First-Year Teachers' Support Networks: Intentional Professional Networks and Diverse Professional Allies

Abstract

In this article the author describes a mixed-methods study of first-year urban teachers' social support networks. Social Network Analysis (SNA) data on the support networks of 24 first-year teachers provided a background context and framework for the case study analysis of 4 of the teachers. Findings of the analysis identified 2 important networks of support for the new teachers: “Intentional Professional Networks” and “Diverse Professional Allies.” These findings have important implications for the ways in which administrators, policy makers, teacher-educators, and teachers can conceptualize and nurture teacher support networks and the interactions and relationships that influence teacher professional support.

Notes

¹The concept of “collegiality,” however, has been a source of skepticism among some academics. Little (1990) looked closely at reform efforts aimed at building cooperation among teachers and found that sometimes it created a “contrived collegiality” among teachers that spawned conflict. Her study discovered that professional ties differentiated between the types of interactions that teachers were involved with. Weak interactions, such as scanning for ideas, contributed to contrived collegiality and reinforced traditional teaching norms, whereas, strong interactions, such as joint, collaborative work, created more truly collective actions.

²The scale ranges from low (few close professional colleague contacts in the teacher's school) to high (many close professional colleague contacts in the teacher's school), based on the network's WSPC calculation's standard deviations from the mean of the survey group.

³Program pseudonym.

⁴Criteria for “reform” support is based on the continuum of new teacher support, described in detail in the literature section. “Reform” support criteria included ongoing support, collegial or collaborative interactions, reflective or inquiry-based discussions of the curriculum, and view of the teacher as professional (rather than technician).