The Emergence of Friendships and Social Groups in Kindergarten

The school classroom is an inherently social setting where students interact with each other for seven hours, five days a week. The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of how students select their friends and how social groups begin to form and emerge. The author collected data through student and teacher interviews, dictated drawings, a sociogram, and a parent survey. After analyzing the data by using the constant comparative method, the author found four major themes. The first was that each social clique came equipped with unique characteristics that the clique members embodied. Second, there were countless social learning opportunities embedded within every interaction. Third, the decision-making process was very dynamic and constantly changing. Fourth, young children value very similar things in friendships. This study may provide useful information to other educators who are trying to figure out the different social dynamics present in their classrooms