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Previous research has established that peer relationships are important for student success, yet they can be hard to form at regional universities with large commuter populations. In these settings, connections in the classroom become critical. In an effort to gauge the degree to which students have the opportunity to form peer relationships in the classroom, this project utilized social network analysis to investigate to what degree students take repeated courses with the same peers. We report here on the number and nature of connections for a cohort of students who began STEM majors in Fall 2015. Two key findings include that White students have more peer connections than students of color, and the degree of connectivity correlates with graduation rates. Implications for these findings regarding curriculum design will be discussed.
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Classroom Connections: A Social Network Analysis of STEM Students at a Regional University
Previous research has established that peer relationships are important for student success, yet little research has examined connections made in the classroom, as opposed to residence life or extracurricular activities. This project utilized social network analysis in two cohorts of science and mathematics majors to investigate the degree to which students take multiple courses with the same peers. Results showed (1) wide variability in student networks, (2) course selection by students included more repeated connections than random course selection, (3) networks did not vary much by demographic variables (gender, race, first-generation status, and income), and (4) student networks significantly predicted graduation and grades. This correlational research provides a foundation for future experimental research testing the causal impact of classroom-based student networks. This research also serves as a model for how other institutions may analyze institutional data to understand patterns of peer connections and course enrollment at their institution.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2020765
- PAR ID:
- 10480243
- Publisher / Repository:
- SAGE Publications
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice
- ISSN:
- 1521-0251
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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