Healthcare (Jul 2020)

Networks and Emotions in Cooperative Work: A Quasi-Experimental Study in University Nursing and Computer Engineering Students

  • Pilar Marqués-Sánchez,
  • Isaías García-Rodríguez,
  • José Alberto Benítez-Andrades,
  • Iván Fulgueiras-Carril,
  • Patricia Fernández-Sierra,
  • Elena Fernández-Martínez

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8030220
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 3
p. 220

Abstract

Read online

University students establish networks that impact on their behavior. Social Network Analysis (SNA) allows us to analyze the reticular structures formed and find patterns of interaction between university students. The main objective of this study was to observe the impact of interdisciplinary collaborative work between nursing and computer engineering students on the collaboration and friendship networks, emotions and performance of the participants. It is a quasi-experimental descriptive study with pre- and post-intervention measurements. The contact networks analyzed showed an increase in density in the post-intervention period. The most central people in the network corresponded with those who considered positive emotions most in their academic environment, while the less central people coincided with those who highlighted negative emotions. Academic performance was only significantly associated in the collaboration network, between this and OutdegreeN. This study shows the impact of interdisciplinary activities on teaching methodologies and the repercussions of emotions on curricular activity.

Keywords