ERIC Number: EJ1224002
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Sep
Pages: 34
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0743-5584
EISSN: N/A
Contemporary College Students' Reflections on Their High School Peer Crowds
Crabbe, Rowena; Pivnick, Lilla K.; Bates, Julia; Gordon, Rachel A.; Crosnoe, Robert
Journal of Adolescent Research, v34 n5 p563-596 Sep 2019
High school peer crowds are fundamental components of adolescent development with influences on short- and long-term life trajectories. This study provides the perspectives of contemporary college students regarding their recent high school social landscapes, contributing to current research and theory on the social contexts of high school. This study also highlights the experiences of college-bound students who represent a growing segment of the adolescent population. Sixty-one undergraduates attending universities in two states participated in 10 focus groups to reflect on their experiences with high school peer crowds during the late 2010s. Similar to seminal research on peer crowds, we examined crowds and individuals along several focal domains: popularity, extracurricular involvement, academic orientation, fringe media, illicit risk-taking, and race ethnicity. We find that names and characteristics of crowds reflect the current demographic and cultural moment (i.e., growing importance of having a college education, racial-ethnic diversity) and identify peer crowds that appear to be particularly salient for college-bound youth. Overall, this study illuminates how the retrospective accounts of college-bound students offer insight into high school social hierarchies during a time of rapid social change.
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Student Attitudes, Reflection, Prior Learning, Student Experience, High School Students, Peer Relationship, Peer Influence, Peer Acceptance, Extracurricular Activities, Academic Aspiration, Peer Groups, Student Subcultures, Drug Abuse, Ethnicity
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health (DHHS)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1R01HD08102201A1