{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/132489"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/132489","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Social capital and faculty development in higher education","abstract":"This dissertation examines the role of social networks in faculty development, arguing that formal initiatives neglect informal peer relationships and social capital, which can both enhance engagement in development activities and teaching practices. Grounded in Social Learning Theory and Social Capital Theory, the study explores how collaborative ties provide access to resources, mentorship, and innovation, while barriers like isolation and workload constraints limit their potential. Employing a mixed-methods design at the American University of Sharjah, UAE data were collected from 41 faculty surveys and 8 in-depth interviews, representing diverse ranks, disciplines, and experiences. Quantitative analysis, including a Social Capital Index, revealed patterns of network influence on engagement, while qualitative themes illuminated mentorship's role in fostering student-centered teaching and adjunct isolation's hindrance to collaboration. Integrated findings highlight that robust networks align with institutional goals for teaching excellence, but systemic issues like heavy workloads undermine social capital. This study addresses gaps in faculty development research by emphasizing informal networks over top-down approaches, offering implications for policies that promote peer learning and inclusive support.","abstract_html":"This dissertation examines the role of social networks in faculty development, arguing that formal initiatives neglect informal peer relationships and social capital, which can both enhance engagement in development activities and teaching practices. Grounded in Social Learning Theory and Social Capital Theory, the study explores how collaborative ties provide access to resources, mentorship, and innovation, while barriers like isolation and workload constraints limit their potential. Employing a mixed-methods design at the American University of Sharjah, UAE data were collected from 41 faculty surveys and 8 in-depth interviews, representing diverse ranks, disciplines, and experiences. Quantitative analysis, including a Social Capital Index, revealed patterns of network influence on engagement, while qualitative themes illuminated mentorship's role in fostering student-centered teaching and adjunct isolation's hindrance to collaboration. Integrated findings highlight that robust networks align with institutional goals for teaching excellence, but systemic issues like heavy workloads undermine social capital. This study addresses gaps in faculty development research by emphasizing informal networks over top-down approaches, offering implications for policies that promote peer learning and inclusive support.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Curabba, Brad Joseph"],"institution":"University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"Ed.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Cope, William","Kalantzis, Mary","Magee, Liam","Bruno, Paul"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-12","date_published":"2025-12","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:07Z","subjects":["Faculty development, social networks, social capital, teaching practices, higher education"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright 2025 Brad Curabba"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132489","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Cope, William","Kalantzis, Mary","Magee, Liam","Bruno, Paul"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Curabba, Brad Joseph"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-12","2025-11-18"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Faculty development, social networks, social capital, teaching practices, higher education"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2025 Brad Curabba"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132489"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["This dissertation examines the role of social networks in faculty development, arguing that formal initiatives neglect informal peer relationships and social capital, which can both enhance engagement in development activities and teaching practices. Grounded in Social Learning Theory and Social Capital Theory, the study explores how collaborative ties provide access to resources, mentorship, and innovation, while barriers like isolation and workload constraints limit their potential. Employing a mixed-methods design at the American University of Sharjah, UAE data were collected from 41 faculty surveys and 8 in-depth interviews, representing diverse ranks, disciplines, and experiences. Quantitative analysis, including a Social Capital Index, revealed patterns of network influence on engagement, while qualitative themes illuminated mentorship's role in fostering student-centered teaching and adjunct isolation's hindrance to collaboration. Integrated findings highlight that robust networks align with institutional goals for teaching excellence, but systemic issues like heavy workloads undermine social capital. This study addresses gaps in faculty development research by emphasizing informal networks over top-down approaches, offering implications for policies that promote peer learning and inclusive support.","Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2026-02-19 without embargo terms","The student, Brad Curabba, accepted the attached license on 2025-11-13 at 00:27.","The student, Brad Curabba, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2025-11-13 at 00:33.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2025-11-18 at 16:30.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22865 on 2026-02-19 at 18:24:38"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Social capital and faculty development in higher education"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Cope, William","Kalantzis, Mary","Magee, Liam","Bruno, Paul"],"dc:creator":["Curabba, Brad Joseph"],"dc:date":["2025-12","2025-11-18"],"dc:description":["This dissertation examines the role of social networks in faculty development, arguing that formal initiatives neglect informal peer relationships and social capital, which can both enhance engagement in development activities and teaching practices. Grounded in Social Learning Theory and Social Capital Theory, the study explores how collaborative ties provide access to resources, mentorship, and innovation, while barriers like isolation and workload constraints limit their potential. Employing a mixed-methods design at the American University of Sharjah, UAE data were collected from 41 faculty surveys and 8 in-depth interviews, representing diverse ranks, disciplines, and experiences. Quantitative analysis, including a Social Capital Index, revealed patterns of network influence on engagement, while qualitative themes illuminated mentorship's role in fostering student-centered teaching and adjunct isolation's hindrance to collaboration. Integrated findings highlight that robust networks align with institutional goals for teaching excellence, but systemic issues like heavy workloads undermine social capital. This study addresses gaps in faculty development research by emphasizing informal networks over top-down approaches, offering implications for policies that promote peer learning and inclusive support.","Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2026-02-19 without embargo terms","The student, Brad Curabba, accepted the attached license on 2025-11-13 at 00:27.","The student, Brad Curabba, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2025-11-13 at 00:33.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2025-11-18 at 16:30.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22865 on 2026-02-19 at 18:24:38"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132489"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2025 Brad Curabba"],"dc:subject":["Faculty development, social networks, social capital, teaching practices, higher education"],"dc:title":["Social capital and faculty development in higher education"],"dc:type":["text","Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:07Z"}