ERIC Number: EJ1019341
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Oct
Pages: 32
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0038-0407
EISSN: N/A
The Embeddedness of Teachers' Social Networks: Evidence from a Study of Mathematics Reform
Coburn, Cynthia E.; Mata, Willow S.; Choi, Linda
Sociology of Education, v86 n4 p311-342 Oct 2013
Teachers' social networks can play an important role in teacher learning and organizational change. But what influences teachers' networks? Why do some teachers have networks that are likely to support individual and organizational change, while others do not? This study is a first step in answering this question. We focus on how district policy influences the quality and configuration of teachers' social networks. We draw on a longitudinal, qualitative study of implementation of a mathematics curriculum in four schools. We show that district policy (1) shaped the tie formation process, influencing the structure of networks; (2) mobilized resources that teachers subsequently accessed via their networks, influencing the benefits accrued through network exchanges; and (3) introduced interaction routines that interrupted conventional ways that teachers talked together. We thus uncover heretofore unexplored facets of network formation and change. We also provide insight into dimensions of social networks that are amenable to outside intervention.
Descriptors: Social Networks, Evidence, Mathematics Education, Educational Change, Educational Policy, Longitudinal Studies, Curriculum Implementation, Educational Resources, Interaction, Communities of Practice, Organizational Change, Group Dynamics, Change Strategies, Organizational Theories, Interviews, Classroom Observation Techniques, Network Analysis, Educational Opportunities, Access to Information, Interpersonal Competence, Ethnic Diversity, Social Psychology, School Districts, Urban Areas
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A