Nodes between ties: dynamics of the Physics Education Research collaboration network

Abstract

Physics Education research in Brazil has been developed for at least five decades amid the expansion of its scientific practices. Against this backdrop, this study examines whether the growth of this field has led to the fragmentation of groups of researchers within a scientific collaboration network. The study is grounded in Communities of Practice theory and Social Network Analysis, with co-authorship taken as an expression of scientific collaboration. Methodologically, the study combines a longitudinal multi-ego network analysis of dozens of individuals most engaged in Physics Education research practices with an examination of 1,740 papers published between 2010 and 2023. The results reveal a network with low component fragmentation, including a giant component comprising 86% of all individuals. This giant component emerged gradually over time, driven by a small number of individuals who crossed socio-epistemic boundaries between communities. The findings further show that researchers not only became part of the same connected component, but also moved closer to one another by decreasing their average path distances. Finally, we conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for developing a less metaphorical account of the scientific collaboration network that structures the Physics education research constellation.