Examining pedagogic parameters and verbal aggressiveness through social network analysis: Comparing primary, secondary, and high school

Abstract

The goal of this research is to reveal relations between pedagogic parameters and verbal aggressiveness comparatively among primary (age 6–12), secondary (age 12–15), and high school students (age 15–18). Complete network analysis is applied. The sample counts a total of 157 nodes (77 female, 80 male). Eight school classes have been collected as samples from schools of Thessaly, Greece (classes of 17–25 students, from primary school 5th class to high school 3rd class). Non-network variables (family state, gender etc.) are correlated with the verbal aggressiveness. Just as in the primary school appears a certain community culture, so in the secondary school there is apparently a similar community culture. In the secondary school, verbal aggressiveness tends to be prevented by the value system. The high school students who desire professional distinction appear to be aggressive, and this is their difference from the secondary and primary school students, which can be interpreted as a normative extension of their desire for social dominance. Students in high school do not substantially differ from those in the secondary school and seem to be more respectful to more positivist humanities-related knowledge. © Common Ground Research Networks, Alexandra Bekiari, Stergiani Deliligka, Aikaterini Vasilou, Nikolaos Hasanagas, All Rights Reserved.