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Friendship Concept and Community Network Structure among Elementary School and University Students.
Ana María Hernández-Hernández1, Dolores Viga-de Alva2, Rodrigo Huerta-Quintanilla1
1Departamento de Física Aplicada. Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional. Mérida, Yucatán, México.
Plos One
|October 21, 2016
Summary
Friendship networks differ significantly between elementary and university students. Elementary students form communities based on classrooms and family ties, while university students are more selective, creating distinct network structures.
Area of Science:
- Social network analysis
- Developmental psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Friendship formation and network structures evolve across different developmental stages.
- Understanding these differences is crucial for educational and social development research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare the structural properties of friendship networks in elementary school and university students.
- To analyze community formation and characteristics within these distinct age groups.
Main Methods:
- Complex network theory was applied to analyze friendship networks derived from surveys.
- Network structures, community compositions, and the impact of 'mixed links' (sibling/relative friendships) were examined.
Main Results:
- Elementary school networks show strong classroom-based communities, with 'mixed links' creating heterogeneity. University networks exhibit more selective friendships and distinct community structures, even without significant 'mixed links'.
- Network characteristics differ significantly, allowing prediction of elementary school structures under certain conditions, but not for university students.
- Analysis by gender revealed an increase in same-gender communities after removing 'mixed links', particularly evident in university networks.
Conclusions:
- Friendship is a dynamic concept influencing network topology and group formation differently across academic levels.
- These findings offer analytical support for observational studies on social dynamics and provide insights into age-related changes in social cognition.
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