Learning about sustainable development: An examination of social network practices of first-year engineering students

The goal of this exploratory study was to investigate the development of first-year engineering students\u27 social networks and the relationship between their self-reported peer learning and help-seeking behaviors and their learning outcomes during a sustainable design module. The help-seeking and peer learning behaviors of 197 students were measured through pre- and post-surveys using modified peer learning and help-seeking subscales from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). These students also answered an online collaboration survey identifying those they collaborated with during the sustainability module. Their academic performance was examined with two measures, scores on the Environmental Knowledge (Life Cycle Assessment survey) and a game prototype/presentation (n=96). Nine students from the study sample participated in qualitative interviews and completed a name interpreter survey that provided them with an opportunity to share additional information about their perceptions regarding the relationships between the individuals named in their networks. The networks of the interviewed students were analyzed using the NetDraw and UCINET software packages. Pearson correlations were calculated in order to examine the relationships between students\u27 reported peer-learning and help-seeking behaviors scores and the game prototype/presentation scores, the Environmental Inventory (LCA knowledge) scores, and the size of their collaborative networks. There was a small positive correlation between seeking help from teammates and students\u27 performance on the more open-ended task of creating the LCA game prototype/presentation.. No relationship was found between reported peer-learning and help-seeking behaviors and students\u27 performance on the Environmental Inventory (LCA knowledge) scores. These results suggest students tended not to seek help from others when learning basic content related to sustainability as measured by the LCA exam, because they perceived the content to be easy. However, more help-seeking was positively associated with better performance on the more open-ended and applied task of developing a game prototype related to LCA content. There was a small positive relationship found between reported peer-learning and help-seeking behaviors with teammates and the size of the student collaborative network. This relationship implies that students who demonstrated more peer learning and help-seeking behaviors with teammates tended to have somewhat larger networks. This research also examined the relationship between the structure of the student\u27s ego network and their academic performance. The structure of the student\u27s ego network had no clear relationship to his or her academic performance. However, the student\u27s ability to access social capital embedded in their relations with others—i.e. information, encouragement, and help from others when needed—greatly influenced the extent to which he or she was able to complete the LCA assignments. Social capital encompasses facilitative actions such as the development of reciprocity, individual problem solving capacity, and is a moderator of group productivity and creativity