Social Network Analysis of the Farabi Exchange Program: Student Mobility
Abstract
Problem Statement: Exchange programs offer communication
channels created through student and instructor exchanges; a flow of information
takes place through these channels. The Farabi Exchange Program (FEP) is a
student and instructor exchange program between institutions of higher
education. Through the use of social network analysis and techniques unique to
it, an analysis of this structure will uncover how much universities and
teacher training institutions as actors are affected by these student exchange
programs and how much of their capacity they actually use. A literature review shows that exchange
programs have been the focus of several studies, but there is almost no
research using social network analysis on exchange program and teacher training
programs. In the evaluation of student exchange programs, the social network
approach brings a new point of view in the evaluation of complex and multiple
relationships.
Purpose of the study: The
main purpose of this study is the mutual assessment of teacher training
programs in universities which accept and send students through the exchange
framework of the FEP.
Methods:
The study has been carried out a social network analysis approach. Social
network analysis defined as the method of digital and/or graphic mapping of the
type, direction and density of relationships between groups of actors. In this
study, data was acquired from the lists of students who participated in the FEP
at 18 universities, which have been selected through the cluster sampling
method for the 2013–2014 educational year. It has been analyzed with the UCINET
6.0 software program.
Findings and Results: According to the findings of the
study, 822 connections in the whole network and 451 connections in the teacher
training network have been identified in the FEP. It has been determined that
47% of maximum connection possible in the density analysis were made for the
whole network (D= 0, 472), while 15% of maximum connections possible in
the density analysis were made for the teacher training network (D= 0, 155).
Conclusions and Recommendations:
Results
confirmed that, the networks between
education faculties are relatively weaker. The high number of disconnected and
isolated actors points to the necessity of strengthening connections between
institutions which train teachers and education faculties.
Keywords
References
- Aggarwal, C. (2011) Social network data analytics. New York: Springer. ISBN 978-1-4479-8462-3
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
-
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Zeynep Ugurlu
This is me
Publication Date
October 15, 2016
Submission Date
October 15, 2016
Acceptance Date
-
Published in Issue
Year 2016 Volume: 16 Number: 65