Skip to main content

Ties with Potential: Social Network Structure and Innovative Climate in Dutch Schools

Item

Title
Ties with Potential: Social Network Structure and Innovative Climate in Dutch Schools
Abstract/Description
Background/Context
Similar to the United States, government efforts to improve education in the Netherlands are focused on innovation and the development of collaborative structures to support the generation of new knowledge. However, empirical evidence of the relationship between social linkages and innovation in education is scarce.

Objective
The aim of the study was to examine the impact of social network structure on schools’ innovative climate, as mediated by teachers’ involvement in decision-making.

Setting
This article reports on a study among 775 educators in 53 elementary schools in a large educational system in the Netherlands.

Research Design
A quantitative survey using Likert-type scales and social network questions on work-related and personal advice was analyzed using social network analysis and multiple regression analyses.

Conclusions/Recommendations
Findings indicated that the more densely connected teachers were in regard to work-related and personal advice, the more they perceived their schools’ climate to be supportive of innovation. Highly dense work-related network structures also typified teams that perceived strong teacher involvement in decision-making. Moreover, results suggested that the positive relationship between density of work-related advice networks and innovation-supportive school climate could be partially explained by increased shared decision-making. Implications of the study for teachers, organizations, leadership, and policy are discussed.
Author/creator
Moolenaar, Nienke M.
Sleegers, Peter J. C.
Daly, Alan J.
Date
2011
In publication
Teachers College Record
Volume
113
Issue
9
Pages
1983-2017
Resource type
en Research/Scholarly Media
Resource status/form
en Published Text
Scholarship genre
en Empirical
Language
en
Open access/full-text available
en Yes
Peer reviewed
en Yes
ISSN
0161-4681
DOI
10.1177/016146811111300906
URL
Official Publisher's Webpage (SAGE Journals)
Full-text PDF Shared by Author (ResearchGate)
Citation
Moolenaar, N. M., Sleegers, P. J. C., & Daly, A. J. (2011). Ties with Potential: Social Network Structure and Innovative Climate in Dutch Schools. Teachers College Record, 113(9), 1983–2017. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811111300906
Cited in
Critical Social Network Analysis as a Method for Examining How Power Mediates Improvement Efforts
Item sets
Handbook Chapter 17 Citations

Export

Comments

No comment yet! Be the first to add one!

I agree with terms of use and I accept to free my contribution under the licence CC BY-SA.

New Tags

I agree with terms of use and I accept to free my contribution under the licence CC BY-SA.