The social relations of university students: intensity, interaction and association with academic performance / Las relaciones sociales de los estudiantes en la universidad: intensidad, interrelación y vinculación con el rendimiento académico

Abstract In recent years, the literature has stressed the importance of relational factors in students’ academic performance. Thus, the networks of assistance and exchange in academic matters and the expressive or friendship networks established in the classroom can have a significant influence on students’ academic performance. For this reason, we thought that it might be interesting to explore the intensity, structure and interaction of these networks, as well as their ties with students’ academic performance. Using social network analysis, we performed an exploratory study on the relations in a sample of students from the Universitat Politècnica de València. The results show that students’ academic assistance and exchange network and friendship network show a high density and mutual correlation, and that the way students integrate socially into the academic network determines their university performance. These results can guide universities in the development of activities aimed at shaping the form and quality of students’ relational capacity.