Friendships at school: case studies in social network analysis

© 2017 Dr. Maedeh Aboutalebi KarkavandiThis thesis examined factors that might explain friendship formation in the classroom and school setting, illustrating the use of advanced techniques of social network analysis. Specifically, the aims were to determine 1) The contribution of the teacher-student relationship —through setting the classroom climate—to the structural patterns of friendship networks of students over a school year, 2) The influence of social anxiety as an individual predisposition on how students express and perceive their friendship relationships. The first case study examined the effects of classroom climate on the structure of friendship networks of third and fourth graders (n = 46 third grade, and n = 45 fourth grade) over a school year, using network indices (Hanneman & Riddle, 2005) and Exponential Random Graph modelling (ERGM) (Robins, Pattison, Kalish, & Lusher, 2007). A supportive and positive classroom climate was found to relate to a connected friendship network, with a rather equal distribution of status among students, and the higher propensity of friendship formation for third-grade students. However, the results for fourth-grade students mostly were not significant. Overall, it seems that teacher might be more influential for the younger students where they look to the teacher to receive guidance for their friendships (Hamm & Hoffman, 2016). The second case study tested the expressed friendship networks of socially anxious adolescents from an all-girls school (overall n = 94). Additionally, this study investigated the intersections of expressed and perceived friendship networks of both non-anxious and socially anxious students, using multivariate ERGM methodology. Results indicated that socially anxious students sent fewer expressed friendship nominations than other students, although they were not different from other students in terms of popularity. There was a high level of congruence between expressed and perceived friendship ties such that students expected most of their friendship relations to be mutual. Furthermore, students exhibited a good level of accuracy in understanding of their social standing. The social partners of socially anxious adolescents, however, had a higher level of accuracy above and beyond the other students. The result suggests that social anxiety can influence how students express their friendship relations and how other students perceive their relations with them. As a whole, the studies presented in this thesis suggested that both the social environment and individual predispositions can shape the patterns of friendship formation. Two case studies showcased how the application of sophisticated social network analysis can disentangle the invisible drivers of a network structure. Both these studies implemented sophisticated social network analytical and methodological approaches which are not commonly applied in educational and developmental literature

Priority populations' experiences of isolation, quarantine and distancing for COVID-19 : protocol for a longitudinal cohort study (Optimise Study)

Introduction: Longitudinal studies can provide timely and accurate information to evaluate and inform COVID-19 control and mitigation strategies and future pandemic preparedness. The Optimise Study is a multidisciplinary research platform established in the Australian state of Victoria in September 2020 to collect epidemiological, social, psychological and behavioural data from priority populations. It aims to understand changing public attitudes, behaviours and experiences of COVID-19 and inform epidemic modelling and support responsive government policy. Methods and analysis: This protocol paper describes the data collection procedures for the Optimise Study, an ongoing longitudinal cohort of ~1000 Victorian adults and their social networks. Participants are recruited using snowball sampling with a set of seeds and two waves of snowball recruitment. Seeds are purposively selected from priority groups, including recent COVID-19 cases and close contacts and people at heightened risk of infection and/or adverse outcomes of COVID-19 infection and/or public health measures. Participants complete a schedule of monthly quantitative surveys and daily diaries for up to 24 months, plus additional surveys annually for up to 48 months. Cohort participants are recruited for qualitative interviews at key time points to enable in-depth exploration of people's lived experiences. Separately, community representatives are invited to participate in community engagement groups, which review and interpret research findings to inform policy and practice recommendations. Ethics and dissemination: The Optimise longitudinal cohort and qualitative interviews are approved by the Alfred Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee (# 333/20). The Optimise Study CEG is approved by the La Trobe University Human Ethics Committee (# HEC20532). All participants provide informed verbal consent to enter the cohort, with additional consent provided prior to any of the sub studies. Study findings will be disseminated through public website (https://optimisecovid.com.au/study-findings/) and through peer-reviewed publications.Trial registration number NCT05323799

Priority populations’ experiences of isolation, quarantine and distancing for COVID-19: protocol for a longitudinal cohort study (Optimise Study)

Introduction Longitudinal studies can provide timely and accurate information to evaluate and inform COVID-19 control and mitigation strategies and future pandemic preparedness. The Optimise Study is a multidisciplinary research platform established in the Australian state of Victoria in September 2020 to collect epidemiological, social, psychological and behavioural data from priority populations. It aims to understand changing public attitudes, behaviours and experiences of COVID-19 and inform epidemic modelling and support responsive government policy.Methods and analysis This protocol paper describes the data collection procedures for the Optimise Study, an ongoing longitudinal cohort of ~1000 Victorian adults and their social networks. Participants are recruited using snowball sampling with a set of seeds and two waves of snowball recruitment. Seeds are purposively selected from priority groups, including recent COVID-19 cases and close contacts and people at heightened risk of infection and/or adverse outcomes of COVID-19 infection and/or public health measures. Participants complete a schedule of monthly quantitative surveys and daily diaries for up to 24 months, plus additional surveys annually for up to 48 months. Cohort participants are recruited for qualitative interviews at key time points to enable in-depth exploration of people’s lived experiences. Separately, community representatives are invited to participate in community engagement groups, which review and interpret research findings to inform policy and practice recommendations.Ethics and dissemination The Optimise longitudinal cohort and qualitative interviews are approved by the Alfred Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee (# 333/20). The Optimise Study CEG is approved by the La Trobe University Human Ethics Committee (# HEC20532). All participants provide informed verbal consent to enter the cohort, with additional consent provided prior to any of the sub studies. Study findings will be disseminated through public website (https://optimisecovid.com.au/study-findings/) and through peer-reviewed publications.Trial registration number NCT05323799