The Hashtag #CharlasEducativas as a Teacher Affinity Space on Twitter

Authors

  • Ingrid Mosquera-Gende Associate Professor, International University of La Rioja (Spain)
  • Paula Marcelo-Martínez Post-doctoral Researcher and Professor, University of Seville (Spain)
  • Ana Yara Postigo-Fuentes Post-doctoral Researcher and Professor, University of Düsseldorf (Germany)
  • Manuel Fernández-Navas Interim Associate Professor, University of Málaga (Spain)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58262/V32I78.18

Keywords:

Qualitative Analysis, Interaction Analysis, Social Network Analysis, Informal Learning, Social Network, Twitter.

Abstract

Twitter has positioned itself as one of the social networks most used by teachers, generating teacher affinity spaces for them to share and collaborate. This study analyses the hashtag #CharlasEducativas, to explore whether it represents a teaching affinity space on this social network. It is a hashtag linked to an educational project created in Spain and related to all educational stages in a cross-cutting manner. Using a mixed methods research, 6073 tweets with the hashtag #CharlasEducativas, published between January 2020 and July 2022, were analysed, including a total of 761 Twitter profiles. Using the software MAXQDA, a category system was developed to classify the most frequent topics in the interactions and to study the tone of the discourse. The social network analysis software Graphext was used for in depth analysis of the profiles with the highest participation. It was confirmed that the characteristics of affinity spaces (collaboration, horizontal nature, creation of community, existence of hierarchy and source of informal learning) were met. The interactions linked to this hashtag are positive, friendly and with a close and relaxed tone, which favours the generation of a group feeling, facilitating informal learning. In addition, the space has a strong hierarchy with leadership roles that allows the information to flow and be fed continuously.

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Published

2023-12-20

How to Cite

Ingrid Mosquera-Gende, Paula Marcelo-Martínez, Ana Yara Postigo-Fuentes, & Manuel Fernández-Navas. (2023). The Hashtag #CharlasEducativas as a Teacher Affinity Space on Twitter. Comunicar, 32(78). https://doi.org/10.58262/V32I78.18

Issue

Vol. 32 No. 78 (2024): Empowered and hyper (dis)connected audiences: Actors, contexts, experiences and educommunicative practices

Section

Original Article

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