Computer attitudes in an English secondary school
Computers & Education
Perspectives and issues in networked learning
Networked learning
Learning and knowledge networks in interdisciplinary collaborations: Research Articles
Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
Yes, there is a correlation: - from social networks to personal behavior on the web
Proceedings of the 17th international conference on World Wide Web
Social networks, gender, and friending: An analysis of MySpace member profiles
Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology
Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media
Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with New Media
Networked: The New Social Operating System
Networked: The New Social Operating System
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Networked learning is currently gaining more attention in the study of digital learning. Little attention has been paid to informal networks outside educational institutes. The current study contributes to this knowledge gap by researching the personal online networks of both immigrant and native youth in the Netherlands while focusing on how youth experience these networks in terms of learning. We mapped the online, personal networks of youth from various ethnic backgrounds and education levels living in the Netherlands. We investigated how these networks mediate learning according to participants' perspectives and whether all youth populations make equal use of their networks' learning potential. We applied an ego-network approach and collected information from 1227 participants (aged 12-18) regarding their online network contacts (e.g., age, gender, location) (in total 6135 contacts) and their interactions. Multilevel regression analyses were conducted respectively to measure the impact of individual and network-characteristics on network activities and to see whether network activities predicted perceived learning potential. The results support the relevance of a network perspective for the study of online learning. The divide between the variances of our two dependent variables -network activities and perceived learning potential- underpin that if we want to understand how young people learn in digital environments, merely looking at the individual level is not enough. Furthermore, the study showed that dense networks, with similar others and strong bonds with online contacts were fostering the perceived learning in networks, although certain patterns also significantly differed per group.