I have a papers on the importance of networks in higher education.

Thank you, Juha. I will look at your paper ASAP.

You might want to get in contact with Frank Hulsbos and Stefan van Langevelde from the Open University in the Netherlands. They are doing research on this topic. In addition Nienke Molenaar from Utrecht University did some interesting research on networks in schools.

Thank you, Hildert. I will contact this tree researches ASAP.

Take a look at the research by Alan Daly from University of California San Diego. 

I also recommend the work of Alan Daly and one of his collaborators Kira Baker-Doyle (in the USA) eg. her book The Networked Teacher: How New Teachers Build Social Networks for Professional Support. Similarly Terrence E. Deal, Ted Purinton and Daria Waetjen have written along similar lines in their 2008 book Making Sense of Social Networks in Schools (I think in Canada). These authors all use a social network analysis approach. 

I also carry out research into teacher networks with colleagues but using a more qualitative approach to network mapping and analysis. Our main book, which draws on a study of 40 UK schools, including with school leaders, is:

McCormick, R., Fox, A., Carmichael, P. and Procter, R. (2010) Researching and Understanding Educational Networks (New Perspectives on Learning and Instruction series), London: Routledge.

A paper written with school leaders related to this project is:

Fox, A., Haddock, J. and Smith, T. (2007) A network biography: Reflecting on a journey from birth to maturity of a networked learning community, The Curriculum Journal, 18 (3), 287-306. Another is:

Carmichael, P., Fox, A., McCormick, R., Procter, R. and Honour, L. (2006) Teachers’ networks in and out of school, Research Papers in Education, 21 (2), 217-234.

I have used the personal network mapping tool reported here since with beginning secondary school teachers, reported in:

Fox, A. and Wilson, E. (2015) Networking and the development of professionals: beginning teachers building social capital, Teaching and Teacher Education, 47: 93-107.

Fox, A., Wilson, E. and Deaney, R. (2011) Beginning teachers’ workplace experiences: their perceptions and use of support, Vocations and Learning, 4 (1),1-24 Available from Online First August 2010.

Fox, A., Deaney, R. and Wilson, E. (2010) Examining beginning teachers' perspectives of workplace support, Journal of Workplace Learning, 22 (4), 212-227.

I hope you find something of interest amongst these.

Alison

Dear Yinying and Alison,

Thank you for references to relevant literature. Some of this literature have I already read, as like Alan Daly and articles about beginning secondary teachers. I still look after research on beginning school leaders in rural school with few students. Once again : Thank you!

Foolowing.