Campus Ecological Networks: Understanding Patterns of Relationships in Learning, Identity, and Equity in College

Abstract: Collegiate environments that aim to support equitable learning are rarely conceptualized and studied in a manner that is explicitly relational and structural, leaving room for theorizing about how social constructions of meaning and power operate on campus. We apply social network theory and methods to campus ecological frameworks to develop a campus ecological network model. Rather than focusing on sets of individuals, a network-oriented stance traces the relationships of multiple individuals to uncover the latent structure of social boundaries that cannot be observed from a single perspective. Network specification facilitates the study of students' dynamic micro- and mesosystem construction where relational learning is supported or bounded. We also add modality as a relational feature across levels to account for physical and virtual connections. We illustrate the model with examples of learning, identity negotiation, and boundary crossing to describe how network perspectives can inform both research on and the practice of creating learning environments. Our approach illuminates how power operates through relationships and how, even when students participate in programming and interventions that are designed to foster engagement and persistence, unequal opportunities and outcomes can result.