{"id":226,"date":"2018-04-07T09:10:57","date_gmt":"2018-04-07T08:10:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/meetingofminds\/?p=226"},"modified":"2018-05-04T13:34:59","modified_gmt":"2018-05-04T12:34:59","slug":"homophily-among-students-and-academics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/meetingofminds\/2018\/04\/07\/homophily-among-students-and-academics\/","title":{"rendered":"Homophily Among Students and Academics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Homophily and Academic Isolation<\/b><\/p>\n

In addition to the sense of isolation felt by all researchers who will spend much of their time working alone, some people may also be subject to additional feelings of isolation. <\/span><\/p>\n

Research suggests that international and part-time doctoral researchers, and those from underrepresented minority groups, are more likely to feel isolated. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Studies have also shown that unless a programme is specifically designed to support interdisciplinary researchers, they will often feel excluded from the wider traditional research culture of the university.<\/span> ‘The increased diversity of the doctoral researcher population can lead to challenges and mismatches in expectations between student and supervisor <\/span><\/i>\u2019. Duke and Denicolo (2017). \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Combined with the findings of such research are trends showing that:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Between 2006\u201307 and 2010\u201311, international students in the UK increased by 31.4%, compared with a 2.3% increase between 2010\u201311 and 2015\u201316. \u00a0Demand from international students supports the provision of particular subjects in the UK, including engineering, technology, computer science and mathematics, particularly at postgraduate level where around half of all students are from outside the EU.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. There is a broad trend of growth in students from younger age groups (under 30 for postgraduates and under 25 for undergraduates) and a decrease in the number of students from older age groups (Universities UK, 2017). <\/span><\/li>\n
  3. A recent post graduate survey identified that students with disabilities and mental health issues are more likely to considering to be leaving their post graduate course. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    \nFigure 1 from Huang (2014)<\/span><\/p>\n

    The Impact of Homophily<\/b><\/p>\n

    The above groups may be experiencing the effects of homophily, which can be found in academia and other environments.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u2018In a landmark review of more than 100 sociological studies, McPherson et al. (2001) found that people display a strong tendency toward homophily\u2014the greater the similarity between two individuals the more likely they are to establish a connection\u2026. Similarities in the human attributes of potential alters, such as age, gender, religion, ethnicity, values, intelligence, and education, appear to characterize the formation and dissolution of connections as varied as online chats, best friendships, and marriage\u2019<\/span><\/i> (Rivera, Soderstrom, and Uzzi, p. 94). \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Homophily offline could potentially influence homophily online e.g Kwak and Kim \u00a0(2017) found that<\/span> \u2018the limitations of many previous social network studies is that the formation of social network may be associated with off-grid interactions among individuals apart from interactions revealed strictly in an online social network\u2019.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

    Such dynamics may be found in the academic world:<\/span><\/p>\n