Dissertation
How high school seniors perceive knowledge development amidst social networks: a phenomenological study
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Drexel University
Nov 2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00010824
Abstract
This phenomenological study explored how young adult high school seniors perceived knowledge development as an interactive process with their social networks. Ten high school seniors participated in the study. The research engaged in social analytical phenomenology, which encouraged participants to contribute their own analysis to the data by having them interact with their own data, which was from an egocentric sociogram activity that they completed at the beginning of a one-on-one interview session. All ten volunteers participated in the interviews, and 8 participated in a follow-up focus group. The interviews and focus group were conducted using semi-structured interview protocols. Qualitative analysis of the data suggested that participants similarly structured their social networks and revealed three key themes: participants categorized different types of knowledge that they gained in different ways; participants saw social media as a given in their lives, but not trustworthy; and participants felt that the online environment made it easier to gain information and meet people than doing so in person. The study offers an innovative method of engaging participants in analytical research to better understand their interpretation of the evolving digital social atmosphere and suggests insights for approaching knowledge development activities for educators. Keywords: Social networks, social media, knowledge development, young adults, adolescents, high school seniors, learning.
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Details
- Title
- How high school seniors perceive knowledge development amidst social networks
- Creators
- David Lee Castañeda
- Contributors
- Bruce A. Levine (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- x, 159 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Education (1997-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991022019019104721