As social media environment proliferates, it has become a predominant source where people obtain information. In the education context, a novel role “education influencers (EDUI)” has emerged. This role can be found in various scenarios and different forms. For instance, we see teachers gain celebrity by sharing their innovative teaching methods within online communities. There are also educators establishing non-profit organizations to advocate specific education ideas. These all pose significant impacts to the field of education. Previous studies have largely touched on the observable aspects of education influencers such as their actions or behaviors. This study aims to bridge the research gap by exploring the underlying context of the role of education influencers.

The study employs semi-structured, in-depth interviews with education influencers from diverse domain in Taiwan. Open-ended around the development process of their roles and their perceptions are asked. The results after a thematic analysis of the interview responses reveals three major themes. 1) EDUIs share similar personalities which drive them to alternative paths of education practices. 2) EDUIs initiate the influencer works by emulating predecessor models. 3) A “flywheel effect” is found in the influencer work, serving as an enhancement leverage. The researcher concludes that the role of education influencer is worth-promoting to inspire and empower more passionate, diverse practitioners to contribute to and enrich the field of education. Concurrently, there is a need to explore a broader range of influencer activities to further expand the potentialities in this area.

Authors:
Yen-Chen Chiang, National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan

About the Presenter(s)
Mr. Yen-Chen Chiang is a M.A. student in education at National Sun Yat-Sen Univeristy, Taiwan.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yen-chen-chiang-81b68510a/

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