Effectiveness of an Online Community of Practice for Learning to Teach Elementary Science

Abstract

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.