Advances in Quantitative Ethnography

Table of Contents

1. Global Collaborations, Politics, and Social Consciousness

   1. Frontmatter

   2. The Ties That Build: Exploring STEM Identity in Global Collaborative Classrooms

      Ruth Vitsemmo Akumbu, Eric R. Hamilton, Ana Paula Giacomassi Luciano, Danielle P. Espino

      Abstract

      This exploratory study examines how participants in an international online STEM project and broader learning experiences conceptualize their own STEM identity formation. The ABLE project engaged students from three countries in STEM-focused online programs, fostering skills and engagement through collaborative learning. Using Self-Determination Theory and Cognitive Evaluation Theory as conceptual frameworks, this research applies Epistemic Network Analysis (ENA) to post-activity student interviews to identify patterns of connections among constructs including autonomy, competence, relatedness, motivation, and self-efficacy. The analysis highlights how participants navigate diverse pathways in STEM identity formation, shaped by individual and social influences. Findings shed light on mechanisms through which international STEM collaborations and general learning environments may be able to create meaningful opportunities for skill development, engagement, and STEM identity formation for students from diverse backgrounds.

   3. Between Structure and Understanding: Analyzing Knowledge Co-construction of AI Understanding

      Xiang Li, Zhichun Liu, Yuanru Tan

      Abstract

      This study aims to understand how students co-construct understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) through collaborative argumentation. A dual-dimensional Epistemic Network Analysis was conducted with data from seven university students, to capture the interconnected relationship between structure and conceptual understanding in an evolving argumentative discourse. It was revealed that participants tended to describe AI performance with reference to human performance, and their actions to seek supporting evidence for their ideas played an important role in connecting phenomenal understanding with evaluative understanding. It was also found that participants conducted more self-challenge as a community rather than inter-personal challenge to advance knowledge construction.

   4. Fostering Cultural Identity in Global STEM Education Through the Integration of Cultural Elements

      Ruth Vitsemmo Akumbu, Eric R. Hamilton

      Abstract

      This study explores the potential of culturally salient experiences to contribute to adolescent STEM identity formation within an online global learning community. The study uses Epistemic Network Analysis (ENA) to suggest how cultural elements of students’ experience within structured cross-cultural learning activities can contribute to students’ STEM identity formation. Our findings map out the linkages (here: co-occurrences) among constructs such as heritage, language, local STEM knowledge, values, and identity recognition that emerged from data generated during the student participants’ peer-to-peer group discussions in an online global STEM collaboration among teenagers. The results suggest incorporating cultural dimensions into STEM curricula can support diverse modes of STEM identity development, a goal well-aligned with support for sociocultural diversity in STEM fields. This paper invites collaboration with other researchers and educators to experiment with integrating cultural elements into STEM curricula and assess whether culturally salient experiences in the classroom add to the depth and richness of students’ STEM identities in ways that support their academic success and help build new STEM-aligned learning competencies.

   5. A Multi-motivational Approach to Understanding Polarized Discourse

      Liane Weintraub, Jianxing Yu, Gigi Williamson, Eric R. Hamilton

      Abstract

      Discourse in politically polarized environments is often shaped by layered, psychologically complex motivations that challenge traditional analytic methods. While Quantitative Ethnography (QE) enables structured coding and visualization of discourse patterns, such tools may implicitly assume that utterances reflect singular, codable constructs. This study combines three techniques to explore the possibility of multiple, codable constructs. They include ENA discourse coding, expert psychological analysis, and Ordered Network Analysis (ONA). Using an AI-generated social media thread designed to simulate politically charged commentary, the analysis models relationships among motivational constructs. Three licensed mental health experts interpreted the same dataset, generating divergent but plausible psychological narratives. These differences illustrate the interpretive ambiguity inherent in discourse and underscore the value of multiple analytical lenses. By integrating ONA, the study offers a novel means of visualizing temporal sequencing and affective escalation. However, ethical caution is warranted when applying motivational modeling to real individuals, particularly public figures. This work contributes to efforts within the QE community to refine tools for analyzing affectively charged discourse.

   6. The Dynamics of Empathy: A Quantitative Ethnography of Student Discursive Moves in Social Studies Discussions

      Ariana Zetlin, Joseph I. Eisman, Amanda Barany

      Abstract

      This Quantitative Ethnographic study explores how empathy emerges in classroom discussions. Through Epistemic Network Analysis of 45 classroom discussions from the DISCUSS Philadelphia project, the study examines how expressions of empathy co-occur with other student discursive moves and how different types of discussion questions mediate these patterns. Findings suggest that cognitive empathy and empathic concern often emerge when students engage in collaborative meaning-making by building on one another’s ideas, while affective empathy is more likely to surface in reflective discussions that invite personal connections to the content. By examining these patterns, this study highlights how the structure of classroom dialogue can inform opportunities for collaborative knowledge-building and connection among students. These insights offer guidance for educators seeking to cultivate empathy through intentional discussion practices, supporting democratic engagement by fostering the skills needed to listen, understand, and respond to diverse perspectives.

   7. Education Policy Alignment Between Low and Middle-Income Caribbean Countries and the United Nations

      Jade Pratt

      Abstract

      Policy alignment is of paramount importance when considering global objectives for inclusive and equitable education. This study utilizes epistemic network analysis (ENA) in analyzing, modeling, and visualizing the discourse patterns in policy statements of Low- and Middle-Income Caribbean countries with the United Nations (UN) Secretary General Vision Statement on Transforming Education to identify policy alignment. The results showed that although individual national education policies differed for each country, the smaller population Caribbean countries (Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & The Grenadines) shows better alignment with the UN Secretary General Vision Statement than larger population Caribbean counties (Jamaica and Dominican Republic). This work identifies implications for policy development and implementation for national and global stakeholders.

   8. ENA: A Tool for Narrating the History of Asturian Enterprises in Mexico

      Maria Josefa Santos, Yvon Angulo Reyes

      Abstract

      Epistemic Network Analysis ENA as a modeling tool helps us identify behavioral patterns among different groups, specifically among Asturian entrepreneurs in Mexico. The challenge in this work was twofold: first, to collectively analyze in-depth interviews, and second, to determine the type of stanza that is relevant for interpreting our qualitative data.

   9. Assessment of the Impacts of Protected Agriculture Through Epistemic Network Analysis

      Juan Manuel Vargas-Canales, Rebeca de Gortari-Rabiela, Daniela López-Carmona

      Abstract

      The aim of this research was to assess the perception of the economic, social, environmental, and health impacts associated with protected agriculture in order to generate information for better management. For the analysis, two focus groups were held in Hidalgo, Mexico, in May 2025. The focus groups were composed of farmers representative of the study region with extensive experience in the activity, extension workers working in the region, public officials linked to the activity, representatives of communities where protected agriculture has been adopted, academics linked to the activity who conduct research in the region, and three moderators. Data analysis was conducted using the Epistemic Network Analysis (ENA) technique to examine the differences between the composition of the groups and the perceptions of the participants. The results indicate a positive perception of the economic, social, and health impacts associated with protected agriculture in the study region. However, the rapid growth of this activity is generating some challenges in terms of environmental impacts. At the local level, significant differences can be seen in the perception of the economic, social, environmental, and health impacts associated with protected agriculture, which were corroborated among the focus groups. No significant differences were found between the different actors groups participating, the educational levels, and the individual discourse networks. This indicates that all stakeholders are aware of and understand the dynamics of protected agriculture in the region. However, some important nuances are clearly identified regarding the impacts that each stakeholder group considers most relevant.

   10. Analysis of an Activity Based on the Six Design Principles of a Model-Eliciting Activity

       Verónica Vargas-Alejo, Guadalupe Carmona, Luis Montero-Moguel, Brendan Eagan

       Abstract

       This chapter presents the results of a research project whose purpose was to analyze an activity called Reforestation, under the six design principles of a Model Eliciting Activity (MEA): Reality, Model Construction, Self-Assessment, Construct Documentation, and Generalizability. When an activity adheres to these principles, it not only supports the development of mathematical (disciplinary) knowledge in a way that is integrated into the context but also promotes the acquisition of modeling skills such as communication, self-assessment, and model generalization. The participants were four pre-service teachers engaged in building and refining models to address the Reforestation activity. The theoretical framework was the models and modeling perspective. Epistemic Network Analysis (ENA) was employed to identify, quantify, and compare the structural connections in teacher–researcher interactions, providing evidence complementary to the qualitative results. The analysis focused on the phase of model review through the group discussion. Results show that the Reforestation MEA satisfied elements of five design principles, with Principle 6 (Effective Prototype) remaining pending. Differences in how teachers interpreted the real-world context, constructed their models, and documented and self-evaluated them led to a variety of solutions, confirming the activity’s nature as an MEA. These findings highlight both the potential of ENA for detecting adherence to MEA principles and the reciprocal influence between researcher facilitation and teacher learning in professional development contexts.

   11. Land Emotions: An Initial Analysis of Ethics and Emotive Landscapes On A Community Walk

       Meixi, Yeyu Wang, Muhammad Ashiq, María Schwedhelm Ramírez, Maral Khanjani, Giselle Caretto, Erma Mujic

       Abstract

       This paper explores the discourse patterns of a community Storywalk among residents and visitors in the community of Playa Grande in Chiapas, Mexico. We analyze how walk participants’ emotive landscapes shifted when ethical thinking was present as compared to when it was not across three main parts of their walk. We ask: What are the emotive landscapes that emerge in interaction as children, families, teachers, and researchers engage in ethical thinking as they walk along their homelands and waterways? A closer look at the network graphs using transmodal epistemic network analysis (T/ENA), we find that (1) ethical dialogue featured toggling across collective orientations and individual roles, (2) participants’ ethical & emotive landscape shifted as they walked, and (3) T/ENA revealed the interaction between Knowledge and Affect that ethical knowledge was strongly paired with ecological and time considerations. Overall, (T/ENA) difference between these two groups is statistically significant with strong effect for both the affective-only codes and for the interaction of knowledge and affective codes.

   12. Digital Ethnography: Technologies and Methods for Studying Public Opinion on Social Networks

       Lucero Edith Herrera Carrillo

       Abstract

       The purpose of this article is to summarize the evolution, characteristics, functionality, and structure of an epistemological model for representing the public opinion induction-formation process on social media, using Tweeter as a case study (Currently X). To this purpose, (i) this process is modeled based on six ethnographic categories from which the universe of discourse is derived, associated with the respective aristotelian and kantian notions, in order to elucidate the idiosyncratic aspects related to the formation and dissemination of knowledge about specific communities and social phenomena on telematic networks, (ii) Based on these categories were identified the main anthropological, cultural, latent, unobservable variables, which nomothetically map the public opinion induction-formation process, (iii) These ethnographic variables are weighted using numerical methods and application software, of effectiveness proven in multiple disciplines in the fields of natural sciences, psychology, and others. Finally, a theoretical and methodological discussion is conducted on how such variables determine the opinion trends in community interest groups that coexist on Internet.

2. Backmatter