ERIC Number: EJ952083
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 34
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0735-6331
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Effectiveness of an Online Community of Practice for Learning to Teach Elementary Science
Tsai, I-Chun; Laffey, James M.; Hanuscin, Deborah
Journal of Educational Computing Research, v43 n2 p225-258 2010
The purpose of this study was to understand how teachers participate in and benefit from an online community of practice (NETwork) for learning to teach. Dependent-samples t-tests were employed to examine the significant differences of members' perceptions of their social experience, while content analysis was utilized to identify members' perceptions of their growth in learning to teach from participation in NETwork. The results show significant positive changes in members' perceptions of social navigation, perceived ease of use and usefulness of the NETwork tools, and satisfaction with NETwork experiences. Also, members reported they found NETwork to be effective in supporting their current/future teaching and that their interactions in NETwork led to a sense of community. (Contains 6 tables.)
Descriptors: Communities of Practice, Elementary School Science, Educational Technology, Content Analysis, Pretests Posttests, Electronic Learning, Information Technology, Professional Development, Teacher Orientation, Beginning Teachers, Preservice Teachers, Preservice Teacher Education, Teacher Education Programs, Professional Continuing Education, Computer Mediated Communication, Asynchronous Communication, Synchronous Communication, Interpersonal Relationship, Science Teachers, Science Education, Interviews, Surveys
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
IES Cited: ED544210
Author Affiliations: N/A