Friendship networks in high schools: an ERGM-multilevel meta-analysis of educational choices and social inequalities

This study analyzes friendship networks in high schools using ERGM models and multilevel meta-analysis, computed at the province and school levels. The analysis focuses on the structural mechanisms of networks; specifically, reciprocity, the tendency to form small clusters, and homophily according to students’ family background. Network characteristics are analyzed in relation to students’ attitudes toward continuing their studies after high school. The results indicate that endogenous mechanisms, including reciprocity and triadic closure, strongly characterize friendship networks in classrooms. Network structure is linked to family background among students who remain undecided or intend to continue their studies, indicating that the endogenous mechanisms shaping these relationships overlap with the constraints imposed by social inequalities.