Mapping the conceptual structure of network in education

Abstract

The reflection of practices particular to network society is seen in the field of education in a variety of ways; thus educational praxis needs further exploration on conceptual framework. Notwithstanding the lack of a framework that disclosing a fuller understanding of the concept, network in education is widely adopt ed. Against this background, this paper seeks to contribute to exploring a widely used but conceptually unexplored context of learning as network in education. For this purpose, topic modelling, an unsupervised machine learning approach, was used to reveal hidden or abstract topics in large text collections. The topics emerging as a result of data analysis on 6307 documents were thematically organised. The emergent topics could be interpreted around three axes: 1 - ) use of network as a research method such a s social network analysis, 2 - ) solidarity happens in HIV network 3 - ) relationships or roles emerging in the network such as leadership, friendship and family. Accordingly, learning occurring in networks tends to be stimulated by the values such as solidari ty or inherited properties such as social capital. To understand this, new methodologies such as social network analysis becomes important. As for historical change of use of network in education in time, in line with the increase in the number of studies using a network perspective in the field of education, the number of publications in sub - fields has also increased. The increase in studies on teacher and PhD education can be explained by the prevailing use of learning communities as a networked learning approach.