Social Capital of Students in the Light of Social Networks: Structure and Key Actors Analysis

Ekaterina Krekhovets - Senior Lecturer at the Department of Economic Theory and Econometrics, Faculty of Economics, National Research University-Higher School of Economics (Campus in Nizhny Novgorod). E-mail: ekrekhovets@hse.ru Oleg Poldin - Candidate of Sciences in Radio Physics, Senior Researcher at the International Research Laboratory for Institutional Analysis of Economic Reforms, National Research University-Higher School of Economics, Moscow. E-mail: opoldin@hse.ru Address: 25/12 Bolshaya Pecherskaya str., 603155 Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation. Thе social capital of students is an important resource developed at university, along with professional competencies. We analyze friendship and study help networks among first-year students, examine network structures, and calculate network parameters and correlations between them. Student relations in different programmes are identical in nature, which is proven by similar structures of both friendship and help networks. We identify statistically significant correlations between network parameters of outcoming and incoming interpersonal ties, as well as between academic performance and peer network status. Friendship ties are more numerous, stable and reciprocal than study help ones. Each network has students who hold the key positions in terms of betweenness and popularity. Academic performance is a significant factor affecting student status in study help networks. We suggest that students holding the key positions in both betweenness and popularity enjoy the best opportunities for using their social capital. higher education, social capital, social networks, study help networks, friendship networks, popularity, network centrality, betweenness.