ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book reviews the literature on the socialization of adolescents in the high school. It provides a frame for reference in which the teacher, parents, and peers may be viewed as important resources for the socialization of students. The book summarizes extensive research on the properties of the questionnaire measure of exploration preferences and the status of the exploration concept as an explanatory term. It explains an empirical analysis of self-reports to assess how the boys perceived their school, in which Edwards used categories derived from the boys' actual responses to the school to examine individual differences. The book presents examples of studies that focused more directly on the social structure of the schools. It illustrates a research approach that is prototypic for conducting person–environment research.
