Making Connections: The Importance of the Social Networks of Students Enrolled in Learning Commu

1. Making Connections:The Importance of the Social Networks of Students Enrolled in Learning Communities Gale Stuart Assistant Director for Assessment Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi TAIR, February 6, 2008 - Galveston, Texas

2. Overview of Presentation • Background of learning communities in higher education and statement of problem • An embarrassingly brief introduction to Social Network Analysis • Details of two SNA studies – Fall ’06 and Spring ’07 • Implications of the findings

3. Learning Communities in Higher Education • Theoretical Rationale: • Social learning • Student involvement • Peer interactions • Small groups • Connected curricula

4. Goals of Learning Communities • Increase involvement • Develop a sense of belonging • Increase awareness of connections between courses or disciplines • Enhance critical thinking skills

5. Outcomes of Learning Communities • Higher retention • Higher GPAs • Higher satisfaction with college • Higher intellectual skills functioning • Greater gains in social and personal development

6. Focus of this study: • Do the social relationships that students form in learning communities have any impact on college outcomes such as GPA and retention?

7. Method: Social Network Analysis • A technique that considers social relations, from families up to nations. Social networks have been found to play a critical role in determining the way problems are solved, how organizations are run, and the degree to which individuals achieve their goals • Attribute data versus Relational data

8. Applications of Social Network Analysis: • Study the spread of HIV in a prison system • Understand terrorist networks • Identify key players in an organization • Improve the functioning of a project team • Expose financial flows to investigate criminal behavior • Map communities of expertise in medical fields • Study the adoption of contraceptive techniques in third world countries • Explore power relations between countries

9. Network Perspectives • Egocentric perspective • Socio-centric perspective

10. Egocentric network A ● B Ego ● ● ● C D ●

11. Types of Network Measures for Egocentric Networks • Number sent • Number received • Number reciprocated • Personal Network Density • Indegree centrality • Outdegree centrality • Betweenness centrality • Closeness

12. Socio-centric Networks

13. Types of Network Measures for Socio-centric Networks • Number of links • Average number sent • Density • Percent reciprocated • Number of isolates • Average Path Length • Clustering Coefficient • Centralization

14. Site of Study • Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, a regional university in south Texas • Fall 2006 enrollment approx. 8,500 • 38% Hispanic; 53% White • 62% Female • 65% Full-time • Fall 2006 first-year class = 1,699 • Spring 2007 first-year class = 1,337

15. First Year Learning Community Program Design (example)

16. Fall 2006 7 Triads/Tetrads, approximately 150 students each Approximately 6 Cohorts per Triad/Tetrad comprised of 25 students each meeting in Freshman Seminar classes 52 total cohorts in Freshman Seminar with a total of 1,243 first-year students enrolled Spring 2007 6 Triads/Tetrads, approximately 150 students each Approximately 6 Cohorts per Triad/Tetrad comprised of 25 students each meeting in Freshman Seminar classes 41 total cohorts in Freshman Seminar with a total of 983 first-year students enrolled Study Populations Fall & Spring

17. Data Collection • On-line survey administered in Freshman Seminar class in late October 2006 & late March 2007 • Fall: 70% response rate • Spring: 75% response rate • Confidential not anonymous • Background variables matched from university student records

18. Items on the Instrument • Personal time usage (work, socializing) • Participation in classroom activities • Learning Community satisfaction • Academic satisfaction • Overall College satisfaction • Social Support from family & friends • Impressions of Freshman Seminar class • Mood and disposition over last month

19. Three Network Items: • Select up to 7 people from your Freshman Seminar Class who: • You consider to be friends • You study with • You would share a secret with

20. Dependent Variables • Cumulative GPA in the Fall 2006 and Spring 2007 semester (from matched university records) • Re-enrollment in the spring for fall students • Re-enrollment in the fall for spring students

21. Fall 2006 Results – Egocentric Nets • N= 873 • 13 variables enter the equation • R-square = .267 • 3 social network items enter: • FriendsNet-Number Received • FriendsNet-Density (negative) • StudyNet-Indegree

22. Relationships do matter: • Popular students are also good students • Friendship groups that are closed to outsiders are not good for academic performance • Students who are popular choices for a study partner have higher GPAs

23. Other results of Egocentric Regression: • Students with higher high school class ranks and who come from wealthier homes generally do better • Hispanic students have on the average a third of a point lower GPA than Whites • First Generation students have on the average almost a quarter of a point lower GPA than Whites • Increasing the hours spent studying pays off in higher GPA, while increasing the hours spent socializing results in lower GPA

24. Fall 2006 Results of Socio-centric Regressions • Predicting average class GPA • N=52 cohorts

25. Once we control for High School Rank, the clustering coefficient becomes important in predicting average class GPA: Mean GPA = 3.05 N= 24 Clustering Coefficient = 34.63 Mean GPA = 2.59 N= 25 Clustering Coefficient = 11.29

26. Students who did not re-enroll: • Had lower GPAs (1.80 versus 2.69) • Were first generation students (65%) • Lived off-campus (65%) • Worked off-campus (80%) • Were less satisfied with their social and learning community experiences • Reported being less happy in the past month • Did not agree as often that they belonged at A&M-CC

27. Students who did not re-enroll: • Sent far fewer friendship nominations • Were more disconnected from others, had less dense networks • Were more likely to be isolates • Were far more likely to study alone

28. Fall 2006 study take-aways: • Hispanic and first-generation students are at greatest risk • Relationships do matter – more connected students persist and perform better academically • Closed, dense networks are not optimal for success • Knowing several different people is good for academic performance • Students who are socially isolated are more likely not to re-enroll

29. Spring 2007 Results–Egocentric Nets • N=746 • 13 variables enter the equation • R-square = .332 • 5 social network variables enter: • FriendsNet-Number received • StudyNet-Number reciprocated • TrustNet-Closeness out (negative) • StudyNet-Closeness in • StudyNet-Density (negative)

30. Relationships matter: • Again, popular students are also good students • Studying together in small groups improves GPA • Students who study in exclusive groups do not perform as well academically • Students who have lower barriers for trust do not perform as well, although trusting at least one person could be important

31. Other results of Egocentric Regression: • Once again, higher high school rank is associated with higher GPA • Once again, Hispanic students and first generation students have on the average a lower GPA than Whites (.20 lower) • Once again, increasing the hours spent studying pays off in higher GPA, while increasing the hours spent socializing results in lower GPA • Students who work off-campus have a lower GPA than those who do not work off-campus

32. Spring 2007 Results of Socio-centric Regressions – Social Network outcomes • Predicting average class GPA • N=41 cohorts

33. Friendships do matter… • Classes in which students have friendships that are mutual tend to perform better academically. These reciprocated relationships indicate strong bonds. • It is important to academic performance for a student to have at least one friend • Even after controlling for High School grades, relationships impact average GPA

34. Studying together is a good thing! • Freshman Seminar classes that have higher study partner density also have higher GPAs • This means that the more students study with lots of other students, the better grades they receive on the average

35. Trust in the Classroom is important • These data show that it is important that students have at least one person in the class they can trust • Trusting relationships should be mutual for optimal academic performance • Even after controlling for High School grades, these relationships are important

36. Students who did not re-enroll: • Had lower GPAs (1.70 versus 2.70) • Were disproportionately Hispanic (48%) and first generation students (62%) • Were less satisfied with their academic and overall college experiences • Reported being less happy in the past month • Did not agree as often that they belonged at A&M-CC

37. Students who did not re-enroll: • Sent and received far fewer friendship nominations • Were more disconnected/distant from others, had less dense networks • Did not tend to study with others • Were less likely to have someone they trusted in the class

38. Spring 2007 study take-aways: • Hispanic and first generation students on the average have lower GPAs and are at risk to not re-enroll • Popular students are also good students • It is important to GPA for students to have at least one friend and at least one person they can trust in the class • To succeed in class, friendship and trust bonds should be strong (reciprocal) • Study patterns are optimal when students study in pairs and with different people – closed study partner groups do not perform as well

39. Research Implications of the Method • The importance of students’ relationships with each other in the context of academic success can be measured • Can aid in early recognition of situations that may require intervention (like isolated students)

40. Pedagogical Implications: Instructors should think about pedagogical strategies in the classroom that promote the following outcomes: • Having at least one friend in the class is important to academic success • Studying in a group is effective, but the group should not be an exclusive one and the study partners should be changed up • It bodes better for academic success if students have reciprocated friendships (strong bonds) • It is good for academic success if students know several different people rather than to be a member of a closed group of friends. Encourage the break-up of a “cabal” if you see one forming.

41. Thank you! Contact Information: Gale Stuart Assistant Director for Assessment Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi gale.stuart@tamucc.edu