Teacher Online Knowledge Sharing: Motivators and Barriers
Annotations from:
Hew, K. F., & Hara, N. (2007). Empirical study of motivators and barriers of teacher online knowledge sharing. Educational Technology Research and Development, 55(6), 573-595. doi: 10.1007/s11423-007-9049-2
Khe Foon Hew from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and Noriko Hara of Indiana University Bloomington, engaged in an empirical study of the flow of knowledge in online communities. They examined the types of knowledge that was shared and also explored the the motivators and barriers involved in the sharing of knowledge. Hew and Hara looked a Literacy Educator listsev, examining select postings during the month of February in the years 2003-2006. They also conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 teachers who were members of the listserv. This research is important as educational researchers examine ways in which we can enhance and support continuous professional development opportunities for teachers. Two approaches discussed in this article, formal and informal knowledge sharing approaches can both be found throughout current models of professional development. Formal knowledge sharing is found frequently throughout the public education system , often taking the form of workshops or conferences. This non-authentic learning environment is often criticized because it does not take place in the location in which the learning is applied. (Brown and Duguid, 1996). Informal knowledge sharing takes place in much more authentic environments. These environments are also typically more social in nature. According to Schulager and Fusco, 2003, they can have a powerful impact in helping teachers to improve their practice.
Communities of Practice (CoP): Wenger et al. 2003, “groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interaccting on an ongoing basis” (p. 4).
Three defining characteristics: domain, community and practice (Snyder et al. 2004). They can come in different forms; face to face as well as online.
Motives for involvement from Baston et al. 2002
- egoism: increase personal benefit ie. prizes, pay, recognition
- altruism: increases the welfare of one or more than one person other than yourself (serving community to benefit the individuals)
- collectivism: increase the welfare of the group (serving community to benefit the group)
- principlism: end goal of upholding moral principles
Use of technology as a tool can also motivate or hinder one’s participation in an online community. Davis, 1993 p. 477: “the degree to which an individual believes that using a particular system would be free of physical and mental effort” (I wonder in what ways the advances in technology has impacted participation in online communities. There are more opportunities for participation today. There seems to be an increase in the use of online tools to access information on the internet; does this translate into an increase in participation in online communities of practice?
Lack of visual cues, tone of voice, etc. impact the ways in which people interact in online communities. It can be both a motivator and a barrier. People tend to focus more on the message rather than each other (Kiesler 1986) however there is also room for miscommunication when text only communication lacks the cues that help define meaning and feeling.
Results:
Research Question 1: What activities do teachers engage with one another?
- Request
- Appreciation
- Administrative
- Announcement
- Apology
- Clarification
- Compliment
- Empathy
- Sharing knowledge
Research Question 2:What knowledge do teachers share with one another?
- Book knowledge
- Practical knowledge
Research Question 3: What motivates teachers to share their knowledge?
- Collectivism
- Reciprocity
- Personal Gain
- Altruism
- Technology
- Respectful environment
- Interest of the seeker
Research Question: 4: What hinders teachers from sharing their knowledge?
- Lack of knowledge
- Lack of time
- Technology
- Avoiding confrontation
- Negative attitudes of the seeker
Practice Dependent: motivators for sharing knowledge may be practice dependent, that is they may differ greatly between professions. For example in highly competitive fields like law, finance or science the participating members of the community may not want to share information as freely as teachers seem to do in their practice. They may be afraid that someone else will benefit from their ideas and they are less likely to see a “greater good” purpose for information sharing.
