Social Networks and the Education of Children and Youth

Centrality – Refers to the number of ties one has to others in a network. Those with more ties may have more access to resources contained within the network. Closure – Refers to the interconnections members have with one another, that is, the social ties among the network members that are historical and bridging. Density – Refers to the number and strength of ties among individuals within a social network. In formal network theory, density refers to the number of ties observed divided by the number of total possible ties in a bounded group. Homogeneity – Being in a group with similar demographic and other characteristics. Homophily – The concept that friendships tend to form among people who perceive themselves as similar to one another. Propinquity – A basis of interpersonal attraction characterized by physical or psychological proximity to another. Social networks – The social ties among a group of individuals, which can involve as small as two ‘‘also known as a dyad’’ or much larger numbers of individuals.