INFORMAL CLASS STRUCTURE IN 8th AND 9th GRADES

The students’ grade is a specific small formal social group. Social psychology studies small groups in various aspects. But this form - the student grade - remains somewhat aside from social scientists’ interest. At the same time, the dynamics, the informal structure and the power-role structure of the students’ grades predetermines a number of processes that can be understood as a key to the pedagogical process. This article presents a comparative analysis between the informal structures of two grades – a group in 9th and 11th grades. Although the study was conducted in two different grades, it reflects the basic characteristics of the informal structure in the formation of the groups shortly before its dismissal.