Teacher Capital Unbound? The Role of Organisational Structures for Teacher Social Capital and Student Outcome
type: CreativeWork
description: This thesis addresses the role of school organisational structures for teacher social capital and student outcome. The thesis is driven by a general concern over the widescale reforms Swedish schools have undergone in the last decades and particular concern over the so-called work unit reform. This reform was introduced to increase teachers' overall interactions by reorganising schools into mixed-subject teams where teachers of different subjects work together in student-centred work units. This study suggests that the reform has significantly reshaped teachers' opportunities to build social capital, impacting teachers' everyday professional learning and student outcomes. There are also indications that the reform poses a challenge to improving educational equity by reducing the educational achievement gap between students of high and low socioeconomic status (SES). The thesis comprises four individual studies addressing different aspects of this matter: two systematic literature reviews, one empirical construct development study, and one empirical study, each presented in separate academic journal articles. The first systematic review explored the uncharted intersection of literature on educational leadership, professional learning, and educational equity. Motivated by a concern for marginalised students' educational experiences and achievements, it investigated leadership approaches to shaping teachers' professional development and ongoing learning that support more equitable outcomes for students. Employing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement and quality appraisal using the Weight of Evidence framework, 41 empirical articles were selected for detailed analysis. The outcome was five themes: Critical framing of social justice issues; Dialogue and enquiry; Learning and identity development; Context, resources, and motivations; Normalising inclusion and shared leadership. These five themes were identified as helpf…
abstract: This thesis addresses the role of school organisational structures for teacher social capital and student outcome. The thesis is driven by a general concern over the widescale reforms Swedish schools have undergone in the last decades and particular concern over the so-called work unit reform. This reform was introduced to increase teachers' overall interactions by reorganising schools into mixed-subject teams where teachers of different subjects work together in student-centred work units. This study suggests that the reform has significantly reshaped teachers' opportunities to build social capital, impacting teachers' everyday professional learning and student outcomes. There are also indications that the reform poses a challenge to improving educational equity by reducing the educational achievement gap between students of high and low socioeconomic status (SES). The thesis comprises four individual studies addressing different aspects of this matter: two systematic literature reviews, one empirical construct development study, and one empirical study, each presented in separate academic journal articles. The first systematic review explored the uncharted intersection of literature on educational leadership, professional learning, and educational equity. Motivated by a concern for marginalised students' educational experiences and achievements, it investigated leadership approaches to shaping teachers' professional development and ongoing learning that support more equitable outcomes for students. Employing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement and quality appraisal using the Weight of Evidence framework, 41 empirical articles were selected for detailed analysis. The outcome was five themes: Critical framing of social justice issues; Dialogue and enquiry; Learning and identity development; Context, resources, and motivations; Normalising inclusion and shared leadership. These five themes were identified as helpf…
author: Demir, Ema Kristina
language: eng
keywords: social capital, human capital, teacher professional learning, school organisational structure, school leadership, student achievement, student outcome, educational equity, systematic literature review, factor analysis, structural equation modelling, moderated mediation analysis
license: https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/
date published: 2022-03-15
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:24:27Z
provider: Cambridge University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Cambridge

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.17863/CAM.86436