Strategies based on social network analysis for enhancing the learning climate at universities

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/realia.27.18960

Keywords:

social networks, online discussion, educational technology, leadership, higher education

Abstract

The aim of this study was to detect leaders among a group of university students based on their centrality scores and, from these scores, to distribute roles to help enhance learning climate. We understood that learning climate improved when the construction of networked knowledge was stimulated from the perspective of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning. We conducted the educational experiment in a virtual environment. An online discussion forum was set up in a loo- sely structured format, and the students’ centrality scores were calculated from the social network they generated in the forum. Our findings show that student connectivity increased significantly and that several leadership styles were detected. Based on these leadership styles we designed strategies for optimizing learning climate in a self-regulated and stable way. Based on the type of centrality, we detected leaders in terms of their popularity, sociability, closeness to others, control of information flowing through the network, and influence. The novelty of this study resides in the incipient production of educational technology based on Social Network Analysis and, specifically, on the design of centrality-based strategies for optimizing climate in the university classroom.

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Author Biographies

Fran J. Garcia-Garcia, Universitat de València

Departamento de Teoría de la Educación, Personal Investigador en Formación (PIF)

Evelyn E. Moctezuma-Ramírez, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos; Universitat de València

Estudiante de doctorado en Régimen de Cotutela

Cristian Molla-Esparza, Universitat de València

Departamento de Métodos de Investigación y Diagnóstico en Educación

Inmaculada López-Francés, Universitat de València

Departamento de Teoría de la Educación, Profesora Ayudante Doctora

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Published

2021-07-15

How to Cite

Garcia-Garcia, F. J., Moctezuma-Ramírez, E. E., Molla-Esparza, C., & López-Francés, I. (2021). Strategies based on social network analysis for enhancing the learning climate at universities. Research in Education and Learning Innovation Archives, (27), 33–46. https://doi.org/10.7203/realia.27.18960
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