COLLABORATIVE Engagement of Public-School Teachers on Facebook: A Critical Discourse ANALYSIS

Abstract

This study aimed at analyzing collaborative engagements between teacher to teacher and teacher to learner on Facebook, focusing on discursive types, language features, and the power of language in shaping the understanding of academic challenges. Purposively chosen 50 teacher-to-teacher and 50 teacher-to-learner collaborative engagements on Facebook served as the corpora and were analyzed employing critical discourse analysis. To ensure the validity and reliability of the analysis, 34 participants, composed of 10 public-school teachers and 10 senior high students for in-depth interviews, and seven public-school teachers and seven senior high students for focus group discussions, served as participants in this research. Findings reveal pragmatism as the frequently used discursive type in the interactions. As for language features, classification schemes are predominant. The power of language manifests in that language exposes institutional and legal control over individuals. Moreover, the IDI and FGD generated essential themes such as fostering empathy and resilience and communicating best practices and strategies. This study reveals how Facebook is a platform for teachers to exchange experiences, propose reforms, and advocate for systemic change. The findings of this research provide valuable insights into how collaborative engagements among public-school teachers on Facebook illuminate systemic challenges in the academe while offering routes for improvement. These findings emphasize the importance of promoting teacher collaboration to improve educational practices and policies.