netgraf

Use case

Classroom sociogram maker

A classroom sociogram maps whom each student chooses to work or sit with, so a teacher can see who is popular, who is isolated, and which friendship groups exist. In Netgraf you paste the choices in as two columns, and the map, the groups and the isolated students appear in seconds, free and without an account.

Updated · Netgraf

Step by step

  1. Ask one clear question. "Who would you like to work with on a project?" works better than "Who are your friends?", and gives you something to act on. Allow two or three choices each.
  2. Collect answers privately, on paper or a form, and tell students the results will not be shared with the class.
  3. Make a spreadsheet with one row per choice: the student choosing in the first column, the student chosen in the second, and a third column called "directed" set to "yes" so each choice is drawn as an arrow.
  4. [Import the file](/import) as CSV, or copy the cells and paste them in. Netgraf reads it in your browser; nothing is uploaded until you create the map.
  5. Open Insights. The Most connected list is your stars and the Groups card is your friendship clusters. On the map, a student nobody chose is one with no arrows pointing at them.
  6. Share the view link with a colleague or counsellor if you need to. It is unlisted and never indexed, but use first names or initials to be safe.
chooser,chosen,directed
Amira,Ben,yes
Amira,Chloe,yes
Ben,Amira,yes
Dev,Chloe,yes
The whole file. Header names are guessed for you: "source"/"target", "from"/"to" and "person1"/"person2" all work, and if none match, the first two columns are taken as the two ends.

Reading the result

  • Stars (many arrows in) are the students others want to work with. Pair them with isolated students deliberately.
  • Isolates (no arrows in) need attention first, especially if they chose others who did not choose them back.
  • Mutual pairs are the strongest working ties. Reciprocity in the How dense card says what share of choices were returned.
  • Separate groups that only connect through one student show where the class could split. See brokers and bridges.

Repeat the survey each term and compare the maps: a student moving from the edge towards the centre is a result worth recording. More on the method in What is a sociogram?.

Privacy

A sociogram of children is sensitive data. Netgraf keeps every map unlisted and out of search engines, never asks for an account or an email, and never publishes a map to the gallery unless you choose to. Follow your school's policy on student data, and prefer initials over full names.

Example map

Open one to explore it, then press Edit a copy to make it yours.

Questions

How many choices should each student make?
Two or three is standard. One choice makes a sparse map where many students look isolated by accident; unlimited choices blur the difference between close ties and polite ones.
Should I ask about negative choices?
Many schools now avoid asking "who would you not like to work with?" because it can harm students if answers leak. Positive choices alone reveal isolation well, since an isolate is simply a student nobody chose.
Can I make a sociogram in Google Sheets or Excel?
You can collect the choices there, but spreadsheets cannot draw a readable network. Export the sheet as CSV, or copy the cells, and import them into Netgraf to draw and measure it.

Draw your own

Free, no account, and private by default. Start blank, import a spreadsheet, or describe the network in words.

Start a mapImport a fileDescribe it in words