Exploring the collective agency of postgraduate students in an academic study group: A social network perspective

Abstract

The pivotal role of agency in learning has been widely acknowledged. Whether learners can actively utilize social and cultural resources to facilitate the learning process is of great importance, particularly in the development of academic competence. However, scant attention has been paid to unveiling the social dimension of agency and thus the concept of collective agency. To fill this gap, the current study employed a social network analysis (SNA) approach, which centers on social relationships manifested in social interactions to explore the emergence and advancement of collective agency in an academic study group of postgraduate students at a Chinese university. We collected data on students' social interactions through questionnaires and qualitative interviews. The findings reveal that the participants were engaged in multi-layered interactions embedded in instrumental, expressive, and projective social relationships. These relationships served as affordances for them to make agentic choices and actions collectively, which significantly enhanced their academic growth. Finally, we propose a multi-layered model to better understand the fluctuations of collective agency, with a specific focus on the distinctive Chinese group learning style. The findings contribute to awareness of the role of social interactions in fostering collective agency during the pursuit of academic excellence.