Network Analysis the Cross-Cultural Interaction of International Students
Academic
Associate Professor Paul Gruba
School of Languages and Linguistics
Intern
William Lukamto
School of Social and Political Sciences
Project
Despite the integrated use of social media in the lives of contemporary students, little is known how they interact across cultures to foster friendships, publicise events and otherwise generate a sense of belonging. The purpose of this study is to investigate ways that international students interact across social media networks; with the insights generated by analysis, training at the university for the development of “global citizens” may be enhanced.
Internship outcome
International students form a large and growing community in Victoria, but little is known about how they form friendships with one another across and within their language groups. The purpose of this study is to fill this gap in knowledge by utilising their Instagram follower-following network in order to generate insights about "bridginess" and the exclusivity or inclusivity of different international student language groups in order to inform and enhance training at the University for the development of global citizens.
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