What Does It Mean to Be Popular in Spain? Mixed-Method Analysis of Popularity as Perceived by Teenagers and Their Teachers

A great part of the research in adolescent popularity is based on sociometric methods, not always distinguishing between social preference (acceptance or likeability) and perceived popularity (visibility or salience), which has practical and theoretical implications. The aim of this work was to anal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Youth & society 2021-04, Vol.53 (3), p.392-416
Main Authors: Postigo-Zegarra, Silvia, Schoeps, Konstanze, Montoya-Castilla, Inmaculada
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ability
Adolescent girls
Adolescents
Age Differences
Cultural Influences
Developmental Stages
Foreign Countries
Gender Differences
Gender stereotypes
Likeability
Mixed methods research
Peer Acceptance
Popularity
Resources
Risk
Secondary School Students
Secondary School Teachers
Sex Stereotypes
Social acceptance
Social Behavior
Social Influences
Sociometry
Student Attitudes
Student Behavior
Student Characteristics
Teacher Attitudes
Teachers
Teenagers
Value Judgment
Visibility
Women
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Summary:A great part of the research in adolescent popularity is based on sociometric methods, not always distinguishing between social preference (acceptance or likeability) and perceived popularity (visibility or salience), which has practical and theoretical implications. The aim of this work was to analyze the features that a sample of 406 Spanish adolescents (53.2% girls, M = 16.76 years) and their teachers (n = 26, 50% women) associated with perceived popularity. The data analysis established three main themes that categorize perceived popularity: behaviors, developmental traits, and other resources, which include both peer-valued and not valued characteristics. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons indicated differences between male and female popularity, mostly from the point of view of the students. Our findings suggest that perceived popularity is consistent with gender stereotypes, and that positive and negative popularity perceptions coexist with a denial of popularity as a real phenomenon.
ISSN:0044-118X
1552-8499
DOI:10.1177/0044118X19855899