Students’ Self-Identified Social Group and Their Perceptions of a Social Hierarchy at Their School

Abstract

This research explores whether high school students’ perceptions of the prevalence of a social hierarchy at their school vary depending on the status of the students’ self-identified social group. Multiple past studies and popular media have identified that students of all age levels form social groups with similar peers, and these groups often have different popularity and status rankings within the school environment. Previous research has noted that students’ perceptions of peer dynamics can vary based on one’s own social group, and this study explores this specifically by comparing students’ perceptions of the prevalence a social hierarchy at their school to their self-identification with one of the 12 social groups defined in a study titled Contemporary College Students’ Reflections on Their High School Peer Crowds by Rachel Gordon and other researchers in 2019. A voluntary, electronic survey was sent to students of North Creek High School asking students to describe their social group’s status level and their opinion of the prevalence of a social hierarchy at North Creek. Analysis of the 125 survey responses found that there was a significant positive correlation between the self-identified status of a student’s social group and the student’s perception of the prevalence of a hierarchy. Additionally, self-identified high-status students identified more distinct and stereotypical social groups at their school than self-identified low-status students did. The connections these results have to past research are discussed and avenues for further exploration are identified.