Improving Interaction in Teacher Training Programs: The Role of Multiplexity in Preservice Teacher Education in Spain

• In Event: 25.042 - Foregrounding the Social Side of Teacher Education and Development: Studies From China, England, New Zealand, Spain, and the United States

Abstract

Objectives
This study examines the complex composition and structure of social relationships among pre-service teachers. Given that individuals often possess more than one type of relationship, we examine: What is the relationship between pre-service teachers’ multi-network relations and their academic performance?

Framework
An emerging approach to understanding teacher learning and development is to examine the social connectivity of teachers (Lieberman, 2001). We draw on social network theory and analysis to investigate the pattern of social relationships among pre-service teachers and the extent to which it supports or constrains teachers’ professional development, learning, and teaching practice. Furthermore, as individuals may involve in different interpersonal relationships for purposeful exchange, we examine multiplexity of pre-service teachers. Multiplexity occurs when multiple types of relationships overlap within the same set of actors (Bliemel et al., 2014), increasing the possibility to access and mobilize relational resources (Lazega & Pattison, 1999).

Data
The sample included 321 pre-service teachers enrolled full time either in the Teacher Training Preschool Education or the Teacher Training Primary Education program at the University Ramon Llull-FPCEE Blanquerna from Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain). Each teacher ompleted an online social network survey that was validated in previous studies in the United States, and translated and adapted to the university context.

Methods
We conducted quadratic assignment procedure (QAP) in UCINET (Borgatti et al., 2005) to analyze correlations between seven network relationships including advice, friendship, instructional materials, new ideas, practices, social support and influence. We further ran logistic regression QAP to examine the relationship between social ties and academic performance.

Results
Results show an overlap between expressive and instrumental networks of the different cohorts and also between different types of instrumental networks. The expressive network “social support” and the instrumental networks such as new ideas, practices and material are most strongly correlated with other networks. Further, expressive relationships such as social support are positively associated with teaching performance.

These findings suggest that multiple roles and exchanges in a relationship, beside the network connections and positions, should be considered to better understand the interactions and the role of pre-service teachers’ social capital within the preparation program. Thus, teacher training programs may create conditions in which collaborative and innovative learning climate is fostered in order to promote the exchanges of diverse interactions. Future research may explore the multiplexity of pre-service teachers at a wide range of other preparation settings, and investigate the relationship between multiple ties and learning outcomes.

Significance
In education, social network studies oftentimes focus on uniplex, as opposed to multiplex relationships, in examining the single dimension of relational ties. Our work builds on earlier network studies that foreground the important social side of educators, particularly pre-service teachers, and further adds to existing knowledge base on the complex nature of social ties. Attending to the social infrastructure may be critical to the development of pre-service teachers.

Authors

• Mireia Civis, Ramon Llull University

• Jordi Diaz-Gibson, Ramon Llull University

• Susana Lopez, Ramon Llull University