Small significant networks as birds of a feather

ABSTRACT

Current research indicates that instructors find support for their teaching via membership in small social networks. The present study was conducted to further our understanding of these networks by looking specifically at the perceptions network members hold of each other in terms of similarity of beliefs and the value of their interactions. Results indicate that participants were more likely to perceive high rather than low similarity of beliefs with others in their network, and value was positively associated with perceived similarity. Implications for teaching practice and the work of educational developers are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Informal conversations
• instructors
• professional growth
• significant conversations
• social networks

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank ISSOTL for allowing us to conduct this research during the ISSOTL 2016 conference; the faculty, staff, and students who participated in our research, and Torgny Roxå and Katarina Mårtensson for their ongoing feedback and idea-sharing.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gary Poole

Gary Poole is a professor emeritus in the School of Population and Public Health in the Faculty of Medicine and Senior Scholar in the Centre for Health Education Scholarship at the University of British Columbia.

Isabeau Iqbal

Isabeau Iqbal is an educational developer at the University of British Columbia’s Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology. Her research interests include student peer assessment and peer review of teaching.

Roselynn Verwoord

Roselynn Verwoord is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She works as a Curriculum Consultant at the UBC Centre for Teaching Learning and Technology and as an instructor in teacher education, adult education, and early-childhood education. Her research interests include student engagement, teacher inquiry, and comparative and international education.