The invisible hand of informal (educational) communication!? Social capital considerations on Twitter conversations among teachers

Twitter can contribute to the continuous professional development of teachers by initiating and fostering informal learning. Social capital theory can aid to analyse the underlying communication processes and outcomes. Yet, previous research has largely neglected teachers and the role of social capital on Twitter. The present study addresses this shortcoming by analysing a hashtag conversation among German speaking teachers. Using social network analysis, we are able to show the relevance of the structural dimension of social capital in Twitter conversations among teachers.

Keywords: informal learning, teacher professional development, social capital, social network analysis, social media

JEL Classification: I21, I28, D83, D85