Using Social Network Position to Understand Early Adolescents' Power and Dominance Within a School Context

In social groups, such as school-based peer networks, youth often vie for power and dominance over others. Different strategies may be used to gain power (i.e., coercive and/or cooperative strategies), and with varying levels of success. Using a social networks approach, we examined whether and how social network centrality and social network prestige were associated with social strategies, social power, and peer reputation. Participants were fifth- to eighth-grade elementary school students (N = 466, 51% girls, 63% White) in southern Ontario, Canada. Peer nominations were used to assess social network centrality and prestige (via friendship nominations), social power strategies (coercive and cooperative strategies), social power, and peer reputation (popularity and likeability). Results indicated that coercive and cooperative strategies were used by youth high in both centrality and prestige, but that only high prestige related to power, popularity, and likeability. Results have implications for the usefulness of a social networks approach to understanding the structure of youths' social relationships and power in school settings, as well as practical implications for teachers and other school staff. Impact and Implications Through a social networks approach, we found that both coercive and cooperative strategies were used by youth who were central (connected to many others and active within the school-based peer network) and prestigious (chosen by many as friends and influential among peers). Only social network prestige, however, was associated with social power and peer reputation. Given the impact of the social dominance hierarchy within the classroom and school, this study has implications for teachers, in that results help to differentiate between who is likely to use different social power strategies and who is likely to be successful in terms of their social power.