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.

References

Adedoyin, O. B., & Soykan, E. (2023). Covid-19 Pandemic and Online Learning: the Challenges and Opportunities. Interactive Learning Environments, 31(2), 863-875. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.1813180

Antelmi, A., Malandrino, D., & Scarano, V. (2019). Characterizing the Behavioral Evolution of Twitter Users and the Truth Behind the 90-9-1 Rule. In Companion Proceedings of the 2019 World Wide Web Conference (pp. 1035-1038). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3308560.3316705

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). To Saturate or Not to Saturate? Questioning Data Saturation as a Useful Concept for Thematic Analysis and Sample-size Rationales. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 13(2), 201-216. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1704846

Burnap, P., & Williams, M. L. (2015). Cyber Hate Speech on Twitter: an Application of Machine Classification and Statistical Modeling for Policy and Decision Making. Policy & Internet, 7(2), 223-242. https://doi.org/10.1002/poi3.85

Carmona, C. E. (2020). Hacia La Inclusión Educativa en La Universidad: Diseño Universal Para El Aprendizaje Y La Educación De Calidad. Ediciones Octaedro. https://go.revistacomunicar.com/NIPmPh

Carolan, B. V. (Ed.). (2013). Social Network Analysis and Education: Theory, Methods & Applications. Sage Publications. https://doi.org /10.4135/9781452270104

Carpenter, J. P., & Krutka, D. G. (2014). How and Why Educators Use Twitter: a Survey of the Field. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 46(4), 414- 4 34. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2014.925701

Carpenter, J. P., Morrison, S. A., Rosenberg, J. M., & Hawthorne, K. A. (2023). Using Social Media in Pre-service Teacher Education: the Case of a Program-wide Twitter Hashtag. Teaching and Teacher Education, 124, 104036. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104036

Çeliktu?, M. F. (2018). Twitter Sentiment Analysis, 3-way Classification: Positive, Negative or Neutral? In 2018 IEEE International Conference on Big Data (Big Data) (pp. 2098-2103). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/BigData.2018.8621970

Daly, A. J., Liou, Y.-H., Fresno, M. D., Rehm, M., & Bjorklund Jr, P. (2019). Educational Leadership in the Twitterverse: Social Media, Social Networks, and the New Social Continuum. Teachers College Record, 121(14), 1-2 0. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811912101404

Díez Gutiérrez, E. J., Verdeja Muñiz, M., Sarrión Andaluz, J., Buendía, L., & Macías Tovar, J. (2022). Discurso Político De Odio De La Ultraderecha Desde Twitter en Iberoamérica. Comunicar: Revista Científica Iberoamericana De Comunicación Y Educación, 30(72), 101-113. https://doi.org/10.3916/C72-2022-08

Fernández Navas, M., Postigo Fuentes, A. Y., Pérez Granados, L., & Alcaraz Salarirche, N. (2022). Cómo Hacer Investigación Cualitativa en El Área De Tecnología Educativa. RiiTE Revista Interuniversitaria de Investigación en Tecnología Educativa, 9 3 -116. https://doi.org/10.6018/riite.547251

Fischer, C., Fishman, B., & Schoenebeck, S. Y. (2019). New Contexts for Professional Learning: Analyzing High School Science Teachers’ Engagement on Twitter. Aera Open, 5(4), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858419894252

Flick, U. (2004). Introducción a La Investigación Cualitativa. Morata. https://go.revistacomunicar.com/aYt61o

Gao, F., & Li, L. (2017). Examining a One?hour Synchronous Chat in a Microblogging?based Professional Development Community. British Journal of Educational Technology, 48( 2), 332 -3 47. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12384

García, P. G. (2022). Las Redes Sociales en La Investigación Social. Miscelánea Comillas. Revista de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales, 80(157), 407-428. https://doi.org/10.14422/mis.v80.i157.y2022.009

Gee, J. P. (Ed.). (2004). Situated Language and Learning: a Critique of Traditional Schooling. Psychology Press. https://doi.org /10.4324/9780203594216Gee, J. P. (2017). Affinity Spaces and 21st Century Learning. Educational Technology, 57( 2), 2 7-31. https://go.revistacomunicar.com/U71Ehb

Gende, I. M. (2023). Aprendizaje informal en redes: Twitter y las #CharlasEducativas. Ediciones Octaedro. https://doi.org/10.36006/16414

Gomez, M., & Journell, W. (2017). Professionality, Preservice Teachers, and Twitter. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 25(4), 377- 412. https://go.revistacomunicar.com/BsCx0K

Greenhalgh, S. P. (2021). Differences Between Teacher-focused Twitter Hashtags and Implications for Professional Development. Italian Journal of Educational Technology, 29(1), 26 - 45. https://doi.org/10.17471/2499-4324/1161

Greenhalgh, S. P., Staudt Willet, K. B., Rosenberg, J. M., & Koehler, M. J. (2018). Tweet, and We Shall Find: Using Digital Methods to Locate Participants in Educational Hashtags. TechTrends, 62(5), 501-508. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-018-0313-6

Greenhow, C., & Lewin, C. (2016). Social Media and Education: Reconceptualizing the Boundaries of Formal and Informal Learning. Learning, Media and Technology, 41(1), 6 -3 0. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2015.1064954

Greenhow, C., Staudt Willet, K. B., & Galvin, S. (2021). Inquiring Tweets Want to Know:# Edchat Supports for# Remoteteaching During Covid?19. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(4), 14 34-1454. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13097

Heller, M. (2005). Discourse and Interaction. In The Handbook of Discourse Analysis (pp. 250-264). Wiley. https://doi.org /10.1002/9780470753460

Kadushin, C. (2012). Understanding Social Networks. Oxford University Press. https://bit.ly/473Q8w5

Konikoff, D. (2021). Gatekeepers of Toxicity: Reconceptualizing Twitter’s Abuse and Hate Speech Policies. Policy & Internet, 13(4), 502-521. https://doi.org/10.1002/poi3.265

Li, G., & Liu, F. (2014). Sentiment Analysis Based on Clustering: a Framework in Improving Accuracy and Recognizing Neutral Opinions. Applied Intelligence, 40(3), 441-452. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10489-013-0463-3

Luo, T., Freeman, C., & Stefaniak, J. (2020). “Like, comment, and share”—professional development through social media in higher education: A systematic review. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(4), 1659-1683. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09790-5

Marcelo-Martínez, P., & Marcelo, C. (2022). Espacios de afinidad docente en Twitter: El caso del hashtag #Claustrovirtual. Revista de Educación a Distancia (RED), 22(70), 1-30. https://doi.org/10.6018/red.510951

Marcelo, C., & Marcelo, P. (2021). Educational Inf luencers on Twitter. Analysis of Hashtags and Relationship Structure. Comunicar, 29(69), 73-83. https://doi.org/10.3916/C68-2021-06

Maxwell, J. A. (2012). Qualitative Research Design:An Interactive Approach. Sage Publications. https://go.revistacomunicar.com/NUpyhu

Miller, E. M., Jolly, J. L., Latz, J. N., & Listman, K. (2022). Inf luencers and Major Themes in a Gifted Education Community of Practice on Twitter. Journal of Advanced Academics, 33(3), 469-504. https://doi.org/10.1177/1932202X221099590

Moreno-Fernández, O., & Gómez-Camacho, A. (2023). Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Teacher Tweeting in Spain: Needs, Interests, and Emotional Implications. Educación XX1, 26(2), 185-208. https://doi.org/10.5944/educxx1.34597

Prestridge, S. (2019). Categorising Teachers’ Use of Social Media for Their Professional Learning: a Self-generating Professional Learning Paradigm. Computers & Education, 129, 14 3 -158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.11.003

Rosenberg, J. M., Greenhalgh, S. P., Koehler, M. J., Hamilton, E. R., & Akcaoglu, M. (2016). An Investigation of State Educational Twitter Hashtags (Seths) as Affinity Spaces. E-learning and Digital Media, 13(1-2), 24- 44. https://doi.org/10.1177/2042753016672351

Sangrà Morer, A., & Wheeler, S. (2013). Nuevas formas de aprendizaje informales: ¿o estamos formalizando lo informal? RUSC, Universities & Knowledge Society, 10(1), 28 6 -293. https://doi.org/10.7238/rusc.v10i1.1689

Shea, D., Alemu, D. S., & Visser, M. J. (2020). A Social Network Study of Transformational Teacher Inf luence. Teacher Development, 24(5), 603-625. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2020.1818614

Singh, L. (2020). A Systematic Review of Higher Education Academics’ Use of Microblogging for Professional Development: Case of Twitter. Open Education Studies, 2(1), 6 6 - 81. https://doi.org/10.1515/edu-2020-0102

Stake, R. F. (2010). Investigación De Estudios De Casos. Morata. https://bit.ly/3ObAHco

Tracy, S. (2021). Calidad Cualitativa: Ocho Pilares Para Una Investigación Cualitativa De Calidad. Márgenes Revista De Educación De La Universidad De Málaga, 2(2), 173 -2 01. https://doi.org/10.24310/mgnmar.v2i2.12937

Visser, R. D., Evering, L. C., & Barrett, D. E. (2014). #TwitterforTeachers: The Implications of Twitter as a Self-Directed Professional Development Tool for K–12 Teachers. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 46(4), 396 - 413. https://doi.org /10.1080/15391523.2014.925694

Wagh, R., & Punde, P. (2018). Survey on Sentiment Analysis Using Twitter Dataset. In 2018 Second International Conference on Electronics, Communication and Aerospace Technology (ICECA) (pp. 208-211). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICECA.2018.8474783

Wagner, C. J., & González-Howard, M. (2018). Studying Discourse as Social Interaction: the Potential of Social Network Analysis for Discourse Studies. Educational Researcher, 47(6), 375-383. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X18777741

Wojcik, S., & Hughes, A. (2019). Sizing Up Twitter Users. Pew Research Center. https://go.revistacomunicar.com/HL0roj

Wu, Q., Qi, X., Fuller, E., & Zhang, C.-Q. (2013). “Follow the Leader”: a Centrality Guided Clustering and Its Application to Social Network Analysis. The Scientific World Journal, 2013, 368568 https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/368568

Downloads

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

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Comunicar

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.