Teacher centrality, student morale, and the social organization of the classroom

This research is a social network analysis of middle school classrooms. The purpose of this study is to measure how social interactions between students and teachers and among students in the classroom display different structural forms. The aim is to see whether certain structural forms of interaction appear more conducive to classroom management and class time productivity.; Specifically, this research is a social network approach to school (classroom) climate studies with my research question asking, What is the relationship between teacher centrality, student morale, and classroom productivity? In studying student teacher relations, I conducted direct observations in classrooms over a year, interviewed teachers and some students, and collected questionnaire data from teachers and students. I analyzed data collected using UCINET6. By utilizing network tools, I can compare and contrast the structural composition of classrooms and student-teacher relations. Such systematic structured observations of classrooms over extended periods of time provided data on student-teacher social interaction that are impossible to gather using self-report studies alone. Direct observation also offered insight into the social structural mechanisms through which student productivity is constrained or enabled in the classroom. Finally, because this study is one of the first of its kind to utilize formal social network theory and methods to characterize classroom social structure, it offers a new set of variables---social networks---for policy makers and educators to access in order to enhance student productivity and teacher effectiveness in the classroom.