New Contexts for Professional Learning: Analyzing High School Science Teachers’ Engagement on Twitter

Abstract

This mixed-methods observational study analyzes Advanced Placement (AP) Biology teachers’ engagement in microblogging for professional learning. Data from three hashtag-based Twitter communities—#apbiochat, #apbioleaderacad, and #apbioleaderacademy (121 users; 2,253 tweets)—are analyzed using educational data mining, qualitative two-cycle content analysis, social network analysis, linear and logistic regression analyses, and hierarchical linear modeling. Results indicate that teachers’ use of Twitter reflects aspects of high-quality professional development. Notably, Twitter’s nonhierarchical organization affords shared content creation and distribution. Additionally, Twitter allows for different temporal participation patterns and supports the personalization of learning experiences aligned to teachers’ needs and preferences. Furthermore, teachers frame their interactions on Twitter positively—thus, creating a supportive environment for professional learning that might reduce perceived professional isolation. Based on this analysis, policymakers and school leaders should feel comfortable encouraging teachers to use microblogging as part of their professional learning activities.

Idle chatter or compelling conversation? The potential of the social media‐based #NGSSchat network for supporting science education reform efforts

“…We also note that while many of the other conversations that took place were transactional, very few conversations were off‐topic, or unrelated to the NGSS. While not sense‐making (or transformative), transactional conversations, which we found were often more social, may help participants to build a sense of belonging and community that is important for networks in any setting (Shulman & Sherin, 2004), but is perhaps valued in informal networks (Bucher & Fieseler, 2017; Fischer et al, 2019; Lantz‐Andersson et al, 2018; Trust et al, 2016). In other words, social conversations matter, too, as we discuss further in the context of the next set of key findings.…”

“…Educational researchers often carry out social network analysis by asking teachers, administrators, and others about their relationships, such as from whom they seek information or with whom they collaborate (e.g., Spillane et al, 2012). Recently, scholars have begun to look at augmenting and conducting analyses with digital sources of information, including data from the digital traces of interactions within social media platforms (e.g., Greenhow et al, 2019; McFarland, Lewis, & Goldberg, 2015), including Twitter (e.g., Fischer, Fishman, & Schoenebeck, 2019; Rosenberg, Greenhalgh, Graves Wolf, & Koehler, 2017), we qualitatively coded individuals' roles and types of conversations. Our mixed methods approach also included and the use of social network analytic models for selection and influence, and qualitative analyses of conversations, individuals' professional roles, and the alignment of chat topics and chat questions with the NGSS.…”

Inquiring tweets want to know: #Edchat supports for #RemoteTeaching during COVID‐19

“…Many resources are commercially driven or self‐promotional in ways that some teachers do not prefer (e.g., Carpenter & Harvey, 2019). Additionally, although teacher interactions on social media may increase the availability of knowledge, it is unclear whether these interactions provide evidence of professional learning (van Bommel et al, 2020), and some interactions can be harmful with negative feedback, disparaging comments, harassment and the spread of misinformation (Fischer et al, 2019).…”

Understanding Public Sentiment About Educational Reforms: The Next Generation Science Standards on Twitter

“…Notably, the #NGSSchat community on Twitter was initiated in 2012 as a professional learning network focused on the NGSS (Shelton & Ende, 2015), and this informal professional learning community has been a consistent feature of the broader landscape in which the NGSS was adopted and implemented through the present. Prior research has shown that #NGSSchat is a robust network (Carpenter et al, 2020) that functions like other, traditional networks, by facilitating substantive interactions among individuals in different professional roles (i.e., researchers, administrators, and teachers; Rosenberg, Reid, et al, 2020), and that networks on social media may play a role for teachers' professional development, and thus relations to their teaching practice (Fischer et al, 2019;Rosenberg, Reid, et al, 2020). Thus, professional networks organized around professional organizations may have supported the implementation of the NGSS and the #NGSSchat community may have shaped the conversation around the standards.…”