A number of researchers (Hoy & Tschannen-Moran, Bryk & Schneider) have explored the issue of trust in schools, and the impact of trust---or its absence---on teaching and learning. Some research has focused specifically on faculty or collegial trust in traditional face-to-face school settings. Bryk & Schneider's 2002 book Trust in Schools, a study of social relationships in Chicago schools, finds that schools characterized by high "relational trust" showed marked gains in student achievement.
The emergence of personal learning networks, or PLNs, is relatively recent. Arguably, a PLN represents a new kind of opt-in professional setting with its own mores, goals, affordances, and constraints---all potentially impacted by relational trust, or the lack of it. What degree of relational trust exists in our personal learning networks? How does this compare with relational trust in our face-to-face school/work settings? How does it affect our work in these different settings?
ABOUT THE SURVEY
This utterly unscientific, fly-by-night survey is an informal attempt to gather information about the questions above for fun and edification. Survey items were taken from Hoy & Tschannen-Moran's Omnibus Trust Scale (Find the instrument at http://tinyurl.com/437cfm . Read more about its development for use in their trust study at http://tinyurl.com/3g5d4m). Item phrasing was modified to fit the PLN context ("Colleagues in my network" used in place of "Teachers in this school"). I only included question items associated with what Hoy calls the "Faculty Trust in Colleagues" subscale, since this survey is only getting at the colleague-to-colleague dimension of relational trust. Thanks to Professor Hoy for generously making the Omnibus T-Scale available for professional and personal development purposes.
TAKING THE SURVEY
Estimated completion time: 2-3 minutes.
The first half of the survey addresses relational trust in your PLN---these items start with "Colleagues in my network." The optional second half addresses relational trust in your school setting---items start with "Teachers in my school." If the second half strikes a little too close to home for comfort, you have permission to jump ship.
Thanks for taking the survey. I'll distribute a summary of results via Twitter. Feel free to share and re-post with abandon. Questions? Thoughts? Email me at sschwister at gmail dot com or tweet @sschwister.