grouplevel. The author has determined the possible directions for the future studies; (2)The author has determined the theoretical framework of the study of socialstatus/exclusion of adolescents; (3) The author has selected solid methodologicalbasis to solve the research problem, operationalize social status and analyze thestructure of social relations.The author contributed to collecting data used in the current study at every stageof preparing and conducting the study.

As a research fellow at Laboratory ofSociology in Education and Science, the author of the thesis together with theresearch team was creating the instrument: questionnaires completed by respondentsas well guides for semi-structured interviews with students. The author conductedthe survey and the interviewing, managed data collection, developed database8architecture for data entry and analysis; coded answers to open questions; preparedthe network data (conducted data unification and transferred the databases into theformat, suitable for the software); performed preliminary analysis.

The author hasindependently performed quantitative analysis (from operationalization of terms andselecting methods for analysis to model specification and interpretation) as well asqualitative analysis (including transcription of the interviews). The author hasconducted comprehensive step-by-step analysis of the empirical base, provideddetailed interpretation of the results at each stage, and placed the results of the thesisinto the wider context of her area or research.6.

Methods of data collection and analysisThe empirical base of the current study had been comprised by the followingsources:− three cross-sectional surveys organized by Laboratory of Sociology inEducation and Science of NRU HSE in 2010 and 2014 in secondary schools,secondary schools with focus on particular subjects, gymnasiums and lyceums of St.Petersburg and the Moscow District (with the support of the Center for FundamentalResearch of the Higher School of Economics);− longitudinal survey conducted by Laboratory of Sociology in Education andScience of NRU HSE between 2013 and 2015 in three educational institutions ofsecondary and primary vocational education in St.

Petersburg;− semi-structured interviews with 62 students from grades 9 to 11 from 15schools.Overall, to analyze the social structures the current study uses data from 200secondary schools (1200 students from years 9-10) and three vocational schools (320students from years 1-3 of study; 3 waves, two times a year: in October and April).The instruments surveying school-age adolescents were created by the research teamof Laboratory of Sociology in Education and Science of NRU HSE.The survey was conducted during cross-sectional studies of schoolchildrenfrom Saint Petersburg (156 schools, 8280 students) and the Moscow District (509schools, 3155 students).

All the students present on the day of survey wereparticipating. Classes where more than 25% of students have not participated in thesurvey had been excluded from the sample. Vocational schools have certainpeculiarities, such as individual study plans, a lot of practical lessons (workshopsetc) as well as rare attendance. Thus the survey in vocational schools was held inseveral stages until all the students in the group had undergone it. This method ofcollecting data on friendships and negative relationships allows seeing the structureof the social relations between the students in one class (and its dynamics in thelongitudinal studies held in vocational schools).

The students have also answeredquestions about the socioeconomic characteristics of the family: occupation andeducation of the parents, ethnic status, migration history, academic performance,socio-psychological attitudes, such as educational motivation, anti-school attitudes,professional involvement (for vocational schools); risk behavior (smoking andalcohol consumption) and social aggression (for vocational schools).The students completed the surveys under supervision of the researchers.Teachers and other members of school administration did not participate inconducting the survey. The respondents had to fill in the questionnaires themselves.Prior to the beginning of the survey the researchers gave the respondents instructionson how to fill in the questionnaire and answered respondents’ questions.

During thesurvey the researchers stayed in class and ensured the discipline was maintainedthroughout the questionnaire completion.Interviewing of the respondents was held in schools. They were selectedrandomly - every 5th person on the class list. In case the person was absent, the nextperson on the class list was asked to participate.

Teachers and other members ofschool staff did not participate in conducting the interviews. If the informant gavetheir permission, the interviews were recorded. In other cases, the interviewer tooknotes and then compiled a detailed diary. For analyzing the interviews the Opencoding approach with the subsequent analysis of the selected categories was used.Several methods of data analysis were used to solve the research goals of the10current study. The network analysis approach was used in two ways:1.