Cohort-Based Education and Other Factors Related to Student Peer Relationships: A Mixed Methods Social Network Analysis

Sarah C. Narendorf,Kayo Fujimoto,Rebecca L. Mauldin,Liza Barros-Lane,Zachary Tarbet

doi:10.3390/educsci12030205

Abstract

Graduate students face a variety of stressors that relate to poor academic performance, lower completion rates, and high rates of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress. Student peers provide supports for coping with these stressors and succeeding academically. However, graduate students may find it difficult to form relationships with their peers. This mixed method social network analysis (MMSNA) examines graduate student perceptions of their peer relationships and the factors associated with peer friendships in a program that placed students in cohorts for the first semester of a two-year Master of Social Work program. Findings from three student focus groups include four main themes related to the cohort system and the tendency for students to gravitate to others who were similar to them (i.e., homophily). Focus group findings informed model specification for a curved exponential family model of student friendships at the end of the third semester of the program (N = 70) that identified correlates of student friendships including statistically significant direct and homophily effects for age, gender, and race/ethnicity. First-semester relationships and shared classes in subsequent semesters also increased the likelihood of friendships in the third semester. Findings emphasize the value of cohorts and a diverse student body for peer relationships.

Highlights

During graduate school, students face a variety of stressors such as financial concerns, fraught advising relationships, academic and work pressures, and institutional policies and climate [1–3]
Graduate students report that peer relationships calmed their anxieties, eased their transition into graduate school, helped them feel connected to their department, and helped them persist in their programs [9–11]
In addition to high quality educational training, previous literature shows that social connections are crucial to student success

Summary

Introduction

Students face a variety of stressors such as financial concerns, fraught advising relationships, academic and work pressures, and institutional policies and climate [1–3]. Many graduate students (i.e., Master’s or doctoral students) experience high rates of depressive symptoms, anxiety, or school-related stress [4], which has been associated with poorer academic performance [5,6]. Graduate students report that peer relationships calmed their anxieties, eased their transition into graduate school, helped them feel connected to their department, and helped them persist in their programs [9–11]. Graduate students rely on their peers for support more frequently than other sources and report that peer support is more valuable to them than other sources of support [12]. Peer relationships may be especially attractive for graduate students because their shared experiences make other students well positioned to understand their unique school-related stressors [10,13]

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion