Network intentionality and educators' research connections across schools
Frank Cornelissen, Ros McLellan, Alan Daly
Frontiers in Education
Network design
Nodes
educators working in eight secondary schools participating in the Cambridge SUPER research partnership
Ties
each educator's reported professional contacts used to access, discuss, produce, or apply educational research
Methods
The study measured personal network size, a network-intentionality scale and perceived research engagement, then fitted regression and mediation models to test their direct and indirect associations.
Source: Frontiers in Education
Reviewed summary
A survey of educators in eight secondary schools examined personal research-network size, network intentionality, and perceived research engagement. Among 526 eligible educators with a 56.2 percent response rate, intentional networking and research engagement independently predicted larger reported research networks. The paper identifies deliberate relationship building as a distinct professional practice and gives school partnerships a way to examine whether research access extends beyond already connected enthusiasts.
Network intentionality showed a strong positive coefficient and perceived research engagement also predicted network size, but the proposed indirect mediation path was not statistically supported. The evidence is cross-sectional and self-reported within one research-school partnership, only 56.2 percent responded, and larger networks are not automatically higher quality. Regression and a null mediation estimate cannot determine direction or program impact.
SNA
How SNA was used
The study defined educators working in eight secondary schools participating in the Cambridge SUPER research partnership as nodes and each educator's reported professional contacts used to access, discuss, produce, or apply educational research as ties. The study measured personal network size, a network-intentionality scale and perceived research engagement, then fitted regression and mediation models to test their direct and indirect associations.
Source
Frontiers in Education, 9, Article 1413128
DOI: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1413128
