ARS'25 Tenth International Workshop on Social Network Analysis

Unequal Paths: Student Mobility in Higher Education during COVID-19

31 ott 2025, 12:00

15m

Room "Compagna" ()

Oral presentation Inequalities in Education: The Role of Schools, Peers, and Transitions Inequalities in Education: The Role of Schools, Peers, and Transitions

Description

This contribution examines inequalities in student mobility trajectories in Italian higher education before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, adopting a regional perspective. Italy represents a significant case, marked by persistent territorial disparities and long-standing oneway flows from Southern regions towards Northern and Central areas. Using cohort data from the Italian Student National Archive, we construct complex network data structures and apply community detection algorithms and regression models to explore how the pandemic reshaped internal mobility flows, altering established patterns. Findings show that internal mobility was affected: Northern universities remained nationally attractive, though slightly less than in the pre-pandemic period, while new routes towards Central regions emerged, signalling alternative educational opportunities. Moreover, the enduring appeal of STEM programmes is confirmed, underscoring persistent field-specific inequalities.

Keywords/Topics

Educational inequalities
COVID-19 pandemic
Community detection algorithm
Territorial divide