title: Making sense of informal teacher community of practice with social and epistemic network analysis
Creators: name: Dzieciatko-Szendrei, Barbara
Publisher: name: The University of Edinburgh
Year: 2025
Subjects: subject: online community of practice
subject: social network analysis
subject: epistemic network analysis
subject: structure and agency

description: Communities of Practice (CoPs) have gained currency in teacher research and professional learning as the emergent social learning among professionals within a shared domain. Their critical role has been claimed in enhancing professional development and improving teaching practices and student outcomes, particularly in research aimed at designing interventions and professional development projects. However, there is still a great deal of conceptual confusion about what exactly constitutes a ‘community’ in the CoP framework and operational definitions, and the role of agency in emergent informal learning is less well understood. This thesis explores the dynamics of informal online Communities of Practice (CoPs) among teachers, with a particular focus on 1) how these communities are structured through interaction and 2) how they facilitate content sharing that influences professional learning. By integrating the conceptual frameworks of CoP and relational agency, this research addresses significant gaps in the current understanding of how teacher communities operate and select what matters to them, especially in informal, self-organised settings. The study begins with a theoretical overview of the most common conceptualisations of communities, followed by a systematic review of literature that identifies gaps in the operationalisation of teacher communities in empirical studies, highlighting the lack of explicit operational definitions and the underemphasis of agency in shared learning. Subsequent chapters employ a novel method that combines Social Network Analysis (SNA) and Epistemic Network Analysis (ENA) to examine simultaneously the structural and content dimensions of interactions within an informal online teacher CoP. This dual analytical approach reveals the critical role of social ties, shared domains, and emotional relatedness in sustaining engagement and facilitating meaningful exchanges. Findings indicate that while conceptual CoPs focus on shared practices and learning, the informal nature of online teacher CoPs often cultivates a broader range of interactions that transcend typical educational discussions, incorporating significant contributions to finding solutions in professional practice and emotional support. The thesis illustrates how relational agency contributes to the dynamics of these communities, enabling members to collectively navigate and negotiate the challenges of professional practice. Methodologically, it demonstrates the utility of SNA and ENA in dissecting the complex interplay between structure and content within CoPs. Practically, the insights offer ideas for developing professional communities in educational settings. Furthermore, this research provides key insights into how such communities sustain and evolve. It highlights the interplay between core and peripheral members and underscores the importance of relational agency and emotional relatedness in creating a supportive, collaborative environment crucial for continuous professional development. This work enhances our understanding of digital platforms as communities of practice for professional learning that go beyond mere information exchange.