Evolution of Civil Engineering Students’ Friendship and Learning Networks

Abstract

The evolution of college students’ friendship and learning networks may help educators to identify dysfunctional individual students so that student consulting and teaching can be improved. However, very few studies have integrated social network analysis and psychological tests to explore the characteristics of friendship and learning habits of college engineering major students. Network analysis with social psychology interpretation attempts to unveil the relationship between social networks and personality and to identify the subjective and objective mechanisms of assembling student friendship and learning networks. This study interviewed and surveyed civil engineering college students for four consecutive years to establish their friendship and learning networks. Social network analysis techniques and social psychological testing used these data to explore the mechanisms of network evolution and the reflections of student psychological conditions on the network characteristics. Three driving forces, social proximity, student characteristics, and curricula, are found to shape the structures and evolution of the friendship and learning networks. Because the density and evolution of college friendship and learning networks are dictated by curricula and peer pressure, through course arrangement and dormitory assignment, universities may be able to mold student social networks into positive configurations to increase social and learning interactions.