Networks as
agents of
innovation
Presentation has been prepared and accomplished
within the research project funded by the Estonian
Research Council “Education Change as Social
Innovation” (SF0130018s09) led by senior
researcher, Head of Center of Educational
Research of Tallinn University Krista Loogma
Teachers’ networking
patterns in the context
of vocational and
professional higher
education refroms
Krista Loogma, Külliki Tafel-Viia
Tallinn University, Centre of Educational Research
Kick-off in Oslo, 4.03-6.03
May 26, INAP Conference, Beijing 2011
problem:
focus:
_ adoption of top-down
educational changes
_ linear approach to
change process
_ teachers as instruments
_ few attention on
interaction mechanisms
in educational change
studies and teachers
networking in particular
_How networking influences teachers’
perception of educational changes?
_How can networking facilitate the
process of educational reform?
social innovation
Why to apply the concept of
to analysing educational change?
Social character of process_emphasizing the
importance of interaction (networking) and the multilevel
character of innovation process – not only the regulations, but
also social practices and meanings have to change
Social character of outcome_not only economic,
but also social performance has to improve: increase in social
capital, improving the situation of undeprivileged groups, etc.
two approaches to social innovation
institutionalisation of
new idea
SI as distinct kind of
innovation which has
specific social goals and
which develops from the
grassroots level initiatives
SI as co-developmental or
accompanying process,
induced by technologicaleconomical or other
structural changes
changes in social
practices
_context: radical socio-economical
changes due to the collapse of the
Soviet system
_beginning of 1990s: transformation from
highly centralized system to
decentralizsed school based system
Estonian VET and
professional HE
reforms
_1998 state-managed VET reform
(influenced also professional HE
education):
 restructuring VET schools network
 development and implementation
of national qualification system
and vocational/professional
standards
 creation and establishment of
outcome-based national curricula
The survey
Innovation and collaboration in VET and
professional HE schools and colleges
Sample, method, focus
_Quantitative survey among teachers in VET and professional HE schools
_Internet-based questionnaire, personal e-mails
_Total sample of over 500 teachers – 228 respondents (45% of return rate)
_April – September 2010
_30 questions
1_educational changes taken place in the school
2_cooperation and partners
3_teachers’ networks related to educational changes and their
characteristics (based on social network perspective)
Sector networks 48.6%
Intra-school networks
_networking with colleagues,
management, students
_school is main source for info
_dominantly top-down
_closest ties with members
_loose structure
7.3%
_networking with sector
organisations
_new info comes outside school
_dominantly bottom-up
_network has leader, but
coordination is dispersed
5 types of
teachers’ educational
change networks
Inter-sectoral networks
_various co-operations
_new info mainly from public
sector and school
_dominantly bottom-up
_structure most centralized
16,3%
International networks
_range of actors most diverse
_most diverse sources for
getting new info
_dominantly bottom-up
_centralized with hierarchial
structure
11.8%
Reform-related networks
_networks established in the
frame of state reform – diverse
range of actors
16,0%
_dominantly top-down
_network has leader, but
coordination is dispersed
Relationship between different educational
changes and 5 types of networks
Changes in
cooperation and
partners
Changes in
school
infrastructure
Changes in involvement
and development of
teachers
intra-school networks
inter-sectoral networks
sector networks
international networks
reform-related networks
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
-0.2
-0.4
intra-organizational
(intra-school) changes
changes in
cooperation and
partners
intraorganizational
(intra-school)
changes: changes in
school management,
culture
changes related to
education methods
changes in
involvement and
development of
teachers
Changes related to
education process:
teaching methods,
extracurricular
activities, etc.
changes in education
content
Changes in
education
content
changes in school
infrastructure
structural changes in
schools
Structural changes:
merging of educational
institutions, emergence
of new organizations
Relationship between 5 types of networks and
teachers’ attitude towards the outcomes of
educational changes
School role (in the region),
cooperation with local
governent, enterprises
Students’ perspectives in
the labor market and in
continuing with studies
intra-school networks
inter-sectoral networks
sector networks
international networks
reform-related networks
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0
-0.1
-0.2
satisfaction with school school position (in the
(organization) and
region)
school's reputation
Satisfaction with
school (organization)
and school’s
reputation
educational quality
students and their
perspectives
Teaching quality:
choices of subjects,
quality of educational
services, accessability
to education
amount of students
Amount of
students
1
Perception of educational
changes is influenced by
the type of network
 Networks with most diverse range of actors
reckognize and attach value to more different
educational changes
 Networks with most diverse range of actors had also
most diverse sources for learning
2
Networks are instruments
for positively stimulating
teachers’ perception of
educational changes
 Teachers pointing out reform-related networks among
their most important networks
3
Teachers reckognized
majority of key issues in
the reform
 Concept of SI: top-down reforms have not stayed on
regulative level, but touched also normative level
 Networks as ‘bridge-builders’ between regulative and
normative, cultural-cognitive levels
 Reforms themselves contain SI phenomena: changes
in cooperation patterns, teachers everyday practices
(e.g. teaching methods), structural changes
Thank you!
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