Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Evolution of Youth Friendship Networks from 6th to 12th Grade: School Transitions, Popularity and Centrality

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Social Networks and the Life Course

Part of the book series: Frontiers in Sociology and Social Research ((FSSR,volume 2))

Abstract

This chapter examines adolescents’ friendship patterns from 6th through 12th grade, and investigates the impact on friendship networks of two transitions in the institutionalized life course, one from elementary to middle school and the other from middle to high school. Using information from 51 networks in 26 school districts, this study considers data from 13,214 students (PROSPER). Findings show that adolescent popularity and centrality tend to reach their maximum in early adolescence and then consistently decline until 12th grade. Results also demonstrate that both school transitions propel the process of declining centrality, by exacerbating the negative consequences to individual centrality. Furthermore, students who transition between 8th and 9th grade experience declines in social integration that persist until the end of high school. Thus, during the period of adolescence, people become less popular and are known by fewer people over time, and school transitions magnify these potentially problematic trends.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. 1.

    Due to the different ranges of each centrality measure (see Table 8.1), we normalize each measure of centrality and then scale the normalized values so that their minimum and maximum reflect those of indegree . This normalization technique is only used in Fig. 8.1 in order to better visualize how the overall trends in individual centrality relate to one another. When interpreting our findings, we will refer to the actual averages of each centrality measure which are presented in Table 8.2.

  2. 2.

    In friendship data, measures of Bonacich centrality tend to be heavily skewed because popularity tends to be a rare phenomenon. Because of this skew, we transform our measures on Bonacich Centrality by using the following procedure: first, extreme outliers, or those with Bonacich scores above 3.25, were recoded to equal 3.25. Less than 0.1% of all cases reported scores this high, and this score was more than four standard deviations greater than the mean. After recoding, we took the square root of the updated parameter to reduce skew.

  3. 3.

    In our data, variance for individual betweenness is highly dependent on network size (Osgood et al. 2013) and, like Bonacich centrality, the distribution tends to be positively skewed. With these issues in mind, we apply the following transformation to our betweenness measures: each original score is multiplied by the ratio of the individual’s network size to the mean size of the 51 total networks in our sample (mean = 214 students). Then, the cube root is taken of the result.

  4. 4.

    Patterns of school transitions can be complex, and we consider only the modal prototypes for our sample (i.e., shifts from 6th to 7th and 8th to 9th grade). A larger sample of schools is needed to compare the possible influence of alternative configurations.

  5. 5.

    Changes in missing data over time do not appear to account for the decline in network centrality, furthermore. The decrease in degree over time, for example, also is apparent in the number of names per respondent written down in the raw data, prior to coding of the names.

References

  • Aikins, J. W., Bierman, K. L., & Parker, J. G. (2005). Navigating the transition to junior high school: The influence of pre-transition friendship and self-system characteristics. Social Development, 14(1), 42–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allen, J. P., Porter, M. R., McFarland, F. C., Marsh, P., & McElhaney, K. B. (2005). The two faces of adolescents’ success with peers: Adolescent popularity, social adaptation, and deviant behavior. Child Development, 76(3), 747–760.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allen, J. P., Uchino, B. N., & Hafen, C. A. (2015). Running with the pack: Teen peer-relationship qualities as predictors of adult physical health. Psychological Science, 26(10), 1574–1583.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alwin, D. F. (2012). Integrating varieties of life course concepts. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 67B(2), 206–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bagwell, C., & Schmidt, M. E. (2011). Friendships in childhood & adolescence. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bagwell, C. L., Newcomb, A. F., & Bukowski, W. M. (1998). Preadolescent friendship and peer rejection as predictors of adult adjustment. Child Development, 69(1), 140–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barber, B., & Olsen, J. (2004). Assessing the transitions to middle and high school. Journal of Adolescent Research, 19(1), 3–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benner, A. D. (2011). The transition to high school: Current knowledge, future directions. Educational Psychology Review, 23(3), 299–328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benner, A. D., & Graham, S. (2009). The transition to high school as a developmental process among multiethnic urban youth. Child Development, 80(2), 356–376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berndt, T. J., & Hawkins, J. A. (1985). The effects of friendships on students’ adjustment after the transition to junior high school. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berndt, T. J., & Hoyle, S. G. (1985). Stability and change in childhood and adolescent friendships. Developmental Psychology, 21(6), 1007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berndt, T. J., & Keefe, K. (1995). Friends’ influence on adolescents’ adjustment to school. Child Development, 66(5), 1312–1329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berndt, T. J., Hawkins, J. A., & Jiao, Z. (1999). Influences of friends and friendships on adjustment to junior high school. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly (1982-), 45(1), 13–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blyth, D., Simmons, R., & Carlton-Ford, S. (1983). The adjustment of early adolescents to school transitions. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 3(1–2), 105–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/027243168331008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowker, A. (2004). Predicting friendship stability during early adolescence. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 24(2), 85–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Branje, S. J. T., Frijns, T., Finkenauer, C., Engels, R., & Meeus, W. (2007). You are my best friend: Commitment and stability in adolescents’ same-sex friendships. Personal Relationships, 14(4), 587–603.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CalvĂł-Armengol, A., Patacchini, E., & Zenou, Y. (2009). Peer effects and social networks in education. The Review of Economic Studies, 76(4), 1239–1267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caspi, A., & Moffitt, T. E. (1993). When do individual differences matter? A paradoxical theory of personality coherence. Psychological Inquiry, 4(4), 247–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caspi, A., Harrington, H., Moffitt, T. E., Milne, B. J., & Poulton, R. (2006). Socially isolated children 20 years later: Risk of cardiovascular disease. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 160(8), 805–811.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chan, A., & Poulin, F. (2007). Monthly changes in the composition of friendship networks in early adolescence. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 53(4), 578–602.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crockett, L., Petersen, A., Graber, J., Schulenberg, J., & Ebata, A. (1989). School transitions and adjustment during early adolescence. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 9(3), 181–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeÄźirmencioÄźlu, S. M., Urberg, K. A., Tolson, J. M., & Richard, P. (1998). Adolescent friendship networks: Continuity and change over the school year. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly (1982-), 44(3), 313–337.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elder, G. H. (1994). Time, human agency, and social change: Perspectives on the life course. Social Psychology Quarterly, 57(1), 4–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elder, G. H., & Social Science Research Council (U.S.). (1985). Life course dynamics: Trajectories and transitions, 1968–1980. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Faris, R., & Felmlee, D. (2014). Casualties of social combat: School networks of peer victimization and their consequences. American Sociological Review, 79(2), 228–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feiring, C., & Lewis, M. (1991). The development of social networks from early to middle childhood: Gender differences and the relation to school competence. Sex Roles, 25(3–4), 237–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Felmlee, D. H. (2001). No couple is an island: A social network perspective on dyadic stability. Social Forces, 79(4), 1259–1287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Felmlee, D., & Faris, R. (2013). Interaction in social networks. In J. DeLamater & A. Ward (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology (pp. 439–464). Dordrecht: Springer. Retrieved May 24, 2017, http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-007-6772-0_15

  • Felmlee, D., McMillan, C., Inara Rodis, P., & Osgood, D. W. (2018). Falling behind: Lingering costs of the high school transition for youth friendships and GPA. Sociology of Education, 91(2).

    Google Scholar 

  • Flynn, H. K., Felmlee, D. H., & Conger, R. D. (2014). The social context of adolescent friendships parents, peers, and romantic partners. Youth Society, 49(5), 679–705.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gest, S. D., Graham-Bermann, S. A., & Hartup, W. W. (2001). Peer experience: Common and unique features of number of friendships, social network centrality, and sociometric status. Social Development, 10(1), 23–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giordano, P. C. (2003). Relationships in adolescence. Annual Review of Sociology, 29(1), 257–281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gustafsson, P. E., Janlert, U., Theorell, T., Westerlund, H., & Hammarström, A. (2012). Do peer relations in adolescence influence health in adulthood? Peer problems in the school setting and the metabolic syndrome in middle-age. PLoS One, 7(6), e39385.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haas, S. A., Schaefer, D. R., & Kornienko, O. (2010). Health and the structure of adolescent social networks. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 51(4), 424–439.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hafen, C. A., Laursen, B., Burk, W. J., Kerr, M., & Stattin, H. (2011). Homophily in stable and unstable adolescent friendships: Similarity breeds constancy. Personality and Individual Differences, 51(5), 607–612.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hardy, C. L., Bukowski, W. M., & Sippola, L. K. (2002). Stability and change in peer relationships during the transition to middle-level school. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 22(2), 117–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hartl, A. C., Laursen, B., & Cillessen, A. H. N. (2015). A survival analysis of adolescent friendships the downside of dissimilarity. Psychological Science, 26(8), 1304–1315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hirsch, B. J., & Rapkin, B. D. (1987). The transition to junior high school: A longitudinal study of self-esteem, psychological symptomatology, school life, and social support. Child Development, 58(5), 1235–1243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M. P., & Leslie, L. (1982). Couple involvement and network structure: A test of the dyadic withdrawal hypothesis. Social Psychology Quarterly, 45(1), 34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahn, R. L., & Antonucci, T. C. (1980). Convoys over the life course: Attachment roles and social support. Life Span Development, 3, 253–267.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kingery, J. N., Erdley, C. A., & Marshall, K. C. (2011). Peer acceptance and friendship as predictors of early adolescents’ adjustment across the middle school transition. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly (1982-), 57(3), 215–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohli, M. (2007). The institutionalization of the life course: Looking back to look ahead. Research in Human Development, 4(3–4), 253–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Langenkamp, A. G. (2010). Academic vulnerability and resilience during the transition to high school: The role of social relationships and district context. Sociology of Education, 83(1), 1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Langenkamp, A. G. (2011). Effects of educational transitions on students’ academic trajectory: A life course perspective. Sociological Perspectives, 54(4), 497–520.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDougall, P., & Hymel, S. (1998). Moving into middle school: Individual differences in the transition experience. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement, 30(2), 108–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McElhaney, K. B., Antonishak, J., & Allen, J. P. (2008). They like me, they like me not: Popularity and adolescents perceptions of acceptance predicting social functioning over time. Child Development, 79(3), 720–731.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McFarland, D., Moody, J., Diehl, D., Smith, J., & Thomas, R. (2014). Network ecology and adolescent social structure. American Sociological Review, 79(6), 1088–1121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mikami, A. Y., Szwedo, D. E., Allen, J. P., Evans, M. A., & Hare, A. L. (2010). Adolescent peer relationships and behavior problems predict young adults’ communication on social networking websites. Developmental Psychology, 46(1), 46–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moody, J., Brynildsen, W. D., Osgood, D. W., Feinberg, M. E., & Gest, S. (2011). Popularity trajectories and substance use in early adolescence. Social Networks, 33(2), 101–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neild, R. C. (2009). Falling off track during the transition to high school: What we know and what can be done. The Future of Children, 19(1), 53–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newcomb, A. F., & Bagwell, C. L. (1995). Children’s friendship relations: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 117(2), 306–347.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newman, B. M., Newman, P. R., Griffen, S., & O’Connor, K. (2007). The relationship of social support to depressive symptoms during the transition to high school. Adolescence, 42(167), 441.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osgood, D. W., Ragan, D. T., Wallace, L., Gest, S. D., Feinberg, M. E., & Moody, J. (2013). Peers and the emergence of alcohol use: Influence and selection processes in adolescent friendship networks. Journal of Research on Adolescence: The Official Journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence, 23(3).

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker, J. G., & Seal, J. (1996). Forming, losing, renewing, and replacing friendships: Applying temporal parameters to the assessment of children’s friendship experiences. Child Development, 67(5), 2248–2268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poulin, F., & Chan, A. (2010). Friendship stability and change in childhood and adolescence. Developmental Review, 30(3), 257–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roderick, M. (2003). What’s happening to the boys?: Early high school experiences and school outcomes among African American male adolescents in Chicago. Urban Education, 38(5), 538–607.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodkin, P. C., & Hanish, L. D. (2007). Social network analysis and children’s peer relationships (Vol. 118). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer, D. R., Simpkins, S. D., Vest, A. E., & Price, C. D. (2011). The contribution of extracurricular activities to adolescent friendships: New insights through social network analysis. Developmental Psychology, 47(4), 1141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seidman, E., Allen, L., Aber, J. L., Mitchell, C., & Feinman, J. (1994). The impact of school transitions in early adolescence on the self-system and perceived social context of poor urban youth. Child Development, 65(2), 507–522.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Selfhout, M., Branje, S., & Meeus, W. (2008). The development of delinquency and perceived friendship quality in adolescent best friendship dyads. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36(4), 471–485.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Selfhout, M. H. W., Branje, S. J. T., ter Bogt, T. F. M., & Meeus, W. H. J. (2009). The role of music preferences in early adolescents’ friendship formation and stability. Journal of Adolescence, 32(1), 95–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sentse, M., Kiuru, N., Veenstra, R., & Salmivalli, C. (2014). A social network approach to the interplay between adolescents’ bullying and likeability over time. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43(9), 1409–1420. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.1007/s10964-014-0129-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shi, Y., & Moody, J. (2017). Most likely to succeed: Long-run returns to adolescent popularity. Social Currents, 4(1), 13–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • South, S. J., & Haynie, D. L. (2004). Friendship networks of mobile adolescents. Social Forces, 83(1), 315–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Temkin, D. A., Gest, S. D., Osgood, D. W., Feinberg, M., & Moody, J. (2015). Social network implications of normative school transitions in non-urban school districts. Youth & Society, 0044118X15607164.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ueno, K. (2005). The effects of friendship networks on adolescent depressive symptoms. Social Science Research, 34(3), 484–510.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Umberson, D., Crosnoe, R., & Reczek, C. (2010). Social relationships and health behavior across the life course. Annual Review of Sociology, 36(1), 139–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valente, T. W., Unger, J. B., & Johnson, C. A. (2005). Do popular students smoke? The association between popularity and smoking among middle school students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 37(4), 323–329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaquera, E., & Kao, G. (2008). Do you like me as much as i like you? Friendship reciprocity and its effects on school outcomes among adolescents. Social Science Research, 37(1), 55–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wallis, J., & Barrett, P. (1998). Adolescent adjustment and the transition to high school. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 7(1), 43–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wasserman, S., & Faust, K. (1994). 12th grade nodes have been locked in place (Vol. 8). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiss, C. C., & Bearman, P. S. (2007). Fresh starts: Reinvestigating the effects of the transition to high school on student outcomes. American Journal of Education, 113(3), 395–421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wigfield, A., Eccles, J. S., Mac Iver, D., Reuman, D. A., & Midgley, C. (1991). Transitions during early adolescence: Changes in children’s domain-specific self-perceptions and general self-esteem across the transition to junior high school. Developmental Psychology, 27(4), 552–565.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wrzus, C., Hänel, M., Wagner, J., & Neyer, F. J. (2013). Social network changes and life events across the life span: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 139(1), 53–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Duane Alwin and David Johnson for helpful comments on our work. This research was supported in part by the W.T. Grant Foundation (8316) and National Institute on Drug Abuse (RO1-DA08225; T32-DA-017629; F31-DA-024497), and uses data from PROSPER, a project directed by R. L. Spoth and funded by grant RO1-DA013709 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Support also came from the Pennsylvania State University and the National Science Foundation under an IGERT award # DGE-1144860, Big Data Social Science.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Criminology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Diane H. Felmlee, Cassie McMillan, Paulina Inara Rodis & D. Wayne Osgood

Authors
  1. Diane H. Felmlee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Cassie McMillan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Paulina Inara Rodis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. D. Wayne Osgood
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Diane H. Felmlee .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Criminology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

    Duane F. Alwin

  2. Department of Sociology and Criminology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

    Diane H. Felmlee

  3. Department of Sociology and Criminology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

    Derek A. Kreager

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Felmlee, D.H., McMillan, C., Inara Rodis, P., Osgood, D.W. (2018). The Evolution of Youth Friendship Networks from 6th to 12th Grade: School Transitions, Popularity and Centrality. In: Alwin, D., Felmlee, D., Kreager, D. (eds) Social Networks and the Life Course. Frontiers in Sociology and Social Research, vol 2. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71544-5_8

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71544-5_8

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71543-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71544-5

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation