B-4 Social Networks in Diverse K-12 Classrooms

The study of social relationships in K-12 classrooms and schools remains of interest to the field of education, yet the research is underdeveloped and underutilized. Social network analysis (SNA) provides the structure for answering questions concerning peer relationships and how those relationships shape the students’ experience in the school setting. Understanding relationships through the mapping of interactions is valuable information for educators and students. This is particularly true for students with disabilities and learning differences. This research project will study the way relationships form and develop in K-12 classrooms with diverse populations, particularly focusing on students with disabilities and learning differences. Observations, surveys and interviews will be used for data collection in order to present the basic network structure quantitatively and qualitatively, which includes but it is not limited to social and academic networks of students in select diverse K-12 classrooms. This study will also seek to identify central and peripheral actors as well as the characteristics and perceived reasons that students operate in a position of influence or in the periphery of the network. In this presentation we will focus on the literature review and the methodology of this research study.