Application of Social Network Theory: Doctoral Students' Experiences in Conferences

Abstract

As regular attendees at the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) Conference, we enjoyed interacting with the highly relevant study by Diane Chapman and her colleagues (Chapman, Wiessner, Morton, Fire, Jones, & Majekodunmi, 2009). In the study, they use several theoretical tools to understand the learning experiences of doctoral students at a professional conference. In our view, the concept of the learning organization serves as a foundation for the creation of new knowledge at conferences. Communities of practice and the idea of legitimate peripheral participation represent the process that occurs at conferences. Knowledge creation is the outcome of these events. We concluded that an additional tool, social network analysis, could help to expand these ideas further. In this reaction article, we explain how the tools of social network analysis might be used to enhance our understanding of doctoral student participation in scholarly conferences.