
ERIC Number: EJ696509
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Aug
Pages: 33
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0195-6744
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Tracks as Emergent Structures: A Network Analysis of Student Differentiation in a High School
Heck, Ronald H.; Price, Carol L.; Thomas, Scott L.
American Journal of Education, v110 n4 p321 Aug 2004
While forms of tracking have drawn attention for many years, researchers have more recently turned their attention to the courses students take, the teaching that goes on within them, and the peer friendships formed as factors that affect students' educational experiences and post-high school aspirations. This study examines the phenomenon of student differentiation in high schools through a microanalysis of the course-taking patterns of a cohort of students during their four years in a high school. Using social network methods, we analyze course-time events and, after deriving a number of patterns grounded in the data, we examine the manner in which these sociocurricular positions differentiate students on status characteristics, academic achievement, and post-high school plans.
Descriptors: Social Networks, Network Analysis, Educational Experience, Course Selection (Students), Student Attitudes
University of Chicago Press, Journals Division, P.O. Box 37005, Chicago, IL 60637. Tel: 773-753-3347; Web site: http://www.journal.uchicago.edu; e-mail: subscriptions@press.uchicago.edu.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A