Networking Model Involving Participation in Education Development: A Case of Demonstration Schools

Abstract

This study sought to create a networking model concerning participation in education development, and to assess the applicability of such a model, taking a set of demonstration schools as a case study. Informants included targeted schools’ management executives and teachers, representatives from the schools’ alumni associations and alumni members, and a group of experts, forming a cohort of 20 individuals in total. Research tools included interviews, applicability assessment, and quantitative data analyses including such statistics as mean, standard deviation, and basic quantitative analysis. Research results are as follows:
(1) Building a network that facilitates participation in education development. Our in-depth interviews seeking to create case-study-based networking model involving participation in education development found that seven components constituted common elements embodied in the cooperative networks for education development across the four demonstration schools studied. The seven common elements were: (1) mutual recognition of shared perspective with regard to the existence of the network; (2) determination of the network’s shared vision; (3) identification of the network’s shared benefits and interests; (4) identification of each network member’s involvement; (5) reciprocal network reinforcement; (6) strategic interdependence; and (7) interactive exchanges among network members.
(2) Our assessment of the applicability of the networking model involving participation in education development found that the proposed model is of high quality in all aspects. The propriety aspect had the highest mean of 4.38 and a standard deviation of 0.23, followed by the evaluation accountability aspect having a mean of 4.29 and a standard deviation of 0.23. The feasibility aspect had the lowest mean of 4.00 and a standard deviation of 0.38.