The Ties that Teach Examining the quality of

teachers’ networks in higher education

Sara Van Waes - sara.vanwaes@uantwerp.be

Nienke Moolenaar | Piet Van den Bossche | Alan Daly | Peter Van Petegem

o

Presentation at the Network for Learning meeting | Antwerp, April 29 2014

Theoretical background

Social network theory: primary & secondary education (Coburn et al., 2012; Daly, 2010; Moolenaar, 2012; Penuel et al., 2012)

Higher education and social networks: “A missing link” (Kezar, 2014)

Potential of social network theory to study faculty development (Rienties, 2014; Van Waes et al., submitted)

university teachers in different stages of development …

vary in the size of their network

differ in tie strength within their networks

vary in terms of network diversity

Ego-networks

= Structure and content of relations between an individual (ego) & the people in the network (alters)

Different focus! How are individuals embedded in structures?

What flows through an individual’s network?

Software: E-net, EgoNet, Mlwin (alters ‘nested’ within ego)

4

Mixed method SNA

Social network research often focuses on quantitative network measurements (e.g., density, degree, centrality)

What about the quality of networks? (Baker-Doyle et al.,

2014; Coburn et al., 2012; Fuhse & Mützel, 2011)

To what extent is the quality (interdependence and value creation) of teachers’ networks related to their professional development?

Participants | pre-selected stages of PD

teaching expertise

student evaluations

peer nominations

+ expertise

- expertise

- experience

experts n=12

novices n=8

experienced n=9

+ experience

N=29

teaching experience

< 5 years

> 10 years

Method

semi-structured interviews

Name-generating question: ‘Who do you talk to when you discuss your teaching practice?’

visualization of network > SNA as a tool

questions on: the content

the interdependence

the value created

map network quality

Method

Analysis

1. storytelling & scanning

a. listening & informing

b. observing

2. aid & assistance

a. asking questions

b. receiving feedback

c. organizing

3. sharing

a. exchanging

4. joint work

a. developing

b. evaluating

Interdependence Value creation

1. immediate value

2. potential value

3. applied value

4. realized value

5. reframing value

6. aspirational value

Reliability: interrater: cohen’s kappa = 0.921 & 0.983 audit trail (Akkerman et al., 2008)

Multilevel analyses – nested data

(Little, 1990) (Wenger, et al., 2011)

Findings

(…) We are responsible for two courses for which we worked out the entire setup together, such as composing the case studies we use or the whole portfolio approach. We had many elaborate and useful discussions on this (…) For example, we always work out the exam questions together and then rework based on these discussion (…). The exams just finished and now we are evaluating. What went well? What do we want to change? (…). (E24)

Value creation:

immediate value applied value

Interdependence:

joint work: developing joint work: evaluating

Findings | interdependence

average occurence per interviewee

11

Findings | interdependence

Findings | interdependence

average occurence per stage of PD

Findings | value creation

average occurence per interviewee

Findings | value creation

average occurence per stage of PD

15

Implications

Quality of teaching networks is related to stage of development

Raise network awareness to support continuous development,

break down barriers, and prevent isolation

by using social networks as a ‘tool’

Design of professional development to pay attention to the importance of quality

of teaching networks

to recognize the role of a supportive network climate

16

Network intervention in professional development program

Adopting SNA as a tool (network maps)

Longitudinal network analyses

Linking qualitative and quantitative network data

Future research…