Group composition and network structure in school classes: a multilevel application of the p∗ model

This paper describes the structure of social networks of students within school classes and examines differences in network structure between classes. In order to examine the network structure within school classes, we focused in particular on the principle of homophily, i.e. the tendency that people associate with similar others. When differences between classes were observed, it was investigated whether these were related to group compositional characteristics. A two-stage regression procedure is proposed to analyze social networks of multiple groups. The random coefficient model is discussed briefly as an alternative to the two-stage method. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. JEL classification: C51