Early-career university teachers (ECUTs) are expected to implement effective teaching approaches that foster students' deep approach to learning (Uiboleht et al., 2018). Although this is often supported by universities investing in professional development strategies and requiring newly appointed teaching staff to complete formal training programs, much attention has been given to the development of research skills compared to teaching competencies (Adams et al., 2023).

ECUTs' teaching approaches are supposed to align with these general tendencies and policy shifts in higher education (Kyndt et al., 2016). One way of realizing this is through formal professional development initiatives, but research indicates this is not offered in many contexts (Adams et al., 2023). For instance, Adams et al., (2023) highlight that ECUTs often have to take initiatives on their own to develop their competencies. This is also echoed in other studies, which highlight the importance of informal advice networks as they serve as a source of teaching support by providing firsthand guidance (Van Waes et al., 2016). Yet, the content of the teaching advice that ECUTs seek in their informal network remains underexplored, particularly regarding their teaching approaches (Van Waes et al., 2015). These teaching approaches are defined in the higher education literature (Harshman & Stains, 2017) as dual dimensions of conceptual change/student-focused (CC/SF) and information transmission/teacher-focused (IT/TF)—which encompass both the intentions and strategies teachers use to engage with their students (Postareff et al., 2017).

Drawing on the social support framework - which emphasizes the aid (e.g., advice, suggestion, guidance) available to individuals from their informal social relationships to cope with major life stressors as well as with the challenges of daily life (McCarty et al., 2019), This study aims to describe the type of advice that ECUTs seek to navigate the challenges of teaching through their informal advice networks. Specifically, it addresses the following research question (RQ):

-       RQ. What type of advice ECUTs seek within their informal network regarding their teaching strategies and intentions across the CC/SF and IT/TF approaches?

By addressing this question, the study will shed light on how informal advice networks support ECUTs’ professional development towards implementing effective teaching approaches (Van Waes et al., 2015).

To address the research question, a qualitative research design was used. Specifically, a deductive qualitative analysis (DQA) was implemented. The approach in DQA is particularly relevant for this research as addresses explorative research questions of a phenomenon while integrating existing theoretical frameworks into the research process (Fortune et al., 2013). Thus, the social support framework (i.e., McCarty et al., 2019) and teaching approaches dimensions (Trigwell et al., 2005), informed the data collection and analysis. Participants included five ECUTs from a faculty at a Flemish university (Belgium), recruited based on having no more than five years of teaching experience (Henry et al., 2011). Semi-structured interviews were conducted, digitally recorded and transcribed ad verbatim. The transcripts were analysed using the software NVivo 14. Questions aligned to the dimensions and subdimensions of teaching approaches, as outlined below. - Interview questions regarding Conceptual change/student-focused (CC/SF). “What are some examples of advice that have helped you better support students to develop new ways of thinking in the subject?” (intentions). “What advice have you found useful for helping students to reflect on and question their understanding?” (strategies). - Interview questions regarding Information transmission/teacher-focused (IT/TF). “What specific feedback or advice do you find helpful to ensure students leave with clear and organized knowledge?” (intentions). “What type of advice do you seek to refine how you deliver knowledge to students?” (strategies).

Findings show, on one hand, that the type of advice that ECUTs sought within the CC/SF subdimensions ranged from intentions of teaching to encourage students to critically reflect on their learning process and professional careers (i.e., fostering student self-reflection career-driven perspective) to teaching strategies that actively involve students with their learning process (i.e., student engagement) as well on providing feedback that helps students to identify areas to improve (i.e., formative feedback). On the other hand, the type of advice that ECUTs sought within the IT/TF subdimensions varied from intentions of teaching with clear and organized information (i.e., lecturing slides) and technical aspects sorted out (i.e., technical guidance) to teaching strategies relying on teachers' knowledge transmission (i.e., lecturing) to instruct large groups and provide students with specialist input. These findings indicate that ECUTs ask for advice from their informal networks to refine their teaching intentions and strategies across both CC/SF and IT/TF. Therefore, this suggests that ECUTs do not adhere strictly to a single teaching approach. As suggested by Postareff et al. (2017), university teachers often shift or position themselves dynamically along the CCSF-ITTF spectrum. Since most of the research on teaching approaches is predominantly based on evaluating the effectiveness of professional development initiatives (Adams et al., 2023), this study holds theoretical and educational significance in understanding the informal ways for ECUTs' learning and development based on their self-initiative towards implementing effective teaching approaches.

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