Table Hopping in the Cafeteria: An Exploration of "Racial" Integration in Early Adolescent Social Groups

Abstract

This study, based on qualitative and quantitative methods, concludes that loose-knit peer groups encourage interracial interaction, whereas cliques do not. The conceptual significance of loose-knit groups is that they are midway in intimacy between the classroom and cliques, and thus an important intermediate stage in the progression of "race" relations. A practical implication is that knitness is a useful indicator of the effects of the formal organization on voluntary race relations. ADOLESCENCE, INTEGRATION, PEER GROUPS, RACE RELATIONS, PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION Paul Zisman is Professor of Education at Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg, Virginia. Vernon Wilson, Ph.D., is a retired school counselor who has done field research on literacy in Mexico. He now works with alternative education programs. 200 Anthropology B Education QuarterlyVolume 23, 1992 the study is to focus attention on how the configurations of informal peer groups reflect the hidden multicultural curriculum. Hence, looseknitness can be used as a measure of how the formal school organization and climate shape the implicit multicultural assumptions transmitted to students. Conceptual Background Conceptual and Methodological OrientationTypically, research on school desegregation examines how input factors affect cross-"race" social interaction, considered an output. Some input factors commonly examined are "racial" composition, duration of desegregation, specific pro-integrationist practices and policies, traits of staff and teachers, and ability grouping (for a review, see Schofield and Sagar 1983). Social interaction measures as outputs have included sociometric choices, student self-reports, observation of seating arrangements, and attitudinal measures. An excellent use of time sampling has been employed in a recent interactional study of learning disabled students by Roberts, Pratt, and Leach (1991). Input-output studies, however, betray a psychological bent by focusing on individuals as social atoms. These studies overlook the mediating effects of "groupness" in the dynamics of interpersonal relations.In contrast, we tried to capture this elusive "group" quality of social relations in our conceptual thrust and methodology. We formulated a theoretical perspective on social groups and inter-"race" behavior by drawing freely on the various social science disciplines, reflecting our own interdisciplinary training in comparative education. First, we based our conception of groups, from which the methodology is derived, on the assumption that "groups are real," as explained in the next section. Second, we assumed that meaningful inter-"race" interactions, when they occur, are embedded in a multilevel relationship of social entities within the school and meet greater resistance as they progress from the more formal settings, through the informal looseknit peer groups, to the more intimate cliques and friendships. The "rule of intimacy in 'race' relations," upon which this assumption is based, is discussed below. This approach addresses one le...

An Application of Ecological Theory to Ethnic Identity Formation Among Biethnic Adolescents

“…Such food was often specific to an ethnic group and, therefore, was a concrete representation of children's ethnic identity. In addition, cliques based on race and ethnicity begin to form during early adolescence (Zisman & Wilson, 1992). Given that biethnic adolescents are usually the extreme minority in a given context, where do these adolescents fit within these cliques, and how does this impact their ethnic identity formation?…”

The Stability of Social Groups in Childhood and Adolescence: The Role of the Classroom Social Environment.

“…There is room for action by the individual to influence his or her proximity to others. Proximity may result from a desire to be noticed by others and invited to join a group (Bder, 1985), the perception of shared interests or behaviors (e.g., Kandel, 1978), or the desire to 'test' a relationship with someone (Eder, 1985;Zisman & Wilson, 1992). Based upon observations in a middle school cafeteria, Eder (1985) observed that students who were new to the school frequently changed seats as they explored the pool of potential friends.…”

“…Students who had been at the school for at least one year were more stable in their seating arrangement. Similarly, a study of 'table hopping' reported that the open atmosphere in the school cafeteria provided a safe environment for youth to cross the racial boundaries to test out friendships (Zisman & Wilson, 1992). When students are not able to avoid proximity to other students, Eder (1985) observed the use of symbolic means to distinguish themselves from others (e.g., ignoring friendly initiations).…”

The Role of Gender, Ethnicity, and Age in Intergroup Behavior in a Naturalistic Setting

“…Epstein (1983) reports that students tend to prefer peers who are more similar to themselves in gender, ethnicity, age, and grade in school. Race and gender were found to be important grouping criteria in determining seating patterns in school cafeterias in that there was a general preference to associate with in-group members (Schofield & Sagar, 1977;Zisman & Wilson, 1992). These findings have also emerged from observations in task-oriented settings where there is more cross-race interaction (Schofield & Francis, 1982).…”