ASHE16: Joined, Maintained and Abandoned
The Changing Network
Classroom learning networks are dynamic. They evolve over time, and reflect the agency of students to choose their partners and their level of engagement in coursework.
Fig. 1 Changing network over time
The network in this study reflects that change. To observe the changing network over time, click here. In each period (between the start of the class and the first exam and between the first and final exams), students add and dissolve collaborative learning ties with their peers. Over time, students report fewer relationships and the relationships that do exist (either through addition or maintenance) are more closed off. You will observe that a single connected component in the first exam splinters into smaller cliques of students in the period before the final.
Homophily and Tie Formation
This is most evident when we look at the graphs as snapshots in time. Unlike in other social contexts, there doesn’t seem to be a substantial influence of social identity homophily on tie formation in this classroom network. [Click here for interactive visualizations: Fig. 2 Gender and Network Participation at Time 1; Fig. 3 Gender and Network Participation at Time 2]