Changing teacher education: A social network analysis of US prep

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between and among two universities within US Prep, and to explain how relational ties are impacting the spread of curricular change through the lens of social network analysis. The problem this study addresses is that teacher education curriculum has seen many short-lived change initiatives over the last century, without many of the changes ‘sticking’. Examining the phenomenon of change through the lens of relationships offers new insight into the spread of curriculum reform efforts. This study implements a sequential explanatory mixed method design to measure the strength of weak ties in the spread of curricular change. Guiding questions include identifying the relational ties between selected stakeholders in the change effort, exploring the exchange of social capital, and exploring stakeholders’ perceptions of integral roles. Additionally, this study tests the assumption that the site coordinator role is the linchpin of the reform effort. The social network modeling places site coordinators in positions on the periphery rather than in positions of centrality. Analysis indicates that the network consists of weak relational ties, aligning to Granovetter’s theory that change spreads via loosely-tied networks. Results indicate that respondents are in regular communication with their contacts, have known their contacts since the transformation began, and reach out to these contacts for general information and advice seeking. The resulting network analysis appears intimate yet widespread, thus allowing many points of exchange to promote the spread that is currently evidenced in the program growth.