K-12 Teachers' Experiences Using Social Media for Professional Development: A Qualitative Narrative Inquiry

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126

Elementary School Teachers; Secondary School Teachers; Social Media; Professional Development; Computer Mediated Communication; Personal Narratives; Qualitative Research; Teacher Attitudes; Communities of Practice; Public Schools

979-83-8195-017-5

The problem addressed in this study was the lack of clarity around K-12 teachers' use and value of using social media as a resource for professional development. Many K-12 teachers are accessing social media for professional development. The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry study was to examine the experiences of K-12 teachers using social media for professional development, the manners in which they find, engage, and use social media for learning, and their perceptions of the value of social media as enabling learning communities. The conceptual framework guiding the research was the communities of practice concept in which people gather together under a common shared interest and attempt to learn more from others in the community and refine their skills. The population of the study was K-12 public school teachers from six Facebook groups. Seven participants were interviewed individually through Zoom and digital teaching resources document collection. The findings of this study described additional experiences of teachers using social media for professional development to include the usefulness of the teaching resources from social media. The findings of the research revealed three themes. Theme 1, teachers are using social media, and their narratives related positive experiences. Theme 2, the resources teachers used from social media were often perceived as better than any professional development provided by their school districts. Lastly, Theme 3, teachers reported feeling lonely and participating in social media felt like a community. Implications of the study include a recommendation of including teachers in planning of professional development training topics. An additional recommendation is for public-school districts to formalize social media as an accepted form of professional development and dedicate time for teachers to build communities around sharing resources from social media. Recommendations for further research include a continued focus on the how and why K-12 teachers are using social media for professional development. The majority of participants reported feelings of loneliness and struggled to find like-minded professionals and communities in their physical space. Further research would provide more insight into teachers' feelings and support the development of high-quality professional development. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

As Provided

2024

ED649004