Microblogging about teaching: Nurturing participatory cultures through collaborative online reflection with pre-service teachers
Abstract
Reflection is a cornerstone of most teacher education programs, but common practices have long been individualistic and this has become increasingly evident in an era when young people are participating in online cultures more than ever. Informal participation in digital affinity spaces could provide insights for more formal learning environments. We encouraged collaborative reflection among 77 middle/secondary pre-service teachers using the closed social networking site Edmodo. While there were obstacles and ambiguities, findings indicated that our pre-service teachers found the site highly usable, appreciated the choice and influence afforded them through the medium, and grew as teacher-candidates from peer-to-peer interactions.
Reference
Krutka, D. G., Bergman, D. J., Flores, R., Mason, K., & Jack, A. R. (2014). Microblogging about teaching: Nurturing participatory cultures through collaborative online reflection with pre-service teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 40, 83–93.
Journal
Teaching and Teacher Education
Analysis
Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?
no
Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?
no
Research Approach
- Grounded theory
- interpretive
- mixed methods
Geographic Setting
- midwest
- United States
- urban
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
- English
- Mathematics
- Music
- Science
- Social Studies
- Spanish
- Special Education
Research Location Context
Preservice Participants
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
77
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- Classroom Discussion
- online discussions
- Questionnaire
- Reading Responses
- student reflections
- Survey
Data Analysis Tools
- Analytic memos
- member checking
- open coding and examined for emergent themes
- Statistical analysis
- t-test
Researcher Positionality
- inside (staying their own students)
- Inside (studying their own practices)
- Outside (not directly invested in the program or operations)
Research Questions
First, what are the possibilities and challenges of using a closed social network for collaborative online reflection with pre-service teachers?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
Second, what were the nature and types of comments and interactions, and how do they contribute to collaborative reflection?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
Finally, how did instructors and pre-service teachers perceive Edmodo as a medium for collaborative reflection?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
Larger, overarching questions of the study include "...shifting educational environment" (p. 83) and questions about "what types of interactions would a medium as Edmodo afford... would these interactions differ from .... previous courses" (p. 84) but these are not stated explicitly as research questions.
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? No