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Q: What kinds of student cliques exist in a typical Chinese school?
Judging from my own school experiences (and watching a substantial number of John Hughes movies), I'd care to wager that prototypical suburban school (in the US anyway) has the same token student cliques...jocks, geeks, band/drama kids, hipsters, druggies etc. While these cliques are no doubt changing with the times, the general idea still fits.
My question, particularly for any ESL teachers out there, is: What kinds of student cliques exist in the typical Chinese school? Do they fit the US clique set at all or are they completely different (I'd imagine they are). Thanks for your thoughtful insights.
Actually in my experience here I haven't seen much of these clique sets, not at least at levels where I teach. It tends to be class-oriented and class-focused and a student in Jr 1.1 hardly has any idea of what is going on in Jr 1.2, etc., etc. Within each class there may be mini-cliques but they are hardly as visible -- most are too busy trying to pass their exams.
they are encouraged to stick with their classmates. but after a while they might cling to their roommates or other students from their hometown . they're pretty much all geeks. 
after their first year, they may cling to students who share a similar interest that they met through one of the school clubs.
this is based on my experience teaching uni.
None really. They tend to keep them too busy so they don't have the time to develop complex peer relationships, or even really grow into any kind of emotional adulthood. The student's they tend to dislike are those that are loud or distract them from their studies. Now Chinese adults on the other hand, my wife tells me that cliques between co-workers are very, very common. To hear her describe it, its like Heathers without the murder.
1. Nerds
2. Geeks
3. Bookworms
However I just asked my wife about this....she told me she was a member of the "Bad Group", yes, she said "group"...sounds terrifying doesn't it? Anyways, she told me that her "group" would lay the smackdown on anyone she chose while in middle school. So, there's that!
MissA:
By '"lay the smackdown", did she mean making people eat oddly condimented sandwiches?
1. bookworms
2. rich bitches
3. military nuts
4. wannabe gangbangers
5. retards (dumb students tend to hang out in clusters)
6. students who've traveled overseas
my wife ..over 40 years old...... still meets with middle school friends every month or so. Evening Tea, 3 or 4 men and 4-5 women attend and spend the evening bashing the rest of the 50 member class. high school friends seem to be few and far between.
Very similar to back home, except there are more that have remained local.
I think you are right on with saying none. I actually did a college class on this at two different unis. I showed them archetypes of people in school then asked about similar groupings. The reply: None. The concept just does not translate so well. ie The idea of individuality in groups that all seem to look alike jaja You do see some people flashing styles, looking like hipsters, emo... But if you ask them it is just something they saw on TV. No idea of the cultural implications or how a certain style may relate to music, socioeconomic status...
