The relationship of value orientations in older adolescents with high status position in a student group

We present study results of social and psychological characteristics of group and individual value orientations in older adolescents. We considered the main criteria to be content and orientation of values, and level of value-oriented student group unity. The study involved 86 high school students of IX-XI grades of Moscow schools. We used a set of socio-psychological methods and instructional techniques: sociometry, referentometry, a technique of defining the informal intragroup power structure in a contact community, "Values and orientation of the individual" method by L.N.Silantieva, a method of determining the degree of value-orientation of group unity. The results obtained show that in high school there is a relationship between the student's status in the group and his system of individual and group value orientations. The most significant differences among students with different status position were detected in the content and direction of value orientations.