Social network analysis methods and the geography of education: regional divides and elite circuits in the school to university transition in the UK

Gamsu, Sol; Donnelly, Michael

doi:10.1111/tesg.12413

Social network analysis methods and the geography of education: regional divides and elite circuits in the school to university transition in the UK

Gamsu, Sol; Donnelly, Michael

Authors

Dr Sol Gamsu sol.j.gamsu@durham.ac.uk
Assistant Professor

Michael Donnelly

Abstract

This paper uses social network analysis methods to explore how the spatial mobility of students to attend university creates regional divisions and socio‐spatial hierarchies of schools and universities. Using community detection methods as our methodological lens we stitch together regional economic geography, the student mobilities literature and the sociological and geographical analysis of elite education. Combining these statistical techniques with qualitative data from our broader study, we explore student flows between different geographical areas in the UK for universities. The clusters or ‘communities’ of areas underline how student migration to attend university in the UK is a moment which reflects and re‐creates regional and national boundaries. The second part of the paper examines school to university student flows, highlighting a distinctive, predominantly English cluster of elite schools and universities. Examining student mobility patterns with network methods allows us to distinguish a distinctive archipelagic geography of elite formation through higher education.

Citation

Gamsu, S., & Donnelly, M. (2021). Social network analysis methods and the geography of education: regional divides and elite circuits in the school to university transition in the UK. Journal of Economic and Human Geography, 112(4), 370-386. https://doi.org/10.1111/tesg.12413

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Mar 18, 2020
Online Publication Date	Jun 9, 2020
Publication Date	Aug 4, 2021
Deposit Date	Mar 18, 2020
Publicly Available Date	Feb 3, 2021
Journal	Tijdschrift voor economische en sociale geografie
Print ISSN	0040-747X
Publisher	Wiley
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	112
Issue	4
Pages	370-386
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1111/tesg.12413

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Early view © 2020 The Authors. Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Royal Dutch Geographical Society / Koninklijk Nederlands Aardrijkskundig

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