Investigating instructional influence in teachers' social networks

Abstract

PurposeThis study investigates the reasons teachers seek instructional assistance from their colleagues. By examining both the reasons why teachers seek assistance and considering which reasons for seeking assistance predict shifts in teaching practice, this analysis provides new insights into how schools can leverage teachers' social networks for organizational change.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on interview and survey data from a sample of 52 schools across seven districts in the United States, we first qualitatively explore the reasons teachers seek instructional assistance, based on patterns in teachers' self-reported descriptions of their instructional advice-seeking. Then, we apply hierarchical linear models to predict which individual characteristics and organizational features influence the reasons' teachers seek assistance and which reasons for seeking assistance influence their subsequent shifts in teaching practice.FindingsTeachers' positions in their social networks, their experience levels and their organizational contexts predict the reasons for which they seek instructional assistance. In addition, teachers seeking advice based on perceptions of their peers' experience or resource access predicts positive shifts in teaching practice; however, fewer than half of teachers' instructional-advice seeking ties reported in our sample were motivated by either of these two reasons.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight the potential for school leaders and policymakers to improve teaching practice by making educators' experience and resources more accessible within schools and creating structures that enable collaboration.Originality/valueThis paper addresses a gap in social network literature by moving beyond a structuralist analysis of teachers' collegial networks to investigate teachers' motivations for pursuing advice-seeking ties.

Leading From the Middle: How Principals Rely on District Guidance and Organizational Conditions in Times of Crisis

“…OL may be stifled when leaders challenge preexisting conditions and ways of operating (Hallett, 2010; Spillane et al, 2002) or do not take into consideration preexisting relationships among staff (Lockton, 2019). Furthermore, social network scholarship highlights how the quality of relationships in schools is perhaps just as important as the structure of teachers’ social networks (Comstock et al, 2021; Kaul et al, 2021). As such, understanding how principals lead their schools through organizational change requires attending to both the organizational structures and conditions which they leverage.…”

“…Given the nature of our data and focus of our study, we do not provide evidence for shifts in schools' organizational learning outcomes; however, we include these outcomes in our conceptual framework as a hypothesis to investigate in future studies. 4 networks (Comstock et al, 2021;Kaul et al, 2021). As such, understanding how principals lead their schools through organizational change requires attending to both the organizational structures and conditions which they leverage.…”

Patrones y Predictores de Colaboración Docente: Un Estudio Mixto en Escuelas Chilenas

“…Así, estudios previos sugieren que a los educadores con mayor experiencia se les pide apoyo más frecuentemente, y ellos, a su vez, piden menos apoyo que los educadores con menor experiencia (Adhikari et al, 2021;Ortega et al, 2020;. Esto es relevante dado que el buscar apoyo en base a las percepciones de experiencia de colegas se asocia a cambios positivos en las prácticas docentes (Kaul et al, 2021).…”

“…Estos resultados confirman la Hipótesis 5 y se encuentran en línea con la literatura, que señala que las relaciones de búsqueda de apoyo tienden a estar fuertemente asociadas a la organización formal de la escuela (Moolenaar, 2012). Buscar apoyo en base a la experiencia de los colegas es una práctica efectiva (Kaul et al, 2021). Sin embargo, es posible que no se esté aprovechando la experticia de los profesionales de apoyo, y particularmente del equipo PIE.…”