In education, knowledge networks have become an important route for professional development and school improvement. For many education professionals, participation in knowledge networks is a proven component of their professional growth. Additionally, educational organizations today increasingly resemble organizational networks that collectively take responsibility for addressing educational (and societal) issues such as equal opportunities, reading education, inclusive education, or teacher shortages.
Since their early beginnings, knowledge networks have been the subject of extensive research, leading to a foundational knowledge base around the processes and outcomes of knowledge utilization, development, and sharing. Key conditions for success have been identified, such as shared vision, trust, and sufficient resources. Furthermore, two explanatory mechanisms for the effective functioning of knowledge networks have been described: boundary crossing and distributed leadership.
At the same time, we observe that the existing knowledge base provides insufficient guidance for optimizing or structuring networks. For instance, the educational field does not yet seem to be sufficiently represented. Additionally, sharing knowledge within and outside the immediate network participants proves challenging: the ripple effect of activities and outcomes is limited, partly because tangible results are not always accessible and/or transferable due to a focus that is too specific to individual schools or due to limited adaptability.
As regional knowledge networks scale up, the need for strong representation among participants and an effective ripple effect both within and beyond the network becomes increasingly urgent to ensure impact. However, knowledge-sharing processes in regional knowledge networks become more complex due to their nested structure. These processes must repeatedly cross existing boundaries between subsystems and levels. This raises the question: how can the ripple effect in regional knowledge networks be increased, sustained, and safeguarded?
One factor that could positively influence both representativeness and knowledge sharing appears to be system awareness among network participants, defined as an understanding of the whole system and the necessity of that whole for solving complex problems. A second potentially influential factor in the functioning and effectiveness of large regional knowledge networks is network leadership. Network leadership involves both formal central leadership roles and temporary informal leadership positions that play a part in the processes of knowledge utilization, development, and sharing.
In a collaborative study with Oberon Onderzoek en Advies, Hogeschool Utrecht (Research group Working in Education), and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, our goal is to test the current knowledge base on knowledge utilization, development, and sharing against the actual situation in twelve regional knowledge networks. We expect that system awareness and network leadership are essential in these complex and dynamic systems for ensuring the impact of networks in terms of representativeness, ripple effect, and functional sustainability.
The twelve participating networks have all received funding under the program Collaborating on Educational Quality in the Region by the Netherlands Initiative for Education Research (NRO) and are thus the subject of our accompanying research. On behalf of the research group Excellence and Innovation in Education at HZ University of Applied Sciences, Patrick van Schaik (lector), senior researcher Hilde Kooiker, and lecturer-researcher Marieta Rosendaal will follow three of the participating networks over the course of four project years.
The central research question is:
How do knowledge utilization, development, and sharing take shape in regional knowledge networks, and how effective are these in terms of representativeness, ripple effect, and sustainability of the networks?
To answer this main question, we focus on the following sub-questions, which are derived from the knowledge base and reflect the diversity of the networks being studied:
1. Who are the participants in the regional knowledge networks, and what are their characteristics (background and personal characteristics, expertise, role perceptions)?
2. What knowledge utilization, development, and sharing activities and processes take place in the regional knowledge networks, and under what conditions do they occur?
3. What is the nature of the outcomes in the regional knowledge networks in terms of accessibility, transferability, and adaptability?
4. What role do system awareness and network leadership play in the regional knowledge networks?
5. What is the relationship between (characteristics of) participants, activities and processes of knowledge utilization, development, and sharing, the nature of the outcomes, and the explanatory mechanisms of system awareness and network leadership in the regional knowledge networks?
The intended outcomes of the research are to expand and refine the knowledge on effective regional network formation in the education domain. From this, we also aim to develop knowledge in the form of guidelines for existing and new networks that will help to secure and increase the effectiveness of regional knowledge networks for the future.
Throughout the duration of the accompanying research, we will share insights and findings via (interim) reports, guidelines, factsheets, presentations, and other relevant information on our website. Additionally, we will organize an annual feedback day for all participating networks in October/November and regularly attend conferences focused on practice-based educational research.
This research is made possible by the Netherlands Initiative for Education Research (NRO).
Want to know more? Please contact Patrick van Schaik: p.w.van.schaik@hz.nl.
