From the Members' Perspective: Participants' Perception of the Moderator Role in Educator Communities of Practice

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-08

The community of practice (CoP) social/collaborative learning model has been widely adopted since its introduction by Jean Lave and Entienne Wenger in 1991, with growth spurred on as practitioner groups increasingly leverage technology to overcome geographically dispersed memberships. The purpose of this study was to address a gap in the literature which identifies the CoP moderator role as an overarching success factor but has not provided research results into the moderator role from the perspective of the membership. Survey methodology was employed to identify the perceived value a sample of 84 members of three educator CoPs assigned to specific moderator actions and characteristics identified in the literature as corresponding to CoP success, and to examine the influence member demographics may have on the member value perceptions. Findings indicate CoP members uniformly value moderator actions and characteristics that cultivate a culture of inquiry, mutual engagement, sustainability, and that support an architecture of participation; these perceived valuations do not appear to be influenced by member demographics. This study has sought to contribute to the body of literature concerned with the support and management of communities of practice particularly in the education sector and contributes to a new line of research into the impact of the moderator role on CoP effectiveness and success.