Relationships in reform: the role of teachers' social networks
Relationships in reform: the role of teachers' social networks
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DOI：
10.1108/09578231011041062
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发表时间：
2010-01-01
影响因子：
1.6
通讯作者：
Burke, Peggy
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Daly, Alan;Moolenaar, Nienke;Burke, Peggy
目的-学者们将注意力集中在系统改革上，以此作为支持教学一致性的一种方式。这些努力往往建立在学校教职员工之间现有的社会关系之上，而在实施改革时很少考虑到这些社会关系。社会网络理论认为，社会关系的结构可能会影响组织变革的方向、速度和深度，因此可能会为支持或制约改革努力的社会力量提供有价值的见解。这项研究旨在讨论这一问题。设计/方法/方法--这项混合方法的探索性案例研究考察了一个表现不佳的学区内的五所学校，当时它正在实施一项系统范围的改革。收集了定量调查数据，以评估五所实施改革的学校的社会网络和教师工作感知。通过对具有代表性年级的教育工作者的个别访谈，收集了定性数据，以此来更好地了解改革的传播和实施。调查结果--尽管作为一项全系统的改革努力而颁布，结果表明，在与改革相关的社会网络方面，学校内部和学校之间存在显著差异。这些网络与变化的吸收、深度和传播显著相关。紧密联系的年级水平还与更多侧重于教与学的互动和更高的年级水平效能感有关。实际意义--研究结果强调了将关系联系作为改革工作技术重点的补充战略的重要性，因为社会网络被发现显著促进或限制了改革努力。这项研究为领导、政策和实践提供了影响和建议，可以支持改革的设计和实施，最终可能会提高学生的表现。原创性/价值-这项研究利用社会网络理论作为理解改革努力的一种方式，对改革文献做出了独特的贡献。这项工作表明，改革所依赖的非正式社会联系可能会支持或制约改革的深度。
Purpose - Scholars have focused their attention on systemic reform as a way to support instructional coherence. These efforts are often layered on to existing social relationships between school staff that are rarely taken into account when enacting reform. Social network theory posits that the structure of social relationships may influence the direction, speed, and depth of organizational change and therefore may provide valuable insights in the social forces that may support or constrain reform efforts. This study aims to discuss this issue.Design/methodology/approach - This mixed-methods exploratory case study examined five schools within one under-performing school district as it enacted a system-wide reform. Quantitative survey data were collected to assess social networks and teacher work perception of five schools enacting the reform. Qualitative data were gathered through individual interviews from educators within representative grade levels as a way to better understand the diffusion and implementation of the reform.Findings - Despite being enacted as a system-wide reform effort, the results suggest significant variance within and between schools in terms of reform-related social networks. These networks were significantly related to the uptake, depth, and spread of the change. Densely connected grade levels were also associated with more interactions focused on teaching and learning and an increased sense of grade level efficacy.Practical implications - The findings underline the importance of attending to relational linkages as a complementary strategy to the technical emphasis of reform efforts, as social networks were found to significantly facilitate or constrain reform efforts. Implications and recommendations are offered for leadership, policy and practice that may support the design and implementation of reforms, which may ultimately increase student performance.Originality/value - The study makes a unique contribution to the reform literature by drawing on social network theory as a way to understand efforts at reform. The work suggests that the informal social linkages on which reform is layered may support or constrain the depth of reform.