Developing Research Networks in Partnership Schools: The Role of Network Intentionality and Research Engagement

• In Event: Leveraging School-University Partnership Research for School Improvement

Abstract

This study adopted a social network perspective to examine the important, but often overlooked, social dimension of partnerships and focused on exploring factors that influence the development of research-engaged relationships among colleagues at eight secondary schools in a British school-university research partnership. Survey data on educators’ demographics, network intentionality, social networks and research engagement in schools were collected and analyzed. Results reveal that both educators’ intentional networking behavior and their perception of research engagement in school play an important role in educators’ tendency to seek out more school colleagues to interact with around research. Findings reveal that higher levels of educators’ network intentionality may foster collegial interaction around research even if educators’ do not view their schools as research engaged.

Authors

• Frank Cornelissen, University of Amsterdam

• Ros McLellan, University of Cambridge

• Alan J. Daly, University of California - San Diego