Allocation to Social Positions in Class

Using the approach of qualitative social network research, this article focuses on two ‘systems of social inequality’ on the basis of which learning is organized: one is the institutional and organizational framework structuring the encounters between teachers and students, the other is a system of social inequality incorporated at the level of emotions and affections. Both systems seem to be virtually inevitable and, due to the tacit nature of their workings in class interactions, escape attempts at deliberate control. The article demonstrates how the web of social relationships in the early grades acts to reinforce both systems of social inequality and how they mutually affect one another in the class setting. Two first grade classes were studied for this purpose using mixed methods. The findings clearly support these conclusions: in both classes under study, a configuration of relationships consisting of a range of distinct (student) positions has emerged, and all parties involved have a similar perception of this social configuration. These social positions, each of which offer different opportunities for learning, are reflected both in interactions (as evidenced by video analysis) and the students’ stories (as evidenced in interviews). Such stabilization processes determine student careers early on and render the class setting ‘porous’ as a space of learning.