WhatsApp Discourse Throughout COVID-19: Towards Computerized Evaluation of the Development of a STEM Teachers Professional Learning Community

Abstract

This two-year study followed a professional learning community (PLC) of STEM Teachers Leaders, referred to as L-PLC. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated changes in the focus of many professional development frameworks from face-to-face to online communication. We sought for new ways and tools to follow the professional development and the dynamics in our L-PLC. In particular, we explored professional knowledge development and social interactions, as derived from its WhatsApp group (43–48 participants) discourse, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were extracted from 6599 WhatsApp messages issued during four consecutive semesters (March 2019—March 2021), as well as from participant background questionnaires. The analysis incorporated both structure and content examination of the L-PLC WhatsApp discourse, using social network analysis (SNA), and a distinctive coding scheme followed by statistical analysis, heat map, and bar graph visualizations. These provided insights into whole group (macro), subgroups (meso), and individual (micro) profiles. The results indicated that over time, the participants gradually began to use the WhatsApp platform for professional purposes on top of its initial administrative intention. Moreover, the pandemic seemed to lead to a unique adjustment process, denoted by enhanced professional interactions, regarding content knowledge, professional content knowledge, and technological knowledge, and also accelerated the development of productive community behaviors, such as sharing and social support. The research approach enabled us to detect changes in key PLC characteristics, follow their dynamics under the influence of chaotic changes and navigate the community accordingly. Taken together, WhatsApp exchanges can serve as a rich source of data for a noninvasive continuous evaluation of group processes and progress. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40593-022-00320-3.

Recommender systems for teachers: The relation between social ties and the effectiveness of socially-based features

“…For example, in K-12 settings, a context more similar to the one studied in the present research, (Moolenaar, Sleegers and Daly, 2012), which was conducted in 53 dutch elementary schools, and centered on examining the relationship between teacher collaboration and student achievement, using SNA methods. Most related to our work in terms of context and analysis is the work of Scherz, Salman, Alexandron and Shwartz (2022), who used SNA to study professional knowledge development and social interactions within teacher communities, as derived from its WhatsApp group discourse.…”

Training Needs of Teachers in the Acceptance and Use of WhatsApp in Online Teaching

“…Likewise, mobile learning with WhatsApp has been shown to increase student interest and make students more enthusiastic about the learning process [20]. It was found that WhatsApp has many potential benefits for teacher development [21]. However, it is important to keep in mind that "the use of WhatsApp as an educational resource implies that teachers must be up-to-date and familiar with the functions of the application" [22].…”