Session Information
32 SES 08 A, Social Innovation in Education. Part 2: Pathways and directions of Social Innovation
Symposium continued from 32 SES 07 A
Contribution
Networks and digital communication platforms, such as Twitter, play a central role for global education and conviction processes (Junemann et al., 2016; Kolleck et al., 2017). Both state- and non-state actors use social networks as channels for the diffusion of social innovations and practices (True & Mintrom, 2001). Therefore, focusing on actor networks is an innovative approach to the study of global education policy. Although Twitter represents a relatively new form of social networks, it gains increasing importance for the diffusion of information and innovation, also in education policy (Conover et al., 2012; Dubois & Gaffney, 2014). Users apply Twitter to inform (themselves and others) and build connections to others using so-called retweets and mentions. Despite its growing use and the general relevance of this online communication for global education processes and the diffusion of social innovations (Shields, 2016; Kolleck et al., 2017), there is only little knowledge about the way these communication networks are formed and used by different actors and actor groups. Thus, the aim of this paper is to examine the structure of an issue-specific, educational political Twitter network. We draw on social network theory (e.g. Borgatti & Lopez-Kidwell, 2008) and approaches of policy network theory (e.g. Kenis & Schneider, 1991) to shed light on the network forming around the debate about inclusive education. Empirically, we use social network analysis to map the communication network, to identify central actors and to infer assumptions about the role of different actor groups (e.g. international organisations or non-governmental organisations). As data base we use Twitter data which were published in the context of the Conferences of States Parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in the years 2013 to 2017, with as specific filter for education-related tweets. The results show that especially disabled persons’ organisations (DPOs) and international organisations, such as the UN, hold central positions in the network, which enables them to exert influence on the dissemination of information. Moreover, we suggest from the results that actors in the Twitter network have a tendency to build connections with other stakeholders from the same organisation type. Overall, these results imply a crucial role of Twitter communication networks in the diffusion of social innovations, such as inclusive education. According to our findings, particularly UN-related actors and DPOs tend to occupy central roles within these networks in order to influence the flow of information.
References
Borgatti, Stephen P., Virginie Lopez-Kidwell. 2011. “Network Theory.” In The SAGE Handbook of Social Network Analysis, edited by John Scott, Peter J. Carrington, 40–53. Los Angeles, Calif. SAGE Publ. Conover, Michael D., Bruno Goncalves, Alessandro Flammini, Filippo Menczer. 2012. “Partisan asymmetries in online political activity.” EPJ Data Science 1 (6): 1–19. Dubois, Elizabeth, Devin Gaffney. 2014. “The Multiple Facets of Influence.” American Behavioral Scientist 58 (10): 1260–77.. Junemann, Carolina, Stephen J. Ball, Diego Santori. 2016. “Joined-up Policy: Network Connectivity and Global Education Governance.” In Mundy, Green, Lingard, Verger 2016, 535–53. Kenis, Patrick, Volker Schneider. 1991. “Policy Networks and Policy Analysis: Scutinizing a New Analytical Toolbox.” In Policy Networks: Empirical Evidence and Theoretical Considerations, edited by Bernd Marin/Renate Mayntz, 25–62. Frankfurt am Main: Campus-Verl. Kolleck, Nina, Mareike Well, Severin Sperzel, Helge Jörgens. 2017. “The Power of Social Networks: How the UNFCCC Secretariat Creates Momentum for Climate Education.” Global Environmental Politics 17 (4): 106–26. Shields, Robin (2016): „Following the leader? Network models of “world-class” universities on Twitter.“ Higher Education 71 (2): 253–268. True, Jacqui, Michael Mintrom. 2001. “Transnational Networks and Policy Diffusion: The Case of Gender Mainstreaming.” International Studies Quarterly 45 (1): 27–57.
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