With the growing attention to the effective use of social network analysis in explaining student learning in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, the authors explore why college students share knowledge and how they achieve their learning in a laboratory class. In particular, the authors investigate how the social capital each student builds influences individual knowledge sharing and its related learning. The authors establish a research model derived from social capital theory that explains the relational, structural, and cognitive capital the class builds. Network data from 120 students in a lab class in a mechanical engineering department in the United States were collected and analyzed to test the research model and hypotheses using the multiple regression quadratic assignment procedure and UCINET. The findings show that the knowledge sharing mechanism and student learning outcomes can be explained in terms of their social capital within social networks. Last, the authors discuss the theoretical and practical implications for college student learning in a laboratory class in STEM education.

随着人们越来越关注有效利用社交网络分析来解释 STEM（科学、技术、工程和数学）教育中的学生学习，作者探讨了大学生分享知识的原因以及他们如何在实验室课堂上实现学习。特别是，作者调查了每个学生建立的社会资本如何影响个人知识共享及其相关学习。作者建立了一个源自社会资本理论的研究模型，该模型解释了班级建立的关系、结构和认知资本。收集并分析了美国机械工程系实验班 120 名学生的网络数据，以使用多元回归二次分配程序和 UCINET 检验研究模型和假设。研究结果表明，知识共享机制和学生学习成果可以用他们在社交网络中的社会资本来解释。最后，作者讨论了 STEM 教育实验班对大学生学习的理论和实践意义。