The relationship between university student learning outcomes and participation in social network services,social acceptance and attitude towards school life

Educators try to use social network services (SNSs) in their teaching because they are regarded as beneficial to student learning. However, little research to date has empirically investigated whether the use of an SNS increases university student learning outcomes. A total of 730 university students in the capital area of South Korea participated in the present study. Based on social learning theory, we developed a general structural model that included SNS participation (SP) as an exogenous variable and a range of endogenous variables: cognitive domain learning outcomes, affective domain learning outcomes, social domain learning outcomes, social acceptance (SA) and attitude towards university life (AT). The study results confirmed that the model adequately explained causal relationships between student learning outcomes and SA, AT and SP. SA was identified as a key variable because of its direct effect on learning outcomes. However, SP was considered more important because of its large indirect effects on all learning outcomes through both SA and AT.     

Estranged students in higher education: navigating social and economic capitals

ABSTRACT

Family is widely regarded as a cornerstone of student support. When family support exist as an essential form of social capital making, rupture of family ties places students in a disadvantageous position. This paper focuses on estranged students’ accounts of their experiences of higher education, highlighting how capital dynamics shape their academic trajectories. Based on interviews with 21 estranged students, our research uncovers different dimensions of estranged students’ struggles and successes as they move through academia. This paper explores the social imagination that surrounds the university student, or ‘student experience’, as resting upon family support. The authors propose that widening participation policies and practices need to be more attuned to the realities that mark estranged students’ experiences, as they are not only impacted by the scarcity of either economic or social capital, but also by the instability of interrelated capitals that contribute to precarious and volatile experiences.     

Defining appropriate professional behavior for faculty and university students on social networking websites

The vast majority of university students have profiles on social networking sites (e.g., Myspace, Facebook) (Salaway et al. 2008). However, it is yet to be determined what role this rapidly evolving method of communication will play in an academic setting. Data for the current study was collected from 459 university students and 159 university faculty members. Participants’ opinions regarding faculty/student interaction on social networking sties (SNSs) were analyzed. Over one-third of the students and a quarter of the faculty participants reported that it is inappropriate for faculty members to have accounts on SNSs. Significant disagreement existed between the faculty and students, as well as among the faculty and among the students regarding what constitutes appropriate professional professor/student interaction on SNSs.     

Exploring practicum: student teachers’ social capital relations in schools with high numbers of pupils living in poverty

The complexity of practicum in initial teacher education, in terms of the range of diverse social relations and differing school contexts, provides a challenge for teacher educators worldwide, aiming to guide and shape opportunities for student teachers learning to teach. This challenge is further compounded by societal problems linked to child poverty. Drawing from social capital theory, this paper explores the kinds of social relations that are currently associated with student teachers’ practicum experience in schools located in areas of social and economic deprivation or with significant proportions of pupils living in poverty. The paper brings to the surface types of social relations that are beneficial to mitigating the effects of poverty on educational outcomes. The case is made that practicum does not currently support the principles of social capital theory by enabling student teachers to develop an understanding of how to make connections, and develop the social relationships required to support positive educational outcomes for the children and young people in such contexts. Findings indicate that more effective ‘joint practice’ is required to better support student teachers’ professional learning.     

Parental influence on Chinese students' achievement: a social capital perspective

This paper examines how social capital formed by effective parental practices within Chinese families influences student achievement. Survey responses from 266 students from Grades 4 to 6 in a suburban elementary school in China were analysed to identify their perceptions of parental practices (support, pressure, help, monitoring and communication) at home. Coleman's concept of social capital serves as a framework to examine specific Chinese parental practices to influence their children's achievement. Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that parent-child communication was the most important factor in promoting student learning, whereas high level of parental help was not viewed as a useful resource for increasing achievement. The findings supported Coleman's assertion about the role of social capital in generating human capital for the next generation. This paper offers evidence that social capital is useful in examining parental practices associated with student achievement in China.     

Marginal utility of social capital: the assistance of family and friends in choosing university studies

Abstract

We focus on transition from school or employment to university and analyze how social network characteristics and the quantity of social capital (SC) influence the assessment of help in selecting a program of study. We analyze data of undergraduate students at a German university and find that SC has an amount and a context effect. First, we assume that in networks where students find a lot of SC, they also receive helpful advice. Second, a social network close to academia offers useful help. Our multivariate analyses support the context effect, but also indicate a marginal utility of SC. Students with academically educated parents rate their parents’ help as more useful, and students with studying friends rate their friends’ advice as helpful. However, students who are rich in SC among family and friends rate their help lower than students who are rich in SC among only one part of their network.     

Usage patterns and social circles on Facebook among elderly people with diverse personality traits

Elderly people are exposed to information technologies to keep them in touch with younger generations. Among various technologies, social network sites (SNSs) are seldom used by the majority of elderly people. To bridge the digital divide, it is necessary to dig deeply into the minority elderly users of SNSs. This study explores usage patterns of elderly Facebook users and further investigates how their diverse characteristics influence their usage and social circles. Three findings were derived. First, a sharp digital divide on SNSs does exist, and existing elderly Facebook users are mainly the dabblers. Second, personality profiling could predict elderly people’s SNS usage behaviors. Elderly users with a high level of openness and extroversion have more friends, status updates, and group memberships, and those with a high level of conscientiousness have fewer likes and status updates. Elderly users are likely to seek insightful content on SNSs. Moreover, they may have a higher degree of emotional stability than young users when using SNSs. Third, elderly people tend to build small social circles on SNSs that “copy” the family relationship in the real world; whereas, they build large social circles with interests and hobbies that are difficult to share in the real world. Based on these results, detailed suggestions are presented for better targeting elderly people in ways that move them toward SNSs.     

Unravelling the social network: theory and research

Despite the widespread popularity of social networking sites (SNSs) amongst children and young people in compulsory education, relatively little scholarly work has explored the fundamental issues at stake. This paper makes an original contribution to the field by locating the study of this online activity within the broader terrain of social network theory in order to inform future educational debate and further research. The first section offers a way of classifying different kinds of online social networking and then places this within the context of the study of social networks. It is argued that relational networks create a sense of belonging and that online networks just as easily trace the contours of existing social divisions as they transcend or transform them. This analysis informs the second section which specifically addresses educational issues, including both the attractions and the limitations of such work. The paper concludes with an exploration of three possible approaches to using in SNSs in educational contexts.     

Protective factors for depressive symptoms in adolescents: Interpersonal relationships and perceived social support

The association between interpersonal relationships, perceived social support, and depressive symptoms in adolescents was investigated in the present study. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depressive Symptoms Scale (CES‐D‐SF), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and Interpersonal Relationship Scale (IRS) were administered to 1,573 high school students. There were four main findings: all three types of interpersonal relationships (same‐sex peer, opposite‐sex peer, and teacher–student relationship) and perceived social support had direct effects on depressive symptoms; perceived social support was a mediator in the relationship between interpersonal relationships and depressive symptoms; gender differences were present in the relationship between interpersonal relationships and depressive symptoms; and the three types of interpersonal relationships exerted different effects on depressive symptoms between adolescent boys and girls. Same‐sex relationships exerted the strongest effect on depressive symptoms among girls, whereas teacher–student relationships exerted the strongest effect among boys.     

Exploring the first year academic achievement of school leavers and mature-age students through structural equation modelling

One of the most noticeable changes to the university student profile over the last decade is the increasing number of mature-age students. This study examined the relationship between previous academic performance, psychological characteristics of the student, learning strategies, and the first year academic performance of school leavers and mature-age students through structural equation modelling (SEM). A total of 1193 first year university students completed a questionnaire at the beginning of their first year of study, and provided consent for their academic results to be tracked over their first year at university. While the overall model of success appeared to fit for both groups, differences were identified in the order of importance of constructs affecting achievement and the strength of some relationships. The most obvious difference occurred in the relationship between previous academic performance, self-reported learning strategies, and achievement in first semester, with previous performance a more accurate predictor of school leavers' performance and self-reported learning strategies a more accurate predictor of mature-age students' performance. This study has implications for the university in terms of the targeting of academic support services for students of different ages.     

Inequality in social capital: social capital,social risk and drop-out in the Turkish education system

This article examines the effects of social capital on the likelihood of dropping out from the compulsory education system (Grades One through Eight) in Turkey. It focuses on the question of whether school-related social capital can provide the means to stay in school in the presence of risk factors such as socioeconomic status, race, or gender that cannot be easily modified. Despite major progress in enrollment rates due to policies enacted in recent years, the overall drop-out rate in compulsory education is close to 15% in Turkey. Data collected from 764 student–mother pairs show that drop-outs are exposed to higher number of social risk factors. We further illustrate that school-related social capital, as measured by quality of in-school teacher–student interactions as well as parental involvement in school, significantly and positively contributes to adolescents’ likelihood of staying in school even in the presence of severe social inequalities.     

A virtual safe zone: Teachers supporting teenage student resilience through social media in times of war

We examine how teacher-student communication through social network technologies may support student resilience during an ongoing war (i.e., the 2014 Israel-Gaza war). Based on student responses from open-ended surveys (N = 68), five content categories of emotional support were identified: caring, reassuring, emotion sharing, belonging, and distracting. The mere existence of continuous online contact with teachers also contributed to resilience perceptions. Interviews with 11 secondary school teachers revealed three main purposes for this communication: (a) delivering emotional support to students, (b) monitoring their distress; and (c) maintaining civilized norms of discourse. Practical implications and theoretical contributions are discussed.     

Gender and socioeconomic status differences in university students’ perception of social support

Perceived social support has been shown to be one of the most important protective factors for emerging adult students during their transition to university. However, the relationships between perceived social support and dimensions of gender and family background, which have been shown to affect adjustment to college life, remain unexplored. The current study analyzes the effect of gender, parents’ education, and family income level on social support perceived by Spanish university students. The sample consisted of 575 women and 280 men, of average age 18.02 years (SD?=?0.52) enrolled in the first year of degree courses at the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain). Three measures were used to assess various facets of perceived social support, namely perceived acceptance, social provisions, and support availability and satisfaction. Gender differences were identified for several perceived social support dimensions; women reported a wider social network, which should cover more diverse needs of social support. In addition, differences related to mother’s education and family income level emerged for the availability of support and perceived acceptance. The results highlight the different role of gender and family background in several dimensions of perceived social support during the transition to emerging adulthood.     

An empirical study on cyber ostracism and students' discontinuous usage intention of social networking sites during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mediated and moderated model

A sudden change in a person's social life, such as the adjustments caused by COVID-19, can raise social and psychological issues, with people's loneliness and boredom affecting their physical and mental well-being. Cyber ostracism (CO) refers to scenarios in which people feel that others are ignoring them over the internet, e.g., on social networking sites (SNSs) (such as Facebook and Twitter), and placing little importance on their thoughts. The study investigates the mediating role of anger between CO and discontinuous usage intention (DUI) and the moderating role of growth belief. Data were collected during three different periods from 517 Pakistani university students. Statistical procedures were conducted using a Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS). The study results reveal that anger mediates the relationship between CO and DUI of SNSs; moreover, growth belief moderates the relationship.     

The impact of social capital on student wellbeing and university life satisfaction: a semester-long repeated measures study

ABSTRACT

University participation has increased in many countries in recent years in response to the requirement for a strong knowledge economy. While this has provided additional access opportunities, not all students enter university with the same transferrable social capital. To counter this, educational institutions could play a strategic role in the development of networks and connections that provide students with valuable information, support and a sense of belonging. This research project explored the development of social capital, and its impact upon university life satisfaction and wellbeing, within an Australian university course undertaken by all first-year students regardless of programme or discipline. A survey of students was conducted three times over one semester. The results suggested that peer-level social capital indicators of trust, social support and relatedness changed over the semester, while other social capital indicators begin high and remain stable. Bridging social capital and peer social support predicted university life satisfaction. The relationship between social capital and wellbeing was found to be more complex. In a competitive, global tertiary environment, institutions could maximise the satisfaction and success of increasingly diverse student cohorts through strategies that facilitate social capital development.     

Families,schools, individual characteristics,and young adults’ outcomes: Social and cultural group differences

A moderation-mediation model was developed to investigate relationships among adolescents’ family, school learning environments, individual characteristics, and measures of the academic, affective, and social outcomes of young adults from different cultural backgrounds. Data were collected as part of a longitudinal survey of Australian youth. The findings indicated that: (1) adolescents’ family backgrounds, family and school capital, and individual characteristics combined to have a large association with young adults’ educational attainment, a small relation to subjective well-being, and a medium association with social engagement, (2) adolescents’ family backgrounds moderated relationships between the intervening variables and young adults’ educational attainment and social engagement, (3) the intervening individual characteristic and social capital variables partially mediated the relationships between family background and measures of the young adults’ outcomes, and (4) after taking into account the other predictors in the model, young adults’ earlier educational attainment was related to their later attainment and social engagement.     

School social capital and secondary education plans

This article intends to identify the effects of school social capital on the educational plans of students, particularly those staying in school and obtaining an intermediate certificate. It is hypothesised that social capital helps to explain individual educational plans and differences between schools regarding the amount of students with particular educational plans. The analyses are based on a survey of 1638?year 8 Hauptschule students in Germany. The results show that the quality of relationships with teachers is of crucial importance for the educational plans of individual students. Furthermore, differences between schools can be explained by the degree of school expectations. This finding supports the assumption that schools provide different settings, not only for learning processes but also for developing educational aspirations and plans.     

The role of social capital in students’ perceptions of progress in higher education

This paper aims to analyse the effects of students’ social relationships at university on students’ success. Specifically, whether a student with heterogeneous relationships obtains better academic results than a student whose relationships are mostly with classmates. Further, the research examines whether students’ social relationships make up for their parents’ lack of human capital. A survey was answered by a sample of 867 students from universities in the metropolitan region of Barcelona. The findings suggest that the effects of social relationships are not always positive. The benefits of social networks at university interact with the type of degree studied, the student’s dedication to studies, and the student’s social class. Perceptions of progress for each category of students is different: It is more positive for those with frequent heterogeneous relations, who do not work or do so for a few hours, and for those who are enrolled in “hard” science courses.     

School-community partnership models: implications for leadership

School–community partnerships have shown promise as an educational reform effort. In these partnerships, schools expand their traditional educational mission to include health and social services for children and families and to involve the broader community. Such partnerships have been found to enhance student learning, strengthen schools and support struggling neighbourhoods. Little is known, however, about the implications for school and community leadership in different types of partnerships. A previous review of the literature indicated four basic types of partnership, each with a different scope and purpose and different implications for leadership. Informed by interagency, leadership and social capital theories, this article describes the leadership practices that support each model and the dilemmas these partnership leaders face. The overall goal of the article is to deepen understanding of leadership in these models in order to strengthen the conditions for school–community partnership success.