“Tracks as Emergent Structures”: A Network Analysis of Student Course-Taking at the University-Level

• In Event: 4124 - Section on Race, Gender, and Class Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (100 min): Table 1. Education

Abstract

This article builds on the theoretical and methodological framework of “tracks as emergent structures” developed by Heck, Price, and Thomas (2004). This social network analysis framework found that, at the high-school level, the courses that students took over time created specific student groupings that reflected different and unequal social positions within a school. In this paper, I use this framework at the university level, and examined a cohort’s course-taking patterns over 5-years and also found different and unequal social positions within the university. I argue these emergent structures contribute to degree attainment gap and STEM underrepresentation among race/ethnic and gender groups.

Author

• Paul Martinez, University of California, Los Angeles