Documents and Website Content as Data Sources for a Qualitative Study
Article: Kezar, A. (2014). Higher education change and social networks: A review of research. Journal of Higher Education, 85(1), 91–125. https://doi.org/10.1353/jhe.2014.0003
Positive social change is the concept of developing solutions to the social problems that affect the community. Through positive social change, individuals lead the community into a situation where they can identify problems that affect them, recognize the negative effects of the problems, and develop the desire to change. The social problems so identified are often those issues that the society has already accepted as normal and therefore may not see any connection between them and their challenges. Higher education comes in through the use of the social network analysis to explore the need for change and to challenge the community to accept and embrace the needed change.
The course resources of the week have been very pertinent in explaining the development of the need to change and the use of scientific knowledge in designing and defining change. From the review of literature by Kezar (2014), the value of social interactions in developing the appropriate social diagnosis and challenging change is very imperative. For one to be an effective agent of social change, he or she must be part of the community, interact with the community on the social level and help to reinforce the available beneficial networks, while changing the defective ones and developing new networks for society. For instance, it is by getting involved in the community and learning about its structure that a change agent like Christin Topper in Video #4 was able to make the proper diagnosis for the community and also develop a sustainable solution.
References
Kezar, A. (2014). Higher education change and social networks: A review of research. Journal of Higher Education, 85(1), 91–125.