Abstract
Research on students’ social relationships shows their preference to associate with similar peers. This study focused on the similarity in selection criteria used by students to form groups and similarity of characteristics of existing groups in schools. It compared these criteria to those of isolated students. The sample consisted of 124 students aged 14–15. The results revealed that the assessment of peers’ social skills was a relevant selection criterion, and that global self-esteem, well-being, and, physical activity were important variables in describing groups. The selection criteria and group characteristics of isolated students did not match those of the groups. The isolated students have more outspoken views on criteria and characteristics compared to the groups’ points of view.
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Open Access This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0), which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
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Pijl, S.J., Frostad, P. & Mjaavatn, PE. Segregation in the classroom: What does it take to be accepted as a friend?. Soc Psychol Educ 14, 41–55 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-010-9135-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-010-9135-x