Graph Theory and Its Applications in Educational Research: A Review and Integration

Abstract

This paper presents a non-technical exposition of graph theory (more particularly, the theory of directed graphs or digraphs), followed by a survey of the literature on applications of graph theory in research in education and related disciplines. The applications include order-theoretic studies of the dimensionality of data sets, the investigation of hierarchical structures in various domains, and cluster analysis. The number of papers applying graph theory was found to be relatively small except in sociology. Possible reasons for the paucity of applications in educational research are discussed, and the value and feasibility of achieving increased use of graph theory in this field are also pointed out.