Jeffrey Carpenter, professor of education, and his co-authors published article in the journals Computers & Education and Information and Learning Sciences.
Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education faculty member Jeffrey Carpenter recently published two co-authored articles in peer-reviewed journals.
In the first article, Carpenter collaborated with Eric Richter, André Meyer and Dirk Richter of the University of Potsdam, Germany. The article, titled “Digital Social Support Among Educators in Social Media: An International Comparative Study of Tweets and Replies in #teachertwitter and #twlz” is available online. The article is in the journal Computers & Education, and its abstract is as follows:
Asking questions on social media acts as a stimulus for professional learning among educators, while the answers can offer them valuable resources. Framed by the concept of digital social support and using a cross-cultural comparative approach, we investigate what type of digital social support educators seek when using educational social media spaces, and what they receive from other users who answer their questions. Analyzing 2,274 tweets and 2,020 replies from two hashtags popular among German and US teachers, #twlz and #teachertwitter, we find that educators mainly seek instrumental support (e.g. materials). Yet what is being sought influences the likelihood of getting the desired response, not the user’s characteristics. Differences emerge between the two hashtags in the kinds of support educators seek and the way educators respond to requests. The findings highlight the need for educators to possess digital competencies to fully utilize social media spaces.
In the second article, Carpenter collaborated with Annie Oliveri from the University of Texas Austin. The article, titled “Refreshing the affinity space concept: Evolving understandings of learning via social media platforms in an algorithmic age” is available online in the journal Information and Learning Sciences. Its abstract is as follows:
Purpose
The purpose of this conceptual paper is to describe how the affinity space concept has been used to frame learning via social media, and call for and discuss a refresh of the affinity space concept to accommodate changes in social media platforms and algorithms.
Design/methodology/approach
Guided by a sociocultural perspective, this paper reviews and discusses some ways the affinity space concept has been used to frame studies across various contexts, its benefits and disadvantages and how it has already evolved. It then calls for and describes a refresh of the affinity space concept.
Findings
Although conceptualized 20 years ago, the affinity space concept remains relevant to understanding social media use for learning. However, a refresh is needed to accommodate how platforms have changed, algorithms’ evolving role in social media participation and how these technologies influence users’ interactions and experiences. This paper offers three perspectives to expand the affinity space concept’s usefulness in an increasingly platformized and algorithmically mediated world.
Practical implications
This paper underscores the importance of algorithmic literacy for learners and educators, as well as regulations and guidance for social media platforms.
Originality/value
This conceptual paper revisits and updates a widely utilized conceptual framing with consideration for how social media platform design and algorithms impact interactions and shape user experiences.
The citations for the two articles are:
Richter, E., Carpenter, J.P., Meyer, A., & Richter, D. (2024). Computers & Education, 221, 105137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2024.105137
Oliveri, A. & Carpenter, J.P. (2024). Refreshing the affinity space concept: Evolving understandings of learning via social media platforms in an algorithmic age. Information & Learning Sciences. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-12-2023-0203