class: left, bottom, title-slide # Time After Time ## Continuity and Change in Teaching-Related Subreddits ### K. Bret Staudt Willet & Jeffrey P. Carpenter ### November 7, 2020 --- class: inverse, center, middle **View Slides:** [bretsw.github.io/aect20-featured](https://bretsw.github.io/aect20-featured) **Twitter:** [@bretsw](https://twitter.com/bretsw) | [@jeffpcarpenter](https://twitter.com/jeffpcarpenter) --- class: inverse, center, middle # Social Media in Education --- # Self-directed Learning <img src="img/teacher.jpg" width="720px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> --- # The Times They Are A-changin' <img src="img/across-time-full.jpg" width="720px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> --- # Rise and Fall of Myspace <img src="img/myspace.png" width="600px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> [*Image source: Business Insider (2011)*](https://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-the-fall-of-myspace-2011-6) --- # Purpose ### Reddit, over time To compare and contrast *continuity and change* in how users contribute, interact, and converse in two subreddits <img src="img/across-time-full.jpg" width="600px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> --- class: inverse, center, middle # Background --- # Reddit Background <img src="img/reddit-logo.png" width="240px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> -- 1. \#7 website in the United States; \#18 in the world -- 1. Collection of discussion forums (i.e., **subreddits**) -- 1. Threaded discussions: **posts** and **responses** -- 1. Voting: **+1** or **-1** -- 1. Anonymity --- # Reddit Features <img src="img/reddit-example.jpg" width="840px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> --- # Teaching-related Subreddits <img src="img/reddit-logo.png" width="240px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> -- - Education in general (e.g., r/education) -- - Education level (e.g., r/highereducation) -- - Subject area (e.g., r/historyteachers, r/matheducation, r/MusicEd) --- # Comparing Two Subreddits [**reddit.com/r/Teachers**](https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/) | [**reddit.com/r/education**](https://www.reddit.com/r/education/) <img src="img/teacher.jpg" width="480px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> -- - Both part of the Reddit Education Network (16 subreddits) -- - Highest subscription of teaching-related subreddits - **r/Teachers:** 192,000 subscribers - **r/education:** 119,000 subscribers --- class: inverse, center, middle # Framework --- # Framework ### Learning ecologies <img src="img/network.jpg" width="480x" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> -- - Complementary components -- - Transitions (i.e., change over time) --- # Framework ### Affinity spaces <img src="img/empty-space.jpg" width="480px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> -- - Individual contributions -- - Content interactions -- - Social interactions --- class: inverse, center, middle # Research Questions --- # Research Questions <img src="img/question.jpg" width="360" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> ### How have the r/Teachers and r/education subreddits changed, or remained the same, over time? -- 1. Individual contributions -- 1. Content interactions -- 1. Social interactions -- 1. Topics of conversation -- 1. Types of discourse --- class: inverse, center, middle # Method --- # Data Collection <img src="img/reddit-logo.png" width="240px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> -- - **3.5 years** (42 months): from January 1, 2016 to June 30, 2019 -- - **r/Teachers:** 696,660 contributions from 55,148 contributors - 54,933 posts and 641,727 responses -- - **r/education:** 339,618 contributions from 43,711 contributors - 252,340 posts and 87,278 responses --- # Data Analysis <img src="img/reddit-logo.png" width="240px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> -- - Split data into 7 six-month partitions -- - **Quantitative analysis** of individual contributions, content interactions, and social interactions -- - **Qualitative analysis** of topics of conversation and types of discourse in top-ten posts (defined by highest voting scores) in each subreddit, and up to the top-ten responses to each of these -- - 2 subreddits x 7 time periods x 10 posts = **140 posts** - 2 subreddits x 7 time periods x 100 responses = **1,460 responses** --- class: inverse, center, middle # Results --- # Daily Contributions <img src="img/fig1-contributions-over-time.png" width="840px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> --- # Contributors <img src="img/fig2-contributors.png" width="840px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> --- # Response Rate <img src="img/fig3-response-rate.png" width="840px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> --- # Thread Length <img src="img/fig4-thread-length.png" width="840px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> --- # Node Degree <img src="img/fig5-mean-node-degree.png" width="840px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> --- # Transitivity <img src="img/fig6-transitivity.png" width="840px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> --- # Reciprocity <img src="img/fig7-reciprocity.png" width="840px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> --- # Network Visualizations <img src="img/fig8-network-visualization.png" width="480px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> --- # Posts - Content Analysis <img src="img/fig9-post-plot-bar1.png" width="480px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> --- # Posts - Content Analysis <img src="img/fig9-post-plot-bar2.png" width="480px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> --- # Responses - Content Analysis <img src="img/fig10-response-plot-bar.png" width="480px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> --- class: inverse, center, middle # Discussion --- # Change and Continuity <img src="img/threads.jpg" width="360px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> -- - **r/Teachers:** -- - Individual contributions increased steadily, clustering decreased, mutuality increased, topics consistently included teachers’ lived experiences and pedagogy -- - **r/education:** -- - Posts and posters declined, thread length increased, clustering decreased, mutuality increased, topics consistently included education policy and societal factors --- # Distinct Purposes <img src="img/social-media.jpg" width="480px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> -- - **r/Teachers:** a conversational space -- - many responses, long threads, educators' lived experiences -- - **r/education:** a bulletin board space -- - many posts, few responses, more content-focused --- # Significance <img src="img/scatter.jpg" width="360px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> - Educators' self-directed learning is tied to context and has a temporal dimension -- - Need to advise aspiring educators how best to combine different spaces for maximum effect -- - There is value to anonymous spaces for educators -- - Example: Place to vent and unburden emotions from COVID-19 disruptions and frustrations --- # Conclusion <img src="img/across-time-full.jpg" width="480px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> -- - Self-directed learning on Reddit is different than visiting a library -- - Educators must work to become critical consumers of ideas and materials encountered in online spaces -- - Educators, instructional designers, and scholars must continue to reflect upon and analyze both opportunities and challenges of self-directed learning in the complex ecologies of social media spaces --- # Questions? <img src="img/question.jpg" width="360px" style="display: block; margin: auto;" /> - **Email:** [staudtwi@msu.edu](mailto:staudtwi@msu.edu) | [jcarpenter13@elon.edu](jcarpenter13@elon.edu) - **Twitter:** [@bretsw](https://twitter.com/bretsw) | [@jeffpcarpenter](https://twitter.com/jeffpcarpenter) - **Slides:** [bretsw.github.io/aect20-featured](https://bretsw.github.io/aect20-featured) - **R code:** [github.com/bretsw/subreddits-over-time](https://github.com/bretsw/subreddits-over-time) - **Data:** [osf.io/tm74g](https://osf.io/tm74g/) - **Article in BJET:** [doi:10.1111/bjet.13051](https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13051) *(Available soon)*