Understanding Centrality: Investigating Student Outcomes within a Classroom Social Network
Collaborative learning environments in undergraduate introductory physics courses, such as those promoted by Modeling Instruction (MI), influence both student performance and student social interactions. Because collaborative learning is inherently a social activity, we applied Network Analysis methods to examine student social interactions within the classroom using a survey administered periodically in class. We then calculated centrality, which is a family of measures that quantify how connected or "central" a particular student is within the classroom social network. In order to understand what centrality means in this context, we investigated the relationships among centrality, student demographics, and student outcomes in a large-scale MI classroom with 70 students and 6 instructors. We addressed two research questions: "Is centrality predicted by sex, ethnicity, incoming GPA, or Force-Motion Concept Evaluation (FMCE) pre-score?" and "Does centrality predict FMCE gain or final grade in course?" A series of linear regressions showed that centrality can be predicted by sex and incoming GPA, and is a predictor of FMCE gain.
Physics Education Research Conference 2015
Part of the PER Conference series College Park, MD: July 29-30, 2015 Pages 375-378
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![]() <a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=13911">Williams, E, E. Brewe, J. Zwolak, and R. Dou. "Understanding Centrality: Investigating Student Outcomes within a Classroom Social Network." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2015, College Park, MD, July 29-30, 2015.</a>
![]() E. Williams, E. Brewe, J. Zwolak, and R. Dou, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2015, College Park, MD, 2015, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13911&DocID=4329).
![]() E. Williams, E. Brewe, J. Zwolak, and R. Dou, Understanding Centrality: Investigating Student Outcomes within a Classroom Social Network, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2015, College Park, MD, 2015, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13911&DocID=4329>.
![]() Williams, E., Brewe, E., Zwolak, J., & Dou, R. (2015, July 29-30). Understanding Centrality: Investigating Student Outcomes within a Classroom Social Network. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2015, College Park, MD. Retrieved March 25, 2025, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13911&DocID=4329
![]() Williams, E, E. Brewe, J. Zwolak, and R. Dou. "Understanding Centrality: Investigating Student Outcomes within a Classroom Social Network." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2015, College Park, MD, July 29-30, 2015. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13911&DocID=4329 (accessed 25 March 2025).
![]() Williams, Eric, Eric Brewe, Justyna Zwolak, and Remy Dou. "Understanding Centrality: Investigating Student Outcomes within a Classroom Social Network." Physics Education Research Conference 2015. College Park, MD: 2015. 375-378 of PER Conference. 25 Mar. 2025 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13911&DocID=4329>.
![]() @inproceedings{
Author = "Eric Williams and Eric Brewe and Justyna Zwolak and Remy Dou",
Title = {Understanding Centrality: Investigating Student Outcomes within a Classroom Social Network},
BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2015},
Pages = {375-378},
Address = {College Park, MD},
Series = {PER Conference},
Month = {July 29-30},
Year = {2015}
}
![]() %A Eric Williams %A Eric Brewe %A Justyna Zwolak %A Remy Dou %T Understanding Centrality: Investigating Student Outcomes within a Classroom Social Network %S PER Conference %D July 29-30 2015 %P 375-378 %C College Park, MD %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13911&DocID=4329 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2015 %O July 29-30 %O application/pdf ![]() %0 Conference Proceedings %A Williams, Eric %A Brewe, Eric %A Zwolak, Justyna %A Dou, Remy %D July 29-30 2015 %T Understanding Centrality: Investigating Student Outcomes within a Classroom Social Network %B Physics Education Research Conference 2015 %C College Park, MD %P 375-378 %S PER Conference %8 July 29-30 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=13911&DocID=4329 Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.
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