Exploring the utility of social network analysis in remote Indigenous education research: A case study from the whole of community engagement initiative

Exploring the utility of social network analysis in remote Indigenous education research: A case study from the whole of community engagement initiative Conference Paper

AARE 2015: Coast to coast: locations and directions in educational research

• Author(s): Smith, James, Ennis, Gretchen, Tofa, Matelene, Hagan, Jamie, Fraser, Peta, Oclay, Millie, Rossi, Brownyn, Watts, Lisa
• Published: 2015

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Abstract: Social Network Analysis (SNA) is the methodical study of social networks. It is increasingly used in a range of interdisciplinary research contexts to examine the relationships between people, groups and organisations. The potential to use SNA for collaborative research projects is increasingly recognised, yet it has seldom been applied in projects set in remote Indigenous contexts, or in education research. We have commenced exploring this potential and will discuss how SNA has been applied through the Whole of Community Engagement (WCE) initiative at Charles Darwin University. This is a multi-site participatory action research project that uses a bottom-up community engagement approach with six remote Indigenous communities across the Northern Territory (NT). The primary aim is to build a deeper understanding of the aspirations of and opportunities for Indigenous learners. This is in concert with identifying potential levers for system improvement to promote Indigenous participation and achievement in higher education. We will explain the explorative process that has taken place to collectively identify the most appropriate and useful application of SNA within our research project. This includes intensive SNA training; consideration of ethical issues and the possibilities and limitations of SNA; data collection techniques to support SNA; and the identification of suitable SNA software (i.e. Gephi). We describe the methods used to map the diverse and emergent relationships developed between the WCE project team and individual people and organisations within the remote Indigenous community contexts. Using SNA diagrams we will show how relationships were mapped at the commencement of the WCE initiative community engagement process based on case studies from East Arnhem, West Arnhem and Central Australia regions of the NT. We will also draw on complementary qualitative research arising primarily from interview data and field notes to provide additional evidence about the nature and quality of these relationships and to show the benefit of combining SNA with other research methods. We argue that SNA used in conjunction with qualitative research methods can provide an important research tool to illustrate the growth and nature of relationships developed during a community engagement process associated with an Indigenous higher education program in the NT. We encourage other educational researchers to consider the utility of SNA, particularly within Indigenous research contexts.

• Urls: https://www.aare.edu.au/publications/aare-conference-papers/show/10156/exploring-the-utility-of-social-network-analysis-in-remote-indigenous-education-research-a-case-study-from-the-whole-of-community-engagement-initiative
• Publisher Location: Melbourne