Видеозапись семинара "The diffusion of academic achievements: social selection and influence in student networks"

 

Speaker:   

Sofia Dokuka - Junior Research Fellow Center for Institutional Studies / International Research Laboratory for Institutional Analysis of Economic Reforms 

Peer group effects show the influence of student social environments on their individual achievements. Traditionally, a social environment is considered by researchers of peer effects as exogenously given. However, significant peers that affect performance are often those that are deliberately chosen. Students might choose their friends among peers with similar academic achievements. A dynamic analysis of student social networks and academic achievements is needed to disentangle social selection and social influence processes in network formation. Using data about the friendship and advice networks of first year undergraduate students, we show that friends tend to assimilate each others’ achievements and choose advisers with similar grades. We explain these results by social segregation based on student performance.

Keywords: social networks, academic achievements, peer group effects, higher education

Working paper: download (PDF, 805 Кб)