Doctoral Dissertation Research: Girltalk: Adolescent Girls, Friendships, and the Making of Identities

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

Under the direction of Dr. Sally McConnell-Ginet, Ms. Tanya L. Matthews will conduct fieldwork in a Salt Lake City area high school. She will interview girls individually and in groups, asking them to talk about their friendships and their views of social groupings and categories among the high school students. The interviews will be recorded for later transcription and analysis. Analysis will focus on categorizing practices, including social labels (e.g., stoner, Poly [Pacific Islander], Molly Mormon) and attitudes towards labeling of others and self. With recent waves of new immigration and a long tradition of a large Mormon-identified population, Salt Lake City is an interesting area for exploring the complex relation of ethnic and religious affiliations in adolescent girls' developing identities and social networks. Girls' social affiliations and divisions also offer an illuminating contrast to the more widely studied boys' social relations, highlighting many kinds of conflicts that often go unnoticed. This research gives a "girls'-eye view" of the institutional arrangements in high schools that constrain and promote particular modes of social division and connection. It should also improve understanding of social tensions that affect the educational environment. At the end of the research period, Ms. Matthews will return to Salt Lake City to conduct workshops on her findings for teachers and school administrators.