Digitization in International Contexts: Comparing Knowledge Mobilization in Germany and the United States

• In Event: International Perspective on Advantages and Disadvantages of Teachers' Social Media Use

Abstract

Purpose
Digitization and innovation are crucial for societies facing new and unprecedented challenges (Serdyukov, 2017), and educational professionals need to continuously update and expand their knowledge and skills to meet these challenges (Authors, 2021). Yet, most educational systems are currently not organized to foster an effective exchange of information and resources (Wilcox & Lawson, 2018). We draw on knowledge mobilization (Ward, 2017) and informal network theories (Authors, 2011) to analyze and compare how educational professionals in Germany and the U.S. use social media to access and share resources to tackle the challenges of digitization in schools.

Perspectives
Knowledge mobilization is an iterative, multidirectional, social, and highly complex process that goes beyond dissemination (Ward, 2017). In combination with a network perspective (Authors, 2020), it can be instrumental in re-thinking how educational professionals access and share valuable “just in time” information and resources (Leithwood et al., 2020). Moreover, given the immense growth of online social media and informal networks therein (Yu et al., 2021), these frameworks can contribute to a better understanding of underlying communication processes regarding both connections between users and content.

Methods
We combine network science (Borgatti et al., 2018) and natural language processing (Liu, 2012) to analyze the connections between educational professionals and the type of information and resources on Twitter.

Data Sources
Accessing Twitter’s academic API, we collected more than 1.4 million Tweets from January 1, 2020, until December 30, 2021. The data collection was driven by two popular hashtags among educational professionals in the U.S. (#edchat) and Germany (#edchatde) for sharing and accessing information and resources on education, including digitization. This comparison between Germany and the US is of interest as formal professional development initiatives within these countries are vastly different and have resulted in different drives and motivations for educational professionals to engage in informal networks (Authors, 2016; Avenarius & Heckel, 2000).

Results
Social Network Analyses
We identify a similar pattern between the two countries, in that re-tweets are the most popular mechanism for sharing information and resources (GER: 61.26%, U.S.: 58.21%). Moreover, we identified brokers (see Figure 1 below, orange nodes) that are active in both hashtag conversations (GER: green nodes, U.S.: purple nodes) and seemingly contribute to knowledge mobilization across the two countries.

Natural Language Processing
Our preliminary analyses revealed, despite differences in language and country-specific foci, a number of hashtags that were used across countries and that deal with topics around digitization in education, including #edtech and #satchat.

Scientific Significance
Informal networks are crucial for educational systems to face new and unprecedented challenges. We employ diverse theoretical and methodological frameworks, supported by a cross-country comparison, that underline the importance of co-constructing and mobilizing knowledge within communities. These insights can foster the pursuit of truth, supporting educational professionals to ensure equitable outcomes for all.

Authors

• Martin Rehm, University of Regensburg
  Presenting Author

• Tim Fütterer, University of Tübingen
  Non-Presenting Author

• Christian Fischer, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
  Non-Presenting Author

• Marie Lockton, University of California - San Diego
  Non-Presenting Author

• Anita Caduff, University of California - San Diego
  Non-Presenting Author

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