Are They Connected? Exploring Academic and Social Networks Among MPA Students at a Chinese University

Chen, Bin; Wang, Feng; Song, Jihua

doi:10.1080/15236803.2012.12001675

Cited by 16 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Academic network coreness also relates positively to friendship network coreness thus suggesting that there may exist a certain positive relationship between the position of the students in the academic network and their position in the friendship network. Similar results are found in other contributions as Smith and Peterson (2007) or Chen et al (2012). Finally, there is no correlation between the control variables and academic performance.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 75%

“…Firstly, there are the instrumental or academic networks which are more related to the exchange of knowledge between students. According to Chen et al (2012), these ties provide support to the student in the form of sharing notes, jointly solving complex problems and allowing group study, all of which are needed for successful completion of the program. In fact, Thomas (2000) stated that the structural properties of the academic network could be interpreted as indicators of the extent to which students are integrated into the life of the faculty, campus or university.…”

Section: Student Network and Academic Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

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The influence of relationship networks on academic performance in higher education: a comparative study between students of a creative and a non-creative discipline

2015

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 75%

Section: Student Network and Academic Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of relationship networks on academic performance in higher education: a comparative study between students of a creative and a non-creative discipline

2015

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“…While this may appear to be at odds with optimization of the quality of advice received, research on organizational networks shows that even bankers facing financially risky decisions turn more to their friends for advice than to more knowledgeable but socially more distant colleagues (Mizruchi and Stearns 2001). In addition, crosssectional studies show that friendship and academic networks strongly overlap for university students (Chen et al 2012). Thus, we test the alignment hypothesis that relationships in the social system (friendships) and in the academic system (help seeking and preference for collaborators) in FLCs are linked to each other over time in the way that Tinto's theory would see as optimal for academic progress.…”

Section: Academic and Social Support Relationshipsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Emergent achievement segregation in freshmen learning community networks

et al. 2017

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A common assumption about Freshmen Learning Communities (FLCs) is that academic relationships contribute to students' success. This study investigates how students in learning communities connect with fellow students for friendship and academic support. Longitudinal social network data across the first year, collected from 95 Dutch students in eight FLCs, measure both social and academic relational choices within and beyond the FLCs. Using stochastic actor-based models, the study tests two competing hypotheses. The alignment hypothesis states that students connect with their similar-achieving friends for both academic and social support, leading to an alignment of both types of networks over time. In contrast, the duality hypothesis states dissimilarity between academic support networks and friendship networks: Institute for Analytical Sociology, Linköping University, Kopparhammaren 2 Norra Grytsgatan 10, 601 74 Norrköping, Sweden students should connect with better-achieving fellow students for academic support and to more similar peers for friendship. The data support the alignment hypothesis but not the duality hypothesis; in addition, they show evidence of achievement segregation in FLCs: the higher the students' achievement level, the more they connect with other students for both academic support and friendship, relating in particular to peers with a similarly high achievement level. The results suggest that lower-achieving students are excluded from the support provided by higherachieving students and instead ask similar lower achievers for support. They thus cannot benefit optimally from the academic integration FLC offer. The article concludes with recommendations of how to support students in an FLC so that they can reach optimal achievement potential.

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“…Collaboration between students is related to the exchange of knowledge, which in specific contexts such as a class or faculty can lead to the formation and development of instrumental or academic networks. The ties that take place in these networks provide support to the student in the form of sharing notes, jointly solving complex problems and group study, all of which are needed for successful course completion [1]. In this sense, the position of the student in this academic network can be interpreted as an indicator of the extent to which students are engaged in the university [2,3] The empirical evidence existing in the literature has demonstrated an unequal participation of students in these academic networks, both as knowledge providers and recipients.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solidarity in the Classroom. Characterizing Helpful Students and Supportive Relationships in the University Context

Tomás‐Miquel¹,

Vicedo²

2019

ICERI Proceedings

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Helpful students in the university play an important role in the learning process. In addition to disseminating knowledge within the classroom, they are a central element of motivation for those students who need more support. Current research in this topic has especially focused on the students' motivations and attitudes towards solidarity as a general ethical concept. However, despite its importance, less attention has been paid to the specific study of the solidarity inside the classroom. In this research, we especially focus on the personal traits that represent helpful students within the university's classrooms and the role that homophily plays in the establishment of these supportive relationships. On this basis, in this research we try to contribute to this area by answering two main questions: what personal traits, if any, characterize the most helpful students? And, on the other hand, what characteristics, if any, do helpful students share with the students to whom they provide academic support? By addressing a sample of students of the bachelor's degree of Business Administration at Universitat Politècnica de València in Spain and by means of Social Network Analysis techniques, this research provide evidence that most helpful students possess specific personal and behavioural traits. In addition, they also develop preferential supportive behaviours toward certain students with whom they share diverse characteristics. These results may have relevant consequences for the educational community. In this sense the results help lecturers to broaden their knowledge about the behaviour of students at university, allowing a better organisation of working groups and teaching activities.

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Are They Connected? Exploring Academic and Social Networks Among MPA Students at a Chinese University

Cited by 16 publications

References 29 publications

The influence of relationship networks on academic performance in higher education: a comparative study between students of a creative and a non-creative discipline

The influence of relationship networks on academic performance in higher education: a comparative study between students of a creative and a non-creative discipline

Emergent achievement segregation in freshmen learning community networks

Solidarity in the Classroom. Characterizing Helpful Students and Supportive Relationships in the University Context

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