Segregation within school classes: Detecting social clustering in choice data

We suggest a new method for detecting patterns of social clustering based on choice data. The method compares similar subjects within and between cohorts and thereby allows us to isolate the effect of peer influence from that of exogenous factors. Using this method on Norwegian register data, we add...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2020-06, Vol.15 (6), p.e0233677-e0233677
Main Authors: Jansson, Fredrik, Birkelund, Gunn Elisabeth, Lillehagen, Mats
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
adolescents
Analysis
Biology and Life Sciences
Cluster analysis
Clustering
Computer and Information Sciences
cross-ethnic friendships
Cultural identity
diversity
Education
educational choices
Emigrants and Immigrants - psychology
Female
Foreign students
Friendship
Gender
Geodemographics
Group Processes
High schools
Human geography
Humans
Immigrants
integration
interracial friendship
Language
Male
matematik/tillämpad matematik
Mathematics/Applied Mathematics
Methods
Models, Psychological
networks
Noncitizens
peer
Peer influence
Peer pressure
Peer relationships
People and Places
Physical Sciences
Preferences
race
Research and Analysis Methods
School districts
Schools
Secondary schools
Segregation
Segregation in education
Social aspects
Social Behavior
Social interaction
Social networks
Social Sciences
Socioeconomic Factors
Sociology
Students
Students - psychology
Studies
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Description
Summary:We suggest a new method for detecting patterns of social clustering based on choice data. The method compares similar subjects within and between cohorts and thereby allows us to isolate the effect of peer influence from that of exogenous factors. Using this method on Norwegian register data, we address the question of whether students tend to cluster socially based on similar background. We find that common background correlates with making the same choices of curricular tracks, and that both exogenous preferences and peer influence matter. This applies to immigrant students from the same country, and, to some extent, to descendants of immigrants, but not to students from culturally similar countries. There are also small effects related to parents' education and income.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0233677