A Cross-Lagged Analysis of Friendship Networks by Advanced Coursework Participation

• In Event: Roundtable Session 27
  In Roundtable Session: Psychosocial Topics in Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent

Abstract

There is mixed evidence for the social implications of participating in advanced curricular programs. Previous work has contributed to knowledge by comparing characteristics of students’ friendship networks among students who do and do not participate in advanced programming, but is limited by a cross-sectional design. This study addresses this limitation by examining differences between advanced coursework participants and non-participants in their friendship networks one year later. It uses a subsample of the AddHealth dataset for which social network data are available at two time points spaced one year apart. Preliminary results suggest that while social networks of advanced coursework participants differ from non-participants while they are enrolled in the classes, these differences generally do not extend into subsequent academic years.

Authors

• Carolyn Elizabeth Barber, University of Missouri - Kansas City

• Jillian Woodford Wasson, University of Missouri - Kansas City