著者

池田 曜子

出版者

奈良女子大学

雑誌

人間文化研究科年報 (ISSN:09132201)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.28, pp.173-189, 2013-03-31

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The present study clarifies the strategies that students employ to differentiate theiraffiliate group from other groups in middle and high school class. Specifically, we want toidentify the indicators that students use to draw boundaries between groups and understandwhat the students mean by this mutual differentiation between peer group units. Towardclarifying these issues, we perform an analysis of the differentiation process between peergroups based on a classification system obtained from fieldwork data. Then, we examine thereasons students tend to use when drawing group boundaries in class. In addition, from theviewpoint of a peer group unit in a class environment, we clarify what it means for students tomutually differentiate between groups and be a target of differentiation.The findings show that students clearly recognize differences in type between theiraffiliate and other groups. They often explain these differences in terms of superficial subculturalindicators related to external appearance (e.g., clothing, hairstyle) or behavior. On theother hand, they do not explain differences between each type of peer group in terms of theclass where all the main school activities occur even though behavioral differences are clearlyobservable. By creating mutual differences between peer groups, students strengthen the unityof the affiliate group and solidify their group's position in the class environment.In addition, the daily words and deeds of students that are used to differentiatebetween groups often focus on the most trivial of matters. When a student is excluded froma peer group, he may become stigmatized by students in other groups. Thus, each studentalways has a sense of unease over becoming a target of discrimination.