ERIC Number: EJ1071775
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Jul
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1874-785X
EISSN: N/A
Networks as Agents of Innovation: Teacher Networking in the Context of Vocational and Professional Higher Education Reforms
Tafel-Viia, Külliki; Loogma, Krista; Lassur, Silja; Roosipõld, Anne
Vocations and Learning, v5 n2 p175-193 Jul 2012
The effective implementation of educational reform is an issue that confronts both those that plan and sponsor those reforms and those that are affected by them. This article discusses networking processes in the context of reform in vocational and professional higher education. When exploring failures in educational change processes, issues associated with facilitating the adoption, adaptation and implementation of educational change have not been sufficiently addressed. Here, we use the concept of social innovation, which is relatively new in innovation research, to explain the mechanisms that facilitate educational reform, and emphasise the relationship between interaction and the perception of change. In this paper, we examine how networking among teachers is related to their perception of educational change and how the effective implementation of educational reforms can be influenced by such networking. By differentiating the various types of networks we explore the relationship between networking and educational change. The article is based on the findings of a quantitative survey of 228 Estonian teachers in vocational and professional higher educational schools administered in 2010.
Descriptors: Networks, Educational Change, Vocational Education, Higher Education, Change Strategies, Innovation, Social Influences, Correlation, Interaction, Teacher Attitudes, Program Implementation, Teacher Collaboration, Statistical Analysis, Teacher Surveys, Foreign Countries, College Faculty, Secondary School Teachers, Postsecondary Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Estonia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A