University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

TikToking and Instagramming: following high school teacher influencers' roles in supporting and informing teacher practices

(USC Thesis Other)

TikToking and Instagramming: following high school teacher influencers' roles in supporting and informing teacher practices

PDF

Download a page range

Download transcript

Copy asset link

Request this asset

Transcript (if available)

Content TikToking and Instagramming: Following High School Teacher Influencers’ Roles in
Supporting and Informing Teacher Practices
Juan Luis Zozaya Tellez
Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
A dissertation submitted to the faculty
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Education
August 2024

© Copyright by Juan Luis Zozaya Tellez 2024
All Rights Reserved

The Committee for Juan Luis Zozaya Tellez certifies the approval of this Dissertation
Gregory Franklin
Monique Datta
Cathy Krop, Committee Chair
Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
2024

iv
Abstract
This qualitative study applies the Connectivism learning theory which purports effective learning
can occur via modern-day technology. Teacher influencers and their content on TikTok and
Instagram, social media platforms, were examined, and the degree to which they can support
teacher practices was explored. The purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions that
high school teachers have of high school level teacher influencers’ role in education and to
determine the perception high school level teacher influencers have of themselves in their roles
of informing and supporting teacher practices via TikTok and Instagram. Two semi-structured
interview protocols were used to understand the experiences of both participant groups of high
school teachers and high school level teacher influencers. Purposive sampling was used with
teachers completing a recruitment questionnaire and indicating their interest in completing a
forty-five minute semi-structured interview. Findings from this study indicated that
Connectivism fits the connections and learning that are occurring when high school teachers
connect and engage with teacher influencer content on social media platforms like TikTok and
Instagram. Teacher influencers are providing access to educational stakeholders into
contemporary classrooms, highlighting the innovative educational use of emergent technologies
by high school teachers in the United States. High school teachers reported a myriad of positive
instructional uses of teacher influencer content. Teacher influencers and their content are also
expanding the professional learning communities of high school teachers, reducing professional
isolation, and supporting teacher perceptions of self-efficacy. This study begins to amplify the
educational potential of emergent technologies like social media platforms to support and inform
teacher practices and ultimately improve student outcomes in the 21st century and beyond.

v
Dedication
To my family for loving me and instilling in me the values of equity, humility, and resilience.
To my romantic partner for providing encouragement, love, and patience throughout my
educational journey.
To my friends for filling my life with cherished memories and everlasting bonds.
To my students past, present, and future for providing me with an enriching sense of purpose to
improve academic outcomes and the quality of life for all.

vi
Acknowledgments
I would like to express a great sense of gratitude for my Dissertation Chair, Dr. Cathy
Krop. Your guidance and support throughout this process was invaluable and instrumental. I
would also like to thank Dr. Monique Datta and Dr. Gregory Franklin for their feedback and
support. Thank you all for believing in me and in this dissertation topic.

vii
Table of Contents
Abstract.......................................................................................................................................... iv
Dedication....................................................................................................................................... v
Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... vi
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. ix
List of Figures................................................................................................................................. x
Chapter One: Overview of the Study.............................................................................................. 1
Background of the Problem ................................................................................................ 1
Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................................... 3
Significance of the Study.................................................................................................... 3
Organizational Context ....................................................................................................... 4
Overview of Theoretical Framework and Methodology .................................................... 5
Organization of the Study ................................................................................................... 6
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature .......................................................................................... 7
Overview of Teacher Social Media Use ............................................................................. 7
The Rise and Role of Teacher Influencers........................................................................ 11
The Role of Teacher Influencers Supporting and Informing Teacher Practices .............. 21
Connectivism Learning Theory ........................................................................................ 24
Chapter Three: Methodology........................................................................................................ 29
Overview of Methodology................................................................................................ 29
Data Sources ..................................................................................................................... 30
Interviews.......................................................................................................................... 31
Participants........................................................................................................................ 31
Instrumentation ................................................................................................................. 33
Data Collection ................................................................................................................. 34

viii
Credibility and Trustworthiness........................................................................................ 36
Ethics................................................................................................................................. 37
The Researcher.................................................................................................................. 38
Chapter Four: Findings................................................................................................................. 41
Participants........................................................................................................................ 42
Research Question 1 Findings .......................................................................................... 43
Research Question 2 Findings .......................................................................................... 53
Research Question 3 Findings .......................................................................................... 60
Summary........................................................................................................................... 74
Chapter Five: Discussion and Recommendations for Practice ..................................................... 76
Discussion of Findings...................................................................................................... 76
Recommendations for Practice ......................................................................................... 84
Limitations and Delimitations........................................................................................... 91
Recommendations for Future Research............................................................................ 92
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 93
References..................................................................................................................................... 95
Appendix A: High School Teacher Interview ............................................................................ 102
Appendix B: Teacher Influencer Interview ................................................................................ 104
Appendix C: Teacher Influencer Recruitment Questionnaire Via Microsoft Forms.................. 106
Appendix D: High School Teacher Recruitment Questionnaire Via Microsoft Forms.............. 107
Appendix C: Teacher Influencer Recruitment Questionnaire Via Microsoft Teams................. 106
Appendix D: High School Teacher Recruitment Questionnaire Via Microsoft Teams ............. 107

ix
List of Tables
Table 1: The Evolution of Types of Social Media Influencers 13
Table 2: Participant Information and Pseudonyms 43
Table 3: Breakdown of Participants’ Perceived Effects of Teacher 71
Influencer Content on Self-Efficacy
Table 4: Key Findings and Recommendations 85

x
List of Figures
Figure 1: Connectivism Conceptual Framework Visual 27

1
Chapter One: Overview of the Study
The ubiquitous use of modern technology, such as the internet, smartphones, and social
media, has led to the emergence of new and innovative educational resources. Teachers are
increasingly engaging in self-directed professional learning activities via social media that are
aligned to individual needs and interests (Carpenter & Harvey, 2019). Teachers consume a wide
variety of content on social media platforms, and an emerging source of knowledge and support
for teachers is teacher influencers. These individuals are also known as educator influencers, and
they use social media platforms to gain large audiences of educator followers, and, in some
cases, monetize this attention (Carpenter et al., 2022). Teacher influencers may promote
collaboration, networking, and support systems to other teacher influencers, educators, and
teachers (Carpenter et al., 2020). Social support is vital for teachers who must cope with various
stressors, such as workload and lack of social support, that ultimately lead to teacher burnout and
teacher shortages, negatively impacting public education (Richter et al., 2022). While the
presence of teacher influencers has grown rapidly, little is known about their role or impact on
teacher practices. This study provided understanding of teacher influencer impact from the
perspective of high school teachers and high school level teacher influencers and can be used by
school administrators and teachers in guiding the effective use of teacher influencer content to
advance teaching and learning.
Background of the Problem
Teachers face the daunting task of meeting the demands of a wide variety of stakeholders.
Social media has increasingly been identified as a space for educator networking where
resources and support can be shared for the benefit of teachers (Carpenter et al., 2022). Teacher
influencer content derived from social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok could be

2
utilized to offset the distaste for and ineffectiveness of much of educator professional
development (PD) in K–12 public schools (Carpenter & Harvey, 2019). PD in K–12 public
schools is commonly characterized by a one-size-fits-all approach that may be misaligned with
individual educator needs, experiences, interests, and readiness (Carpenter & Harvey, 2019). PD
and learning opportunities for teachers are often removed from the daily teaching experiences of
educators. Effective PD situates teachers in learning processes similar to their day-to-day
experiences, instead of focusing on specific activities in isolation from the complex teaching and
learning environments in which teachers work (Opfer & Pedder, 2011). PD is often criticized for
its disjointed nature and top-down mandates that position teachers as passive recipients of
irrelevant and inapplicable information (Trust et al., 2016). PD tends to consist of one-off
learning experiences instead of consistent and relevant long-term experiences.
High school teachers utilizing content produced by teacher influencers may benefit
personally and professionally from the application of teacher influencer content to their
instructional practices. Teacher influencers are an emerging source of knowledge that can expand
teachers’ professional learning networks by sharing resources related to social justice, equity, and
effective classroom practices (Shelton et al., 2020). Teacher influencer content may also be able
to mitigate professional isolation amongst teachers. Teacher influencer content is generally
positive and affirming of teachers and education and may offer emotional support to educators
who report high rates of burnout stemming from professional isolation (Richter et al., 2022).
However, education-related social media content developed by teacher influencers can at times
be of questionable quality and lack credibility (Carpenter & Harvey, 2019). A major concern of
teacher influencer content is quality, authenticity, and validity. Much of the content teacher
influencers produce and publish is not monitored through a substantive peer or expert reviewed

3
process leading to teachers’ questioning of the educational relevance and value of teacher
influencer content (Shelton et al., 2020). The teacher influencer content may be of dubious
quality and equally as irrelevant as PD content produced and presented within individual schools
(Richter et al., 2022). There is still much to learn about the role of teacher influencers, as well as
ways in which teacher influencer content may positively impact high school teachers’ practices.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to better understand the current and potential role of teacher
influencers in supporting high school teachers and their instructional practices at Brown Cave
High School (BCHS), a pseudonym. Specifically, this study included teacher influencers on
social media who are also high school teachers and BCHS teachers who utilize social media and
consume teacher influencer content.
Three research questions guided this study:
1. How do high school level teacher influencers perceive their roles?
2. How do high school level teacher influencers inform the instructional and curricular
practices of high school teachers?
3. How can high school level teacher influencers promote collaboration, networking,
and support among high school teachers?
Significance of the Study
Educators are constantly finding innovative ways to supplement and develop their
teaching and learning opportunities. Teachers are using online social media platforms, such as
TikTok and Instagram, in a professional manner to gain new ideas and learn from teacher
influencers on the platforms (Shelton et al., 2020). Gauging how teachers perceive and utilize
this content could provide useful insights to more effectively support teachers. In addition, it

4
could inform how educators more broadly evaluate teacher influencer content, which is only
increasing in breadth and popularity (Carpenter et al., 2022).
Social media platforms contain teacher influencers at multiple levels throughout K–12
education, and this study focused specifically on high school level teacher influencers. Viewing
high school level teacher influencer content, specifically, provides unique content, insights, and
information that can help contribute to a better understanding of the growing phenomena of
teacher influencer culture that is popular among high school teachers utilizing social media for
professional purposes (Shelton et al., 2020). Education influencers are embedded within the
context of educator social media use and have rapidly become important resource sites for
teachers’ professional activity (Carpenter et al., 2022), supplementing other more formal forms
of teacher professional development. This makes it important to understand their role and how
they inform instructional and curricular practices of high school teachers. Equipping teachers and
school administrators with an understanding of the role and potential beneficial uses of high
school level teacher influencer content may lead to better support of high school teachers.
Organizational Context
BCHS is a large, urban, Title I high school serving a minority-majority student
demographic. BCHS is located in the Southwest part of the United States and enjoys veteran
administrative leadership, state of the art facilities, and a burgeoning student enrollment. BCHS
has approximately 120 certified teachers, 50 educational-related staff, and a five-person
administrative leadership team. Enrollment at BCHS exceeds 3,000 high school students, and the
school provides a well-balanced science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics
(STEAM) instructional curriculum. The mission of the school is to develop the potential of all
students, staff, and community.

5
Overview of Theoretical Framework and Methodology
This study utilized connectivism as the theoretical framework guiding the study,
including examining and contextualizing the research findings. Connectivism is a learning theory
that seeks to understand and explain how information processing and learning, which was
believed to occur only in the learner, can now be supported by computer technology (Foroughi,
2015). Social media, which is facilitated by computer technology available in mobile devices,
smartphones, laptops, and other electronic devices, is functioning as a learning space for teachers
engaging with teacher influencer content. The rapid scientific and technological advancements in
computer technology have led to an exponential rise in accessible knowledge. Empowering
teachers to access and implement content gleaned from teacher influencers may be beneficial to
both teachers and students (Goldie, 2016).
This study used a qualitative approach to examine the relationship between high school
level teacher influencers and high school teachers. Six public high school level teacher
influencers participated in semi-structured interviews. The high school level teacher influencer
content was viewed through a one-way mirror, where it was possible to provide descriptions,
direct quotations, and observer comments (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). High school level teacher
influencers were identified through a combination of identifiers such as education-related
hashtags, educator influencer verbiage in captions, and follower count. Some education-related
hashtags were #teacherinfluencer, #influencer, #education, and #eduinfluencer. Teacher
influencer social media accounts needed to have at least 500 followers to be identified as high
school level teacher influencers for the purposes of this study. This study included only high
school level teacher influencers who were still teaching in a classroom. Some high school level
teacher influencers are no longer in the classroom and instead are education consultants,

6
counselors, school administrators, or higher education professors, among other roles. In addition,
semi-structured interviews were also conducted with five high school classroom teachers from
BCHS who disclosed they actively viewed and used TikTok and Instagram instructional and
curricular content from high school level teacher influencers’ posts.
Organization of the Study
This dissertation is organized into five chapters. Chapter One included the focus of the
study, the research questions, a brief description of BCHS and teacher influencers, and an
overview of the theoretical framework and methodology. Chapter Two provides a review of
current literature and connectivism as the framework used to guide the study. Chapter Three
describes the methodology used in the data collection through the interviews and the process of
data analysis. Chapter Four follows with a narrative of the study participants and the presentation
of study findings. The study concludes in Chapter Five with a discussion of the study findings,
recommendations for practice, and areas for future research.

7
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature
This chapter provides a review of the literature on 21st century technologies, such as
smartphones and social media, social media use in education, the emergence of teacher
influencers on social media, and the different ways in which teacher influencers are informing
and supporting teacher practices and educational settings, within the context of the current state
of professional development and learning for teachers. The literature review will be followed by
a discussion of the connectivism learning theory guiding this study to examine the way teacher
influencers on social media influence teacher practices through the mediums of technology and
socialization (Goldie, 2016). Connectivism as a framework in conjunction with the literature
review will be used to help understand the viability and effectiveness of teachers using teacher
influencer content as an educational tool to support their practice and educational settings.
Overview of Teacher Social Media Use
Teachers are increasingly leveraging social media platforms as learning tools, with wideranging impacts on the educators, their teaching, and student learning. Social media’s omnipotent
and expansive footprint in the 21st century makes it a potential learning tool with substantial
educational viability (Foroughi, 2015). The resourcefulness of teachers coupled with the appeal
of social media has led to the rise of the use of social media for pedagogical purposes. Barrot
(2021) explained the versatility in educator use of social media stating, “Social media offers
flexible affordances that can be used to share resources, deliver instruction, facilitate interaction,
promote collaboration, and enhance the learning environment” (p. 647).
Social media is not merely a Web 2.0 entertainment platform, but it is a dynamic and
multidisciplinary tool with billions of users (Barrot, 2021). Teachers’ use of social media is wideranging, unique, and creative. An increasing number of teachers have begun accessing online

8
platforms for both formal and informal learning to enhance their teaching practice (Trust et al.,
2016). One way teachers are using social media for educational purposes is to collaborate with
other educators, which is important since teacher collaboration is positively connected to
teachers’ well-being, job satisfaction, and student achievement (Richter et al., 2022).
Although teacher collaboration traditionally occurred within schools, many teachers are
leveraging social media platforms for a wide range of collaborative activities (Richter et al.,
2022). Teachers are using online social media platforms, such TikTok and Instagram, in a
professional manner to gain new ideas and learn from other educators (Shelton et al., 2020).
Richter et al. (2022) states, “Social media platforms can be sites for professional collaboration
and the provision of digital support among teachers” (p. 1). Formal learning, informal learning,
and non-formal learning are just a few examples as to how teachers use social media as an
educational tool (Barrot, 2021). A structured academic context with an instructor is formal
learning, while informal learning refers to learning that is learner-controlled and guided. Nonformal learning relates to a non-school learning context that nonetheless provides insights for the
teachers utilizing social media platforms (Barrot, 2021). One example of informal learning with
which teachers engaged on social media platforms occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic
when many teachers sought out insights and strategies for remote teaching and learning online
(Richter et al., 2022). Social media as an educational tool is versatile because teachers can access
educational content when it is convenient and on multiple devices, such as smartphones, laptops,
tablets, and desktops (Trust et al., 2016).
Social media can be a promising educational tool that helps teachers professionally,
pedagogically, and personally. Educator groups even exist within social media platforms that are
generally easily accessible and can function as additional pathways for teachers to bypass

9
traditional gatekeepers, such as administrators and department heads (Arantes & Buchanan,
2022). Social media platforms can lead to more equitable opportunities for teachers to lead in
these online spaces (Shelton et al., 2020). Social media does not only offer educational content to
teachers, but it also offers collaboration and leadership opportunities. Teachers may no longer be
limited to traditional school level leadership roles characterized by teachers who take on
leadership responsibilities while maintaining teaching responsibilities (Shelton et al., 2020).
Teachers can inform the practices of other educators or even coach other teachers and develop
agency on social media platforms that may be otherwise unavailable.
Teacher Social Media Use Within the Context of Professional Learning, Professional
Development, and Adult Learning Theory
Personalized and andragogical professional learning opportunities are beneficial for
teachers and, by extension, students and the school community. Teacher professional learning is
critical for the cultivation of the myriad of skills necessary to support student academic success
(Carter Andrews & Richmond, 2019). Collaborative structures within professional learning are
highly effective when combined with building teacher capacity for agency, contain inquiry
approaches, and address a combination of individual and collective learning (Foster, 2022).
Effective professional learning opportunities also incorporate the social and cultural contexts in
which teachers and students operate when designing and implementing learning opportunities
(Carter Andrews & Richmond, 2019).
Determinants of effective professional learning opportunities include enduring positive
impacts on student learning, classroom practice, and school leadership (Guskey, 2021).
Professional development (PD) which targets a skill or topic that will only be important in the
short-term will be less appealing than PD focusing on developing a skill that impacts long term

10
goals. Teacher leadership and input are two key components of effective PD for teachers
(McCray, 2018). Professional learning opportunities for teachers should not be developed in
isolation of teacher input and needs.
Professional development must be aligned with teachers’ personal and school-based
objectives to maximize efficacy (McCray, 2018). Teachers will find professional learning
opportunities more relevant and meaningful when there is a clear added benefit from
participating in a professional learning opportunity. Effectively designed PD opportunities for
teachers consider teacher beliefs and attitudes towards technological, pedagogical, and content
knowledge (Paulus et al., 2020). PD and learning opportunities for teachers are necessary to
maintain properly trained and prepared teachers for contemporary teaching and learning.
Any professional learning opportunity provided to teachers should be based on adult
learning principles. Effective adult learning through PD typically includes: content-focused,
active learning; collaboration via job-embedded contexts; modeling; coaching support; feedback;
reflection; and sustained duration (Martin & Mulvihill, 2023). Professional learning and
development opportunities that lack thoughtfully embedded adult learning principles will not be
effective. Thoughtfully designed and implemented professional learning opportunities should be
viewed as an essential component of a holistic system of teaching and learning that supports the
development of the knowledge skills and competencies necessary to succeed in the 21st century
(Martin and Mulvihill, 2023).
Effectively educating teachers requires actively viewing adults as unique learners and
incorporating adult education principles into professional learning opportunities (Beavers, 2009).
There are five major underlying assumptions of adult learners: independent self-concept and
ability to direct her own learning; an accumulation of life experiences that functions as a rich

11
resource for learning; learning needs closely associated with changing social roles; interested in
immediate application of knowledge; and motivated to learn by internal instead of external
factors (Merriam, 2001). Teachers are unique adult learners that, if provided with appropriate
learning experiences, will generally improve their practice. Supplementing adult learning
experiences with contemporary technologies may also yield positive results (Schmeichel et al.,
2023). Schools that want to maximize teacher efficacy will ensure professional learning theories
contain adult learning principles and explore emerging technologies and education tools.
The Rise and Role of Teacher Influencers
The educational potential of social media may only be legitimized when concrete positive
results are seen in K–12 education stemming from social media content. The prominence of
social media in education necessitates systematic integration by learning institutions into
learning management systems and proper training of teachers and students (Barrot, 2021). The
social media content applicable to K–12 settings and learning is substantial. Assertive
technologies are social media platforms or online applications where users have a voice and can
create content instead of purely consume content (Willis et al., 2023). Teacher influencers have
transformed social media platforms meant for sharing and consuming content into a powerful,
global, technological tool that can reach and influence substantial numbers of educators
(Greenhow et al., 2020). Social media influences and, subsequently, teacher influencers emerged
due to the increased use of digital technologies within society.
The Rise of Social Media Influencers and Educator Influencers
The proliferation of the internet and social media platforms created an opportunity for the
emergence of a 21st century internet-based persona and educational resources. A social media
influencer is a social media user who leverages their following to promote and sell products

12
(Schmeichel et al., 2023). Social media influencers with substantial followers ranging from
thousands to millions may receive payments, gifts, travel experiences, and other benefits in
exchange for endorsements on their social media platforms (Carpenter et al., 2022). Influencers
on social media generally have a niche area of interest and sphere of influence, (i.e., beauty
influencers who use and promote hair and makeup products; pet influencers who use and
promote different types of treats, beds, and walking services, etc.). (Schmeichel et al., 2023).
Social media influencers continue to rise in popularity which can be determined by their number
of followers. Teachers have emerged on social media as teacher influencers who promote
different kinds of products ranging from teacher fashion to educational materials used in the
classroom (Schmeichel et al., 2023).
Teacher influencers have multiple roles that can be considered on a spectrum from
informal and profit driven to formal and educational. Influenced by the rise of social media
influencers, individuals who occupy highly visible roles in popular culture and marketing,
teacher influencers are now on the rise as highly visible individuals within the sphere of
education. Contemporary social relations and social practices in tandem with popular
technologies allow teachers to be influencers on social media platforms (Arantes & Buchanan,
2022).
Teacher influencers emerged in the first 2 decades of the 21st century due to the
proliferation of technology in schools and classrooms. Internet technologies such as social media
have never been so ubiquitous in society and now exist across our lives at home, school,
community boundaries, and the world (Greenhow et al., 2020). See Table 1 for an overview of
the different terms used to describe social media users with substantial followerships and their
specific focuses.

13
Table 1
The Evolution of Types of Social Media Influencers
Era of emergence Descriptor Definition Source
Late-2000s social media
influencer
social media users
who leverage their
social media
following to
promote and sell
products and create
partnerships with
brands, companies,
and individuals
Schmeichel et al.,
2023 and Carpenter
et al., 2022
Early-2010s teacherpreneur teachers who seek to
have impact
beyond their
classrooms and
generate additional
income by
improving teaching
and learning by
leveraging online
marketplaces to sell
classroom
resources
Carpenter et al., 2022
and Hartung et al.,
2023
Late-2010s edu-influencer teachers and
educators who
share useful
resources via social
media or reinforce
the status quo or
disrupt it by
steering online
conversations
around teaching
and learning by
promoting specific
education-related
services, products,
practices, and
pedagogies
Arantes & Buchanan,
2022 and Shelton
et al., 2020

14
Era of emergence Descriptor Definition Source
Early-2020s teacher influencer teachers who
disseminate their
teaching practices
online and garner
substantial
followers and
quasi-commercial
roles in the process
Arantes & Buchanan,
2022 and
Schmeichel et al.,
2023
Teacher influencers have achieved a sort of micro-celebrity status via web-based
technologies, differing from more traditional offline celebrities' paths to fame and notoriety
(Carpenter et al, 2022). Teacherpreneurs are individuals who embody dual roles as teachers and
entrepreneurs and make financial gains through marketing, branding, and selling of educational
products and services (Shelton et al., 2021). Some teachers in the social media spaces discover
an economic opportunity through the sharing of resources in online marketplaces, such as
TeachersPayTeachers.com which contains about 200,000 online teacherpreneurs (Shelton et al.,
2021). Teacherpreneurs are closely associated with teachers who desire to procure additional
streams of income by monetizing their social media platforms via their number of followers.
Other teacher influencers share information out of a desire to be standout education
professionals who strengthen the education field and improve student learning (Richter et al.,
2022). Unlike teacherpeneurs who are mainly focused on monetizing their followerships, teacher
influencers instead focus on supporting other teachers. Teacher influencers can support teachers
and influence the field of education in a variety of ways. For example, in some cases teacher
influencers focus on providing emotional support to teachers who may be experiencing burnout
or professional isolation (Richter et al., 2022).

15
Edu-influencers overlap with the focuses of teacher influencers but also seek broader
impact beyond the classroom. Edu-influencers share useful resources, facilitate teacher
networking, and even share ideas around social justice and equity (Shelton et al., 2020). Eduinfluencers employ a distinct leadership style that transcends physical bodies of employment and
digital spaces (Carpenter et al, 2022). These different iterations of teacher identities revolving
around digital spaces provide teachers great leadership opportunities that can even result in
monetary compensation.
The rise of teacher influencers can be attributed in part to the ascendance and popularity
of social media platforms, lack of availability of instructional materials, and low wages that force
teachers to find a side hustle or additional streams of income (Schmeichel et al., 2023). Effective
teachers are the most important school-based determinant of student educational performance,
yet there is a long-trending erosion of teacher wages (Allegretto & Mishel, 2020).
Due to historically low teaching pay and the emergence of a new normal within a 21st
century technology era, the monetization of teacher materials is occurring (Torphy et al., 2020).
Innovative teachers are findings ways to monetize their pedagogy via social media platforms.
Social media enables teachers to disrupt common examples of teacher leadership which have
been defined as teachers who remain in a K–12 classroom but take on additional responsibilities,
often without appropriate compensation (Shelton et al., 2020). Teacher influencers continue to
evolve as social media becomes more widespread and available to more people. The next
iteration of teacher influencers may have even more potential to transform teacher practice, and
the role social media and teacher influencer content plays in educational settings.
Teacher Influencers As Educational Resources

16
Teacher influencers’ reach is uninhibited by traditional limitations such as time, location,
and physical space. Teacher influencers are engaging and informing educators via social media
which can circumvent traditional temporal and geographical barriers to communication (Richter
et al., 2022). The content teacher influencers share via social media platforms varies and
generally involves collaboration and sharing of resources. For example, a study by Shelton et al.
(2020) focused on examining the profiles of 18 teacher influencers and then conducting
interviews with the owners of the social media profiles. The study described how most of the
teacher influencer profiles examined shared alignment to at least one of these four themes:
promotional content, motivational content, soliciting engagement, and advocating for certain
classroom approaches.
Teacher influencers focus on instructional resource curation for their students’ needs and
engage in the creation and sharing of instructional resources across social media to support and
collaborate with other teachers (Torphy et al., 2020). Teachers have utilized multiple social
media platforms such as Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to connect with
stakeholders beyond their individual schools to network, share ideas, and enhance their curricular
materials (Carpenter et al, 2020). Teachers are no longer bound to their individual schools or
districts for instructional resources, learning opportunities, and PD.
Teachers' physical social networks are now expanding into curated digital spaces that are
aligned to individual teacher needs and teaching dispositions (Torphy et al., 2020). Teachers
spend up to 12 hours per week seeking out and retrieving instructional resources online
(McNulty, 2016). In-service and novice teachers are increasingly utilizing online resources for
classroom inspiration and professional support almost as often as they seek out a teacher,

17
professional colleague, or their university instructors for supportive input (Shelton et al., 2020).
The networks, colleagues, and ideas with which teachers can interface are virtually limitless.
Subsets of teacher influencers, predominantly educators of color, have also emerged that
have social justice-oriented pedagogies; promote instructional resources with diverse characters;
and engage in messaging that criticizes racial disparities in health, policing, rent, and debt
(Shelton et al., 2022). Education influencers encourage and support engagement with critical
social justice issues, in addition to offering pedagogical support to teachers (Carpenter et al.,
2020). There is an enormous potential for teacher influencers to elevate racial justice discourses
on social media while simultaneously providing instructional and emotional support to their
followers and other teachers. Teacher influencers are an emerging source of knowledge that can
expand teachers’ professional learning networks by sharing resources related to social justice,
equity, and effective classroom practices (Shelton et al., 2020).
Teacher influencer content could be a useful tool for teachers to incorporate anti-racist,
culturally relevant, and emancipatory educational content and teaching practices. For example,
social media has been credited with affording teachers’ opportunities to develop identities that
are traditionally not provided in a teacher’s day-to-day environment, such as teacher activists or
political agents focused on educational overhauls (Hartung et al., 2023). Teachers can seek out
teacher influencers on specific social media platforms and generate rapport and influence on
topics relevant to their needs and interests. Teachers may also pedagogically benefit from
viewing the content of specific teacher influencers that highlights anti-bias and anti-racist
messages that promote a social justice and equity orientation in the classroom (Shelton et al.,
2020). Educational content on social media and teacher influencers enables teachers to seek out

18
advice and instructional support without the social stigma of turning to their school site
colleagues (Torphy et al., 2020).
The topics and content teacher influencers share and disseminate on social media
platforms have led to discussions of leadership opportunities for teacher influencers within
education. Teacher influencers could be considered a new 21st century leadership type due to
their ability to function as peer coaches who help their teacher colleagues access new ideas, such
as implementing effective classroom management strategies and instructional practices (Shelton
et al., 2020). Data advocacy and stewardship of student interfacing with online learning
platforms and teachers' use of teacher influencer content could create a new role for teacher
influencers within the educational landscape. Teacher influencers could occupy formal roles
within schools that focus on data advocacy and stewardship around the benefits and challenges
of educational technology and emerging 21st century learning trends and pedagogical approaches
(Arantes & Buchanan, 2022). Teacher influencers offer a wide range of benefits for educational
stakeholders and could be vital in improving teaching and learning in educational settings. The
size and influence of social media spaces continues to grow and may necessitate a better
understanding of the role of social media by education policy makers, administrators, teachers,
students, and parents (Greenhow et al., 2020).
Teacher influencers and the educational spaces that exist on social media platforms are
actively creating and expanding virtual experiences and environments that could be
instructionally relevant to teachers and beneficial for public education. Specifically, teachers may
pedagogically benefit from viewing the content of specific teacher influencers that highlights
anti-bias and anti-racist messages that promote a social justice and equity orientation in the
classroom (Shelton et al., 2020). Social media is a democratizing force that mitigates barriers to

19
participation and allows individuals to circumvent traditional gatekeepers. This results in
increasing the visibility and influence of voices and opinions of teachers who are usually
overlooked (Carpenter et al, 2022). For example, social media enables teachers to interact across
virtual spaces that flatten traditional institutional hierarchical structures and allows individuals to
directly engage with educational decisionmakers and educational reform ideology (Torphy et al.,
2020). Teachers who utilize social media may be able to develop a professional autonomy
previously unavailable to them on site in their schools or in the educational field before the
presence of social media.
Teacher influencers are emerging as versatile and useful educational resources for
teachers, administrators, and the education field. Social media has enabled teachers to be able to
find, share, and discuss instructional resources with teacher influencers and other educators
(Carpenter & Harvey, 2022). Teacher influencers have autonomy in determining whether to
share the instructional and curricular materials free of charge on Instagram and TikTok or for an
affordable price on teacher online marketplaces such as TeachersPayTeachers.com (Arantes &
Buchanan, 2022). Some teacher influencers focus on creating and promoting educational
resources that are justice-oriented and culturally relevant, which can support educational equity
(Shelton et al., 2022). Other teacher influencers focus on the creation of online content and
material that functions as social and emotional support for teachers (Richter et al., 2022).
Teachers may benefit from utilizing teacher influencer content as an educational resource
personally, professionally, and instructionally.
Negative Perceptions and Criticisms of Teacher Influencers
Teacher influencers’ inclination towards individualism and profit are antithetical to the
traditional public-school teacher. Critics of teacher influencers argue teacher influencers may

20
perpetuate a culture of individualism, self-promotion, and capitalism contrary to the democratic
and collaborative notions of the teaching profession (Shelton et al., 2020). Many teachers have
also criticized the self-promotional nature of teacher influencer posts which takes attention away
from instructional material creation and student achievement (Carpenter & Harvey, 2022). The
unabashed self-promotion of some teacher influencers may have a marginalizing effect on
teachers who cannot measure up to the highly stylized and perfectly curated presentation of
teacher influencer content (Shelton et al., 2020). The self-promotional undertones of teacher
influencer content are more apparent in specific types of teacher influencers. For example,
teacherpreneurs tend to have more self-promotional and highly stylized content that is in
alignment with sponsor expectations and generate income outside their teacher salary
(Schmeichel et al., 2023). A better understanding of the different types of teacher influencers
(i.e., edu-influencers and teacherpreneurs) may help with filtering teacher influencer content and
finding instructional content versus commercialized and sponsored educational content.
Some teacher influencers may contribute to a K–12 culture that values superficiality and
individualism over the collective success of teachers and students (Shelton et al., 2020). The
highly curated and performative teacher influencer content may seem difficult to replicate in the
average classroom. As is the case with social media more broadly, teacher influencer content on
social media can promote unhealthy or unrealistic comparisons, which can negatively impact
teacher self-esteem and heighten anxiety (Willis et al., 2023). Teachers may feel instructionally
inadequate or creatively inferior to teacher influencer content which can have a negative impact
on teacher well-being. On the other hand, content aiming to support teachers emotionally,
psychologically, and professionally also exists but may not be readily accessible by teachers due
to individual algorithms (Richter et al, 2022).

21
Teacher influencer content can also be of dubious quality, inconsistent, and problematic
(Shelton et al., 2021). Teacher influencer social media posts can be increasingly difficult for
teachers to discern. Specifically, teachers may find it difficult to discern between teacher
influencer content that prioritizes student learning and well-being over personal financial gain
(Shelton et al., 2020). Social media’s expansive nature only makes it more difficult for teachers
to sift through incompatible and ineffective content to find good quality teacher influencer
content. Professional development in schools aiming to increase teachers’ digital literacy skills
could help teachers sift through the overwhelming and dubious teacher influencer content and
information on social media spaces (Richter et al., 2022). Additionally, teacher professional
learning and development can be negatively impacted by teachers en masse utilizing low quality
teacher influencer content which, in turn, could result in low teaching quality and student
achievement (Torphy et al., 2020). Teacher influencer content can be a powerful instructional
tool for teachers, but it can also have a negative impact on teachers and students without proper
curation and filtering for specific content aligned to teacher and student needs.
The Role of Teacher Influencers Supporting and Informing Teacher Practices
Teacher influencers could be an additional educational resource to improve the lives of
teachers and, ultimately, their students. The content teacher influencers create and post on social
media can be used for teacher professional learning (Carpenter et al., 2020). Social media use for
educational purposes is on the rise for both teachers and students. Teacher dissatisfaction with
internal PD is well documented and has led to many teachers seeking external sources of
learning material that will help them grow as educators (Trust et al., 2016). Teacher influencer
content can now function as an alternative educational resource to perceived ineffective PD
offered in teachers’ places of employment.

22
Teacher influencer content on social media provides teachers with an opportunity to
engage with content that runs counter to institutional structures of oppression (e.g., standardized
testing and uniform curriculums) by presenting instructional content that is culturally relevant,
anti-bias, and anti-racist (Shelton et al., 2022). Teacher influencer content is also a valuable
educational resource for social and emotional support for teachers, with some teacher influencers
focusing on ensuring teachers feel seen and appreciated for their commitment to student learning.
Teachers may benefit from access to a diverse set of resources that are unique and differentiated
to meet the diversity and needs of students (Greenhow et al., 2020). Two critical areas of value
relate to building teacher self-efficacy and building teacher affirming practices.
Building Teacher Self-Efficacy
Teacher influencer content can support teacher self-efficacy through collaborating more
with their colleagues and distributing effective instructional strategies. Teachers who have higher
perceived levels of self-efficacy tend to collaborate and share ideas (Richter et al., 2022). Selfefficacy in teachers can be considered a teacher's confidence and perceived effectiveness in
teaching, managing student behavior, ability to adopt school practices, teacher collaboration, and
implementation of technology in the classroom. Teacher influencer content on Instagram can
support teachers in increasing their self-efficacy, content knowledge, and pedagogical knowledge
(Carpenter et al., 2020). Teacher influencers on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok are
creating diverse and relevant content that can support teachers in a variety of ways, such as
building teacher self-efficacy and affirming teacher practices. Teachers engaging in self-directed
learning of teacher influencer content have reported an increased sense of self-efficacy in content
knowledge and pedagogical knowledge, which could positively impact teaching and student
learning (Carpenter et al., 2020). Teachers with low self-efficacy are less inclined to co-create in

23
their schools and share content on social media (Richter et al., 2022). As teacher self-confidence
and self-efficacy increase, teachers are more likely to share content on social media and feel
more educationally competent and innovative (Richter et al., 2022). Teachers with higher selfefficacy are more likely to collaborate with colleagues and share ideas (Greenhow et al.,
2020). Teacher collaboration both offline and online via traditional learning modalities and social
media platforms could be beneficial for education.
Teacher influencers and the diverse stories and classroom experiences they share on their
social media profiles stand in contrast to concerning aspects of public education in the United
States, which is mired by standardization, low teacher morale, and poor teacher retention rates
(Shelton et al., 2020). Teacher influencers could help increase teacher self-efficacy and morale
which could impact teaching and student learning. Teacher influencers are a ray of positivity for
teachers suffering low job satisfaction, even if the motivational messages contain undertones of
promotion and consumerism (Shelton et al., 2020). Social media could function as a gateway to
uplifting and supportive content that teachers may not necessarily be receiving in their schools’
sites. The ever-growing content on Instagram and TikTok can expose teachers to ideas and
resources that could push teachers’ teaching to new levels and uplift teachers who are
experiencing professional burnout (Carpenter et al., 2020). Teachers who are experiencing
burnout or who have low rates of self-efficacy may benefit from engaging with teacher
influencer content, and students may even benefit as a byproduct.
Building Teacher Affirming Practices
Educational discourse in the United States continues to be divisive in the hyper-polarized
political climate of the early 2020s. Teachers can circumvent psychologically unsafe physical
employment spaces and instead engage with teacher influencer content and instructional

24
resources that affirm classroom efforts and meet the instructional needs of students (Greenhow et
al., 2020). Teachers may be able to view teacher influencer content and learn new perspectives
and pedagogical approaches that can support learning for all students. Teacher influencers
verbally and contextually demonstrate a willingness to create public discourse that promotes
social justice and equity work that challenge traditionally inequitable and racist educational
practices (Shelton et al., 2020).
Marginalized students and students from diverse backgrounds could benefit from a
teacher who views teacher influencer content to affirm their views or beliefs that may be
misaligned with the political climate of their school (Shelton et al., 2022). Teacher influencer
content also has affective benefits such as providing emotional support and the development of a
sense of community (Carpenter et al., 2020). Teacher influencers from a diverse set of racial
backgrounds contribute to the promotion of social justice and racial equity work; however, a
concerning inequitable burden has been observed as the majority of teacher influencers
promoting this narrative are teacher influencers of color (Shelton et al., 2020). As teacher
influencer content continues to grow, it will be increasingly critical for the burden of reimagining
education and disseminating diverse curricular resources to be equitably spread amongst teachers
from diverse backgrounds instead of only teachers of color.
Connectivism Learning Theory
The connectivism learning theory may be useful to interpret the impact of teacher
influencer content on teacher practice. Connectivism is a prominent learning theory developed
for e-learning environments (Goldie, 2016). Connectivism, with its underlying principles geared
towards online learning environments and 21st century Web 2.0 platforms, may be more
appropriate than other 20th century learning theories to examine teacher influencer content and

25
its impact on supporting and informing teacher practice. Goldie (2016) describes connectivism as
“a conceptual framework which views learning as a network phenomenon influenced by
technology and socialization” (p. 1064). Connectivism is built on key tenets of the theories of
behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. Behaviorism focuses on changes in observable
behavior as evidence of learning; cognitivism interprets learning as the input of information in
short term memory, where it is coded for future recall; and constructivism posits that learners
themselves actively and proactively create knowledge based on the interactions with the world
and other learners (Foroughi, 2015). Analyzing social media platforms and the teacher
influencers who influence the instructional practices of teachers through a lens of connectivism
could be a useful way to gauge the value and efficacy of expansive teacher influencer content
and instructional resources for teachers and the education field.
Connectivism seeks to understand how informal and formal learning occurs via the
internet on various applications, akin to teachers viewing teacher influencer content on multiple
social media platforms. One aspect of connectivism is learning communities that cluster together
based on similar areas of interest and enable engagement, sharing, and dialogue (Goldie, 2016).
Teachers who actively use Instagram and TikTok for educational purposes generally filter their
search criteria to locate teacher influencer content, similar to how connectivism connects
individuals with similar interests via the internet. Teacher online learning via teacher influencer
content can take place in synchronous or asynchronous settings using a variety of online
platforms and functions, a criterion for which other learning theories may not be able to fully
account (Sidik et al., 2021).
Foroughi (2015) posited, “Cognitive information processing, which was once thought to
occur only in the learner, can now be performed by and/or supported by computer technology”

26
(p. 14). Teachers can learn new ideas and effective instructional practices by viewing teacher
influencer content. Teachers who engage with teacher influencer content are likely to be exposed
to ideas they will find interesting and engaging, especially when social media algorithms work to
curate content to the preferences of each user (Carpenter et al., 2022). Teachers can
utilize instructional resources gathered from teacher influencer content and adapt them to meet
their specific educational aims and needs of students. Online learning is the most often utilized
educational support resource for both teachers and students (Sidik et al., 2021). It may be
educationally beneficial to determine the viability of teacher influencer content as acceptable,
functional, and widespread K–12 instructional resources. This study focuses on examining how
teacher influencer content supports and informs teacher practice, which connectivism could help
to explore and understand, as connectivism is fundamentally grounded on e-learning
environments, such as those which make up social media platforms.
See Figure 1 which shows the original figure Siemen (2005) used to explain learning in
the digital age along with teacher influencers, teachers, social media instructional content as
resources, and a school classroom. Connectivism is used to interpret and explain teacher
influencer content, instructional resources emerging on social media, and teacher use of social
media resources as instructional resources that are used in the classroom or inform teacher
practices in educational settings. Connectivism originally sought to explain how the emergence
of the digital age enabled a new opportunity for learning via technology and socialization
(Goldie, 2016). This study uses connectivism to expand on learning in digital spaces by focusing
specifically on teacher influencer social media content and how these resources inform and
support teacher practices.

27
Figure 1
Connectivism Conceptual Framework Visual
Summary
Providing relevant, high quality, and enriching professional learning opportunities and
utilizing technology in innovative ways may positively impact student learning. Professional
learning and development opportunities for teachers should be relevant to teacher skill and
interests, as well as to school goals. Teacher learning opportunities that consider the cultural
strengths and the native learning modalities of their students positively influence student learning
(Carter Andrews & Richmond, 2019).
Education continues to be impacted by advancements in technology. Social media, which
is only possible due to the internet and smartphones, is the birthplace of the teacher influencer
(Schmeichel et al., 2023). Teacher influencers have demonstrated resilience and adaptability

28
through the various iterations of teacher influencers that have been identified on social media
(i.e., teacherpreneur and edu-influencer). Despite the self-promotional nature of some teacher
influencer profiles, there is still educational value that can be provided to under resourced
students (Greenhow et al., 2020). Teacher influencer content is yet another dynamic and evergrowing educational tool that can be leveraged by teachers to academically support students.
Teacher influencers are also a vital educational resource and source of support for
teachers, not just students. Teachers are increasingly utilizing teacher influencer content as a
source of affirmation and emotional support (Trust et al., 2016). Teachers need and deserve
respect and empowerment, which teacher influencer content can provide. Teacher influencer
content can also provide instructional support to teachers who are not self-efficacious (Richter et
al., 2022). Teachers with low self-efficacy are otherwise unlikely to collaborate or share ideas.
Teacher influencer content can support a diverse range of teachers, including teachers
with low self-efficacy, teachers seeking affirming content, and teachers wanting to promote
justice-oriented pedagogies. The relational process between teacher influencer content and
teachers can be interpreted through connectivism. The cognitive processing of a teacher is being
facilitated through computer technology which enables teacher influencer content to be viewable.
Connectivism is an appropriate conceptual framework to interpret the impact of teacher
influencer content because of the relationship between social media, teacher influencer content,
smartphones, teacher cognitive processing, and teacher implementation of the learned teacher
influencer strategies. Exploring teacher influencer content as an educational tool for both
students and teachers may yield academic benefits. Teacher influencer content is versatile and
proliferative and may provide insights that can positively impact teacher and students in public
education.

29
Chapter Three: Methodology
This study explored the role of high school level teacher influencers in education and
how they impacted the practices of high school teachers. The focus included the perceptions that
high school level teacher influencers from Instagram and TikTok had of themselves, as well as
the perceptions that high school teachers had of the impact of teacher influencers on their own
instructional and curricular practices. A focus was identifying the ways in which high school
level teacher influencers promoted collaboration among teachers and supported teachers. This
chapter is organized to provide the research questions that guided the study, an overview of the
methodology and research design, and a discussion of the researcher and ethics.
The following research questions guided the study:
1. How do high school level teacher influencers perceive their roles?
2. How do high school level teacher influencers inform the instructional and curricular
practices of high school teachers?
3. How can high school level teacher influencers promote collaboration, networking,
and support among high school teachers?
Overview of Methodology
The research design was a qualitative interview approach as I explored the experiences of
teacher influencers and high school teachers related to the utility and perception of social media
influencer content. Qualitative interviews enabled an analysis of the cultural stories of teacher
influencers, and I utilized the examples of their beliefs and perceptions to gauge how these
informed teacher practices and pedagogy. Qualitative research is an effective research
methodology to understand the meaning people have constructed around specific phenomena and
how they understand and rationalize their experiences (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Understanding

30
the constructed perceptions of both teachers and teacher influencers around teacher influencer
content can help inform educators about the role social media teacher influencer content can play
in public education.
This study included 45-to-60-minute interviews with two sets of participants: high school
level teacher influencers and high school teachers. A semi-structured approach allowed the
researcher to be responsive and flexible in the interviews while also utilizing preset questions as
a guide (Lochmiller & Lester, 2017). This approach meant the interviews were guided by a
prepared list of questions and themes that could be reordered and reworded during the interview,
if needed. It also helped in exploring diverse perspectives and experiences that high school level
teacher influencers and high school teachers had and allowed for contextualization of their
individual experiences. There was specific information sought for the study and a semistructured approach provided an opportunity for the participants to share their specific
information and lived experiences (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
Data Sources
This study utilized primary data from interviews to provide a holistic understanding of
the perceptions teacher influencers have of themselves and how teachers use and see themselves
benefiting from teacher influencer content. One source of data for this study was interviews with
high school teachers. The data collected from the interviews elucidated how teacher influencer
content informs teacher practices and may promote collaboration and support among teachers. A
recruitment questionnaire completed by the high school teacher participants ascertained if they
viewed teacher influencer content on TikTok and Instagram. A second source of data for this
study was interviews with high school level teacher influencers with active profiles on either
Instagram or TikTok. The data collected from the interviews with teacher influencers provided

31
information on the perceptions teacher influencers have of themselves and how they can promote
collaboration and support of teachers.
Interviews
The target population for one set of interviews was high school level teacher influencers
who were also full-time high school teachers. The selective sampling of this study resulted in
purposive sampling (Johnson & Christensen, 2017). The second target population for the second
set of interviews was high school teachers at BCHS who either taught high school English,
Spanish, or social studies. As a teacher who teaches high school level social studies, my shared
experiences with humanities teachers who view teacher influencer content helped provide more
context to the research findings and also required awareness of biases that may have emerged
due to the similar teaching experiences within humanities courses.
Two semi structured interview protocols were used. One sought to understand how high
school level teacher influencers see their role in relation to teacher support and teacher
instructional practice. The other semi-structured interview protocol focused on understanding the
impact high school level teacher influencers have on high school teachers. A semi-structured
interview allowed me to have flexibility in recording responses to pre-scripted questions and
glean information from open ended questions raised by the participants’ responses (Lochmiller &
Lester, 2017). Purposive sampling was the ideal choice because interviewing high school level
teacher influencers and prioritizing teachers who actively view teacher influencer content
provided information particularly relevant to the purpose of this study (Maxwell, 2013).
Participants
One target population for interviews was high school level teacher influencers who had
videos, on either Instagram or TikTok, discussing teaching practices or K–12 education related

32
content. Utilizing purposeful sampling to identify teacher influencers helped me secure
alignment between the teaching experiences of high school level teacher influencers and high
school teachers (Johnson & Christensen, 2017). I reached out to teacher influencers, who
appeared on Instagram or TikTok, via direct message on those apps or via the contact
information provided on their public profiles. In my requests, I identified myself and the purpose
of my study, and, if interested, individuals completed a short recruitment questionnaire in a
provided link. This questionnaire verified that the participants met the criteria sought and
provided a space to enter their contact information for the interview process. The sample of
participants was small and purposeful. I interviewed six high school teacher influencers from
either Instagram or TikTok. Three criteria dictated the inclusion of for the first set of participants
in this study:
• Identify as a teacher influencer or education related social media influencer with at
least 500 followers.
• currently employed in a high school education setting
• Willingness to explain their perceived role in education and potential influence they
may have on teachers.
It was critical for participants to identify as a teacher influencer or education influencer
since their perspectives and understandings as such were explored. It was also critical to
interview individuals who were currently employed in high school level teaching as they had
recent, lived experiences that shared commonalities with the other target population analyzed in
this study.
A second target population for interviews was high school teachers of English, Spanish,
or social studies who viewed teacher influencer content on either Instagram or TikTok. Utilizing

33
purposeful sampling to identify high school teachers who used teacher influencer content helped
secure alignment between the perceptions of high school level teacher influencers on their role
and areas of influence and the perceptions of high school teachers who engage with the content
(Johnson & Christensen, 2017). The study included five teachers at BCHS who teach English,
Spanish, or social studies. I first sent an email out to all English, Spanish, and social studies
teachers at BCHS identifying myself and the purpose of my study. The email asked them, if
interested, to complete a short recruitment questionnaire in a provided link. This questionnaire
verified that the participants met the criteria sought and provided a space to enter their contact
information for the interview process. The sample of participants was small and purposeful. The
five teachers who viewed teacher influencer content on either Instagram or TikTok and
volunteered to participate in the study were included. Three criteria dictated the inclusion for the
second set of participants in this study:
• Identify as an English, Spanish, or social studies teacher.
• currently employed at BCHS
• Express that they view, reflect on, and/or utilize teacher influencer content and
practices from either Instagram or TikTok.
Instrumentation
An interview protocol was utilized to help capture the understandings, perceptions, and
experiences of high school teachers viewing teacher influencer content on social media. The
interview consisted of twelve open ended questions aligned with Research Questions 2 and 3.
See Appendix A to view each interview question and how it aligned with a research question of
this study. The interview began by asking about the high school teachers’ path to K–12 education
and teaching. The opening section of the interview was followed by questions exploring teachers'

34
perception of social media and teacher influencers. And the interview concluded with questions
about the role teacher influencers play in education and how they inform their teaching
practices.
A second interview protocol was utilized to help capture the understandings, perceptions,
and experiences of teacher influencers regarding their role in education and potential impact on
teacher practices. The interview consisted of twelve open ended questions that I asked the
participants. The content of the interview questions was aligned with Research Questions 1 and
3. Appendix B provides a table of each interview question and how they aligned with a research
question of the study. The interview began by asking about their path to K–12 education,
teaching, and social media. The opening section of the interview was followed by questions
exploring their perceptions of their role as teacher influencers. The interview concluded with
questions about how teacher influencers can promote collaboration, networking, and support
among high school teachers.
Data Collection
This study included 45-to-60-minute semi-structured interviews with participants
identifying as teacher influencers or high school teachers who viewed teacher influencer content
on Instagram or TikTok. Purposeful sampling was utilized to help ensure that the selection
process was equitable, specific, and without bias as I follow the set criteria (Johnson &
Christensen, 2017). A Microsoft Form recruitment questionnaire with specific recruitment
criteria was utilized when reaching out to teacher influencers on multiple social media platforms,
as well as to BCHS teachers. This questionnaire link, as well as a description of the purpose and
intent of the study, was shared on these identified platforms. Interested and willing participants
were asked to provide their email and contact information to connect with them regarding the

35
interviews. Once interested participants confirmed they understood the purpose of the study via
email, a Microsoft Forms link was also shared via email with willing participants that provided a
questionnaire regarding usage of teacher influencer content by high school teachers and
confirmation of identifying as a teacher influencer by high school level teacher influencers.
Appendix C provides the list of questions that high school level teacher influencers responded to
via the Microsoft Forms questionnaire. Appendix D provides the list of questions that BCHS
responded to via the Microsoft Teams questionnaire. Ten BCHS high school teachers were
contacted via email and in-person, and the first five to accept to participate in the study and meet
the participant criteria by completing the Microsoft Teams questionnaire shown in Appendix D
were interviewed. The first six high school level teacher influencers who accepted to participate
in the study and meet the participant criteria by completing the Microsoft Teams questionnaire
shown in Appendix C were interviewed. BCHS teacher participants were interviewed first
followed by high school level teacher influencers. Zoom was utilized as the platform to conduct
the interviews, and its transcription service was used to help capture the interview. If I obtained
permission from participants, interviews were recorded on Zoom and transcribed through
Zoom’s service. One BCHS teacher participant was interviewed in person, based on their
preference, and an audio recorder was used to capture their responses. I also took field notes
during the interviews. My written field notes, the recordings, and the transcriptions helped ensure
that I collected data properly and did not miss any data. The data collection methods allowed the
collection of data needed to better understand the experiences, perceptions, and interpretations of
teacher influencers and high school teachers who view teacher influencer content.

36
Credibility and Trustworthiness
My biases, if left unchecked, could have posed serious credibility and trustworthiness
concerns. My research study relied heavily on a curated selection of teacher influencer profiles
on Instagram and TikTok, high school teachers at BCHS as participants, and interview questions
I created. One way to avoid untrustworthy research findings was to deliberately reflect on my
values and expectations as a researcher and to be cognizant as to how these factors may influence
my conduct, curation, and conclusions (Maxwell, 2013). Some questions I posed included: Why
are some teacher influencer profiles selected and not others? What do the teacher influencers I
selected have in common? Are there any underlying themes or trends in the teacher influencers
profiles I selected? These are some steps I took to discipline my subjectivity and also
incorporated introspection and self-monitoring, in addition to reflection (Merriam & Tisdell,
2016). Not being mindful of my research biases throughout each step of the dissertation process
could have led to denial of my research proposal or dubious research outcomes that lacked
credibility and trustworthiness.
In addition to being aware of how my biases’ may have impacted the study, I was also
aware of reactivity in my research, such as during the interview process with my study
participants. Since it is impossible to eliminate my research reactivity, it was in my best interest
to understand and use it productively (Maxwell, 2013). The interview protocol I created and the
ways in which I engaged and interacted with my study participants during the interview process
were of the utmost importance in regard to reactivity or reflexivity, whichever was more
appropriate. Reflexivity is an awareness of the influence the researcher has on the people or topic
being studied, while recognizing how the research experience affects the researcher (Probst,
2015). Whereas reactivity refers to the phenomenon where the presence of the research of the

37
research process itself affects the behavior of participants or the context being studied and
acknowledges that the act of observation can alter the observed behavior (Jiménez-Buedo, 2021).
I was aware that what I said in an interview and how I said it would have an undeniable
influence on my studies’ participants’ responses; therefore, I avoided leading questions and tried
to be hyper aware of what I was saying, how I was saying it, and the aspects of the interview
situation such as power dynamics, environment, and background (Maxwell, 2013).
Ethics
As a high school teacher who interviewed other high school teachers to gain insights into
the way social media teacher influencers informed their practice, there are many ways this could
have resulted in unintentional coercion of my colleagues’ willingness to participate. The content
area on which I chose to focus (i.e., English, Spanish, and social studies) added a layer of
concern and complexity. As a high school social studies teacher, asking my social studies
colleagues to participate in my study could have led to unintentional coercion because my
department colleagues may have only agreed to participate to avoid perceived potential
awkwardness or tension, since we would routinely be working together in various capacities (i.e.,
meetings, curriculum planning, and professional development). Similarly, English and Spanish
teachers may have felt obliged to participate to avoid tension or discomfort in similar meetings,
such as interdisciplinary curriculum planning. To address this, I interviewed non-social studies
teachers and social studies teachers in a different grade level than I taught and who participated
in other professional learning community. This was the best option due to less overall
professional contact and interaction. It could have been difficult to convince my grade level and
professional learning community social studies colleagues that they could willingly say no to
participating in my study (Rubin & Rubin, 2012).

38
My research study included examining the ways in which teachers utilized social media
and how teacher influencers informed teacher practices. Some school stakeholders, colleagues,
or individuals who read my dissertation may not agree or approve of the way teachers utilize
social media. It is my ethical responsibility to avoid publishing material that could lead to a loss
of a job promotion or prove embarrassing for the participants in my study (Rubin & Rubin,
2012). For this reason, maintaining teacher participant anonymity was critical. In addition, part
of my data collection activities involved asking how teachers utilize or how they feel about
teacher influencer content that claims to be anti-racist or non-traditional. This type of content
may have an adverse effect on the participants in my study if the content illustrated is not aligned
to their education beliefs or teaching philosophy.
All participants were informed about what they could expect from the interview process.
This included the granting of permission to record during the Zoom interviews and the audio
recording. Participants were also informed that they were voluntarily participating in the study
and were thus free to withdraw from the study at any time and without issue, which ensured
informed consent (Maxwell, 2013). Findings were reported in an anonymous manner with no
identifying information presented (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Data were collected and stored on
a password protected computer and removed once the study had been completed. The study
received approval from the Institutional Research Board (IRB) of the University of Southern
California to help ensure no one was harmed by this study, according to expectations.
The Researcher
There were several power dynamics at play in the settings that I examined in my research
study. Since my research study focused on social media influencers and how they inform teacher
practices, two settings would be: social media platforms and the school campus. The teacher

39
influencers with substantial followers, such as 100,000 followers or more, might be considered
micro-celebrities and hold assumed power. I held virtually no power in relation to some of the
more popular and influential social media teacher influencers. However, the fewer followers a
teacher influencer had, and the recency of the creation of their teacher influencer social media
accounts, the more relational power I had. A reason for this might be that the more novice social
media teacher influencers may be more inclined, or perhaps even eager, to meet due to their
goals of increasing their influence and follower count. As for the teachers I interviewed who
were employed at my high school campus, there was also no clear imbalance in power dynamics
as I am a high school teacher who interviewed other high school teachers.
As a lower middle class first generation Latino male, there were several power dynamics
that were accounted for in relation to both my research study participants from social media
platforms and those on my school campus. Beginning with the teacher influencer participants
who might be making considerable profits due to monetization of their profile views, I could
have been perceived as interesting or knowledgeable but economically and socially uninteresting
with minimal value. I needed to be mindful of this potential dynamic so I could operate solely as
a researcher interested in the impact social media teacher influencers might have on teachers on
my campus. As for the teachers on my campus who participated in my study and who were
female and people of color, I needed to be mindful of my interactions and word choice,
especially in the recruitment phase of my study.
I needed to be cognizant and proactive about the unveiling of any traumatic conversations
or sensitive aspects of my research methodologies and findings as females of color carry
gendered experiences and views that have been marginalized in conversations about teaching and
learning (Milner, 2007). Being clear about my intentions and the way I communicated with my

40
research participants helped address issues of power and positionality. For example, one reason I
am completing this study is due to my intellectual goal of gaining insight into a widespread
contemporary phenomenon that is related to public education (Maxwell, 2013). Transparency,
empathy, and clear communication helped me mitigate issues of my power and positionality in
relation to my research participants.

41
Chapter Four: Findings
The purpose of this study was to explore the current and potential role of high school
level teacher influencers on social media platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram, in supporting
and informing the instructional practices of high school teachers. Both the perceptions that high
school teachers have of the role of high school level teacher influencers and the perceptions that
high school level teacher influencers have of themselves in their roles within education were
explored.
The study employed connectivism as the theoretical framework to interpret and
contextualize research findings. Connectivism theory purports learning and information
processing can be facilitated by computer technology instead of by the traditional notion that
learning only occurs via in-person human interaction and exchanges (Siemens, 2017). Three
research questions guided this study:
1. How do high school level teacher influencers perceive their roles?
2. How do high school level teacher influencers inform the instructional and curricular
practices of high school teachers?
3. How can high school level teacher influencers promote collaboration, networking,
and support among high school teachers?
Research Question 1 was addressed by high school level teacher influencers, Research
Question 2 by high school teachers, and Research Question 3 by both participant groups. This
chapter begins by discussing the participants in the study. Next, research findings are presented
for each research question. Each research findings section includes a brief introduction to the
research question and key findings followed by a detailed discussion of the findings.

42
Participants
High school level teacher influencers who were also high school teachers and who had a
follower count of at least 500 were sought on the social media platforms TikTok and Instagram.
More than fifty emails were sent to high school level teacher influencers who met these criteria.
The emails provided an information sheet on the study and asked potential participants to
fill out a recruitment questionnaire to confirm they met the participation criteria. The email also
asked whether they were willing to complete a 45-minute semi-structured interview via Zoom.
Six high school level teacher influencers who met the criteria and expressed willingness to
participate were interviewed. The study also included semi-structured interviews with five high
school teachers on a high school campus in the Southwestern United States. High school
humanities teachers were provided an information sheet on the study and asked to fill out a
recruitment questionnaire to confirm they viewed high school level teacher influencer content on
either TikTok or Instagram. Four of the five teachers who responded and were eligible to
participate were interviewed via Zoom, and the fifth was interviewed in person with an audio
recorder. An interdisciplinary approach was taken when identifying the interviewees, with
teachers from the English, social studies, and foreign languages departments being interviewed.
See Table 2 which includes a pseudonym for each participant and some demographic
information.

43
Table 2
Participant Information and Pseudonyms
Pseudonym Interviewee type Gender Race U.S. geolocation
CT 1 Classroom teacher Female Black/African
American
Southwest
CT 2 Classroom teacher Female Latina Southwest
CT 3 Classroom teacher Male Latina Southwest
CT 4 Classroom teacher Female Latina Southwest
CT 5 Classroom teacher Male Latina Southwest
TI 1 Classroom teacher
and teacher
influencer
Female White Southwest
TI 2 Classroom teacher
and teacher
influencer
Female White Midwest
TI 3 Classroom teacher
and teacher
influencer
Female White South
TI 4 Classroom teacher
and teacher
influencer
Female Latina South
TI 5 Classroom teacher
and teacher
influencer
Male Latino Southwest
TI 6 Classroom teacher
and teacher
influencer
Male White Southwest
Note. CT = classroom teacher and TI = teacher influencer
Research Question 1 Findings
Research Question 1 sought to understand how high school level teacher influencers
perceive their roles in education. Some of the interview questions asked of the high school level
teacher influencers aimed to gain insights into Research Question 1. The questions revolved
around their perception of teacher influencers, social media’s role in education, and the

44
characteristics of the ideal teacher influencer profile. The responses resulted in three key
findings:
1. High school level teacher influencers can provide a window into contemporary
classrooms.
2. Teacher influencers can provide support and guidance around emerging educational
technologies and their applicability in classrooms.
3. Teacher influencers can highlight teacher authenticity and humanness that is
sometimes overlooked.
Each of these findings will be discussed in detail in the following sections. Teacher
influencer content on social media is wide ranging in both content type and instructional utility.
High school level teacher influencers reported using teacher influencer content on social media
for instructional, personal, and informational purposes. High school level teacher influencers
who were also classroom teachers reported that the role of teacher influencers in education is
diverse, dynamic, and evolving.
Finding 1: Provide a Unique Window Into Contemporary Classrooms
Teacher influencers discussed in various ways how teacher influencer content can inform
relevant educational stakeholders, such as teachers, students, parents, school administrators, and
community members, on the types and quality of instruction and learning that is taking place in
contemporary classrooms. For example, TI 2, TI 4, TI 5, and TI 6 discussed how teacher
influencers on social media promote education and provide a unique perspective into
contemporary classrooms. They saw their content as functioning as a window into a teacher's
classroom and the learning environment. When asked what the role is of teacher influencers in
education, TI 2 stated, “I would probably say bringing a bit more light to the everyday nuances

45
of being a teacher and putting it a bit more publicly.” TI 2 further illuminated that influencer
content can showcase positive aspects about education and student successes in ways that have
not been possible in the past where only observers within a classroom could see what takes place
inside the classroom.
TI 4 further explained how teacher influencer content can be a window into
contemporary classrooms through the example of how learning has changed dramatically and has
shifted from paper and pencil-based assignments to student-centered creative learning. TI 4
described how school administrators can gauge what a teacher may be doing in the classroom,
and parents can monitor what their child is engaging with, by viewing a high school teachers’
teacher influencer profile and their content on social media platforms. TI 4 demonstrated the
reinforcing qualities of their content when she stated, “Yeah, a lot of parents always come up to
me like, ‘Oh, I love what you do in the classroom! I watch it on social media, and it’s so fun! I’m
glad my students are in there.’”
TI 4 gleefully shared how parents, administrators, and coworkers routinely tell her that
they love her teacher influencer content, how it allows them to see what is happening and is
possible in contemporary classrooms, and that this functions as positive reinforcement for her to
continue creating teacher influencer content. Another teacher influencer, TI 5, explained how
teacher influencer content can promote education and provide insight into day-to-day teaching
and learning. TI 5 elaborated how teacher influencers’ dual presence on a school campus and
social media platform enables them to share their knowledge, promote education, and provide
realistic approaches and understandings of what it is like to be a high school teacher in the
United States.

46
Another teacher influencer, TI 6, explained how effective teachers and their performance
in classrooms often are overshadowed by a negative sentiment and perception of public
education in the United States. Many excellent and highly effective teachers may exist whose
influence and mastery in educational skills is limited because they do not have a platform to
share their educational giftedness. TI 6 emphasized the role teacher influencers can have in
education when he said that social media can be the space where teachers’ giftedness can shine
and inform the practices of viewers. In this sense, the role of teacher influencer content can be to
function as a place for teachers to share strategies and footage of what they excel at to support
other high school teachers in becoming more confident and proficient in similar capacities. TI 2
further highlighted how teacher influencer content can be a medium to celebrate teachers. TI 2
elaborated on the way social media platforms can be a platform not only for teachers to learn
from other educators but also for more teachers to highlight and broadcast their amazing teaching
strategies, engaging classrooms, and areas in which they are highly effective. As more teachers
decide to publicize their teaching accomplishments, engaging learning environments, and
effective teaching strategies, more people may view teaching in the United States in a different
light than what are often negative perceptions of public education. Teacher influencer content
can be a source of celebration of what is taking place in contemporary classrooms.
TI 2 further explained how she has utilized social media platforms to both learn from
other teacher influencers who share their best practices and also to share highlights from her own
classroom that may positively inform and support other teachers who view her content. TI 2 also
reiterated how teacher influencer content is a beneficial way to inform community members,
including parents, guardians, administrators, or any educational stakeholder, about the innovative

47
learning and effective practices of teachers that are improving teaching and learning in public
schools around the United States.
Teacher influencers perceived their role as functioning as promoters and presenters of the
teaching and learning that is taking place in contemporary classrooms. This included sharing best
practices with other teachers to support them in becoming more confident and proficient in
similar capacities. It also extended further by providing diverse groups a window into
contemporary classrooms that is otherwise not available and can counter negative narratives
around public education that often receive attention. Thus, they play a critical role in providing a
unique perspective into contemporary classrooms.
Finding 2: Teacher Influencers See Their Role As Guiding the Use of Emerging
Educational Technologies
The high school level teacher influencer participants expressed both that teacher
influencer content can guide the use of emerging educational technologies and that these
technologies should be used with caution in the classroom. Digital posts or assignments can be
created in classrooms that leverage the creator tools included in popular social media
applications. Teachers can choose to either simulate the creation of a post by creating a digital
post that is based on a particular concept or teachers can, with proper permission and policy
safeguards, encourage students to publish their own content. This could potentially gain them
followers and support which may yield positive benefits to students and the classroom.
Participating teacher influencers reported having successfully utilized social media platforms
both for student creations and for teacher assessment of content by creating an artificial profile to
gauge student mastery of a particular concept via social media. TI 3 emphasized how she
believes that social media can be a beneficial tool for teachers and education as long as specific

48
parameters and guidelines are followed that result in appropriate and responsible use of social
media platforms for educational purposes. The teacher influencers warned that educational use of
teacher influencer content on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram should be
leveraged responsibly and pursuant to any school or district-established guidelines and
parameters around usage of teacher influencer content.
TI 4 explained how current schooling involves a lot of technology, such as online
assignments, one to one laptops, and online learning management systems. She continued that
social media platforms may also be useful for student learning. TI 4 discussed how teacher
influencer content and social media may be another educational tool to support student learning.
She suggested that social media use amongst high school students is a popular trend that should
be leveraged to support student learning. She explained that during her teaching, she has directed
students to use TikTok and Instagram to make videos related to instructional content and that
students become excited about doing so and this results in a better learning experience for
contemporary students. TI 4 reiterated that using social media platforms for learning is an
effective approach because it is modern technology that the students can relate to and, therefore,
students are more engaged and willing to learn.
Other high school level teacher influencer participants, such as T1, TI 2, and TI 3, also
spoke to their roles of not only guiding the use of emerging technologies but also providing a
cautionary voice. TI 2 discussed how social media educational misuse must be avoided by
ensuring educator understanding of the implications of social media misuse in the classroom,
school campus, and the extended community. She further explained how teacher influencer
accounts should distinguish between the personal and the professional regarding the content that
a teacher influencer posts. TI 2 explained how she does not show students content in her personal

49
accounts but does do so with school-affiliated social media accounts operated by her. TI 2’s
school, in particular, also has a TikTok page for their school, and so her school affiliated X and
TikTok accounts complement the posting of the school’s TikTok page very well and function as a
connection point with students.
TI 2 stated, “My school that I teach at has a TikTok page, and it’s a really great way to
connect with kids in a way that they are already consuming it, so we might as well meet them
where they are at.” TI 2 expressed how leveraging social media instructionally can be a powerful
tool to meet students where they are at, being present on the social media platforms that many
students are already present on and constantly consuming content from.
TI 3 further emphasized the importance of guidelines and parameters when utilizing
teacher influencer content and social media to support teaching and learning in ethical and
appropriate ways. TI 3 explained how many 21st century K–12 students have access to
technologies like smartphones and internet access which enable them to consume and even have
a presence on social media. This may be able to be leveraged as a connection point for students
and subsequently positively impact academic outcomes. TI 1 shared an example of how content
can both guide the use of emerging technologies and the need to be cautious when integrating
social media technologies into teacher instruction. She discussed how she directed students to
create fake digital social media accounts for instructional purposes and that, to her surprise, some
of the students began to accumulate followers due to their high quality posts about instructional
content. TI 1 then assessed the posts of her students on these fake accounts and assigned grades
based on their content, quality, and presentation. T1 emphasized that students were highly
engaged and interested in this learning approach but warned about the importance of ensuring

50
that even fake students accounts are secure and not misused by students by establishing clear
guidelines around posting and sharing.
TI 3 added to other responses around the potential of emerging technologies as learning
tools as well as the proper use of teacher influencer content and social media when she said:
We have to remember as professionals, it’s still our job to filter out what works, what is
credible and what is not. And one thing with social media, especially with younger you
know kids and students, is they think everything they hear on there is just to be believed.
And so, I think we have a responsibility too as educators to teach them how to consume
what they see on social media in a way that is responsible.
The high school teacher influencers described their role as guiding the use of emerging
technologies in classrooms together with promoting educators to adhere to specific guidelines
and policies. The various and unique creator tools available on TikTok and Instagram could be
leveraged to support teacher instruction and student learning but also must include specific
parameters around usage and misuse. Teacher influencers can both provide insight and
instruction to using emerging technologies that may have an educational benefit and provide
cautionary advice around safe and proper usage of social media platforms and other emerging
technologies.
Finding 3: Importance of Teacher Influencer Content Authenticity and Humanness
All six teacher influencers emphasized the importance of authenticity and humanness
when creating and posting teacher influencer content that will be viewed by educational
stakeholders and the public at large. The authenticity and humanness teacher influencer content
exemplifies could provide a more realistic perspective of the lives of teacher influencers to both
teachers and students as well as educational stakeholders and the general public. With teacher

51
influencers growing in popularity for both informal and formal learning and insights, they saw
their role as including presenting themselves as authentic and relatable to foster a connection
with their viewers.
Teacher influencers also indicated that aspiring teacher influencers should consider
viewer perceptions of content and the type of impressions they will make, with the impressions
they make not being taken lightly. TI 1 further highlighted that aspiring teacher influencers
consider their potential role as promoters and gateways to classroom learning or campus culture.
Another teacher influencer, TI 2, explained how an ideal teacher influencer profile
demonstrates the versatility and humanness of being a teacher by showing successful best
practices but also offering appropriate glimpses into a teacher’s life and persona beyond the
classroom. TI 2 believed the ideal teacher influencer profile would include effective instructional
approaches but also appropriate glimpses into the personality and life of the teacher beyond the
classroom. TI 2 explained sometimes teachers get too caught up in being teachers and consider
teaching their principal identity due to trying to meet the substantial demands of being a teacher
and constantly presenting themselves as a teacher, which can be draining and lead to teacher
burnout. Another teacher influencer, TI 3, elaborated on an observation she has made regarding
teacher influencers who initially begin as teacher influencers on social media but gradually
become more of fashion-centric social media influencers and sometimes leave the field of
education altogether. TI 3 explained how this impacted how closely and frequently she watched
these teacher influencers’ content as she preferred to engage with teacher influencer content that
is more geared towards learning and education, not fashion. TI 3 alluded to the shift from
teaching to a different career some teacher influencers experience which impacts whether or not
she continues to engage and watch certain teacher influencers.

52
TI 3 shared that she engages more with teacher influencer profiles that are specific to
teaching and education, which often includes educator commentary on school occurrences and/or
activities they are doing in the classroom. TI 3 searches for teacher influencer profiles that might
teach the same grade level or subject as her to gain ideas, instructional strategies, or classroom
management approaches. She emphasized that teacher influencers on social media should
showcase the existence of high quality teaching and passionate educators at a time where public
education is experiencing a teacher shortage, teacher burnout, and widespread criticism.
Interestingly, some teacher influencers suggested that focusing only on the positive
aspects of teaching is more valuable than providing a balanced image of authenticity. TI 4
defended/affirmed her prioritization of publishing positive teacher influencer content by stating
that she believes too many people criticize teachers and education and, therefore, positive teacher
influencer content is beneficial. TI 4 shared how she seeks to always be positive and creative in
her teacher influencer content to offset the sometimes-rampant videos of teachers quitting on
social media platforms. TI 4 reiterated how teaching is so different in the present compared to the
past, and that a growth mindset and creativity should be displayed on teacher influencer profiles
to show their authenticity and humanness to best support teachers.
TI 5 viewed this somewhat differently, suggesting their authenticity and humanness
involves showing both the good and bad because that is more representative of the life of a
teacher. TI 5 discussed the importance of teacher influencer authenticity to effectively portray
teaching but also to bring awareness to the challenges of teaching in public schools, such as poor
student engagement, low teacher morale, and under resourced schools. TI 5 believed teacher
influencers who are authentic and transparent about the good days as well as the negative aspects
of teaching could provide a more relatable, digestible, and accurate representation of

53
contemporary teaching and learning in the United States. Teacher influencers who share their
creative and effective lessons on their teacher influencer content and get between thousands and
millions of views could potentially function as a public rebuttal towards negative comments and
critiques of schooling and teaching in the United States. Teacher influencers on social media
platforms may be more relatable to teachers when they are honest and authentic in representing
teacher and student experiences. A different teacher influencer, TI 6, outlined how he believes
what would characterize the ideal teacher influencer profile is authenticity and honesty. TI 6
further explained how he tries to be authentic and real online and in real life despite knowing that
other teacher influencers on social media platforms prefer only the business side instead of the
educational side of being a high school level teacher influencer on social media.
Teacher influencer content can provide more than just instructional resources, it can also
present teacher influencers humanness and authenticity in a way that highlights and reinforces
teacher experiences. The opinions of the teacher influencers varied regarding how transparent
teacher influencers should be when it comes to teacher influencer content. Some teacher
influencers preferred to only promote positive content to uplift teachers and their viewers. Other
teacher influencers believed that teachers should be authentic and balanced in the content they
present to viewers because they will be more relatable to and representative of teacher
experiences. The importance of the humanness and authenticity of teacher influencer content was
highlighted by all participants, although there was no consensus on what this looks like to best
support teachers and their practices.
Research Question 2 Findings
Research Question 2 sought to understand from the perspective of high school teachers
how teacher influencers’ content on social media platforms informs their instructional and

54
curricular practices. During the interviews, five high school teachers were asked about their
typical usage of TikTok and Instagram related to work, the relevance of content they encounter,
and the role of teacher influencers in education. The responses yielded two key findings:
1. Myriad instructional use of teach influencer content.
2. Teacher influencer content functions as a source for instructional inspiration,
innovation, and creativity in the classroom.
Each of these findings is discussed in detail in the following sections. High school
teachers reported several benefits and drawbacks of utilizing teacher influencer content on social
media platforms to inform their instructional and curricular practices. The function and makeup
of social media platforms, such as search engine optimization, fast-paced vertically scrolling
feed, and the constant creation of new content by teacher influencers, made TikTok and
Instagram a pair of potentially useful instructional tools when used methodically. Teacher
influencer content was used by teachers to find meaningful instructional resources and engage
with emerging ideas, such as artificial intelligence (AI), and their use in the classroom. Teachers
also reported using teacher influencer content on TikTok and Instagram for learning how to
leverage new online tools for lesson planning and assignment creation.
Finding 1: Myriad Instructional Uses of Teacher Influencer Content
High school teachers reported utilizing teacher influencer content in the classroom in a
variety of ways. Some teachers found helpful instructional resources that could be used to set the
expectations for a new school year or to find subject specific content. Participants reported that
not all high school level teacher influencer content was helpful or even appropriate, but this
could easily be mitigated by using the search functions to filter out irrelevant content. CT 2
explained her instructional use of teacher influencer content included searching for specific

55
instructional content on teacher influencer pages, depending on the time of year and her
instructional aims. CT 2 emphasized how leveraging teacher influencer content as supplemental
content to her own instructional approaches positively impacted her teaching practices and
student learning. Teacher influencer content exists for virtually all subject matters, and teachers
reported utilizing TikTok’s search function as a quick and easy way to locate useful instructional
resources. This included at different times throughout the academic calendar year, such as at the
beginning of the school year to engage students in fun activities. Another teacher (CT 3)
explained how he appreciates the utility of teacher influencer content that provides scenarios and
lesson resources that he can then directly apply in his own classroom. Participants discussed how
some teacher influencer content is more focused on topics such as classroom management,
instructional procedures, and teacher organization, while other teacher influencer content is more
focused on instructional ideas and specific pedagogical strategies that could potentially
positively impact student learning. CT 1 explained how teacher influencer content helps her be
more purposeful with her instructional content:
Teacher influencers do influence me, for sure, in the way that they make me more
conscientious of what I am doing in my classroom. It is sort of like this: they make me
slow down and be aware of how I am engaging my students, how I am listening to
students, and how I am explaining the content to my students. It really makes me
examine if I am being clear, focused, and purposeful. Being in these communities on
social media has allowed me to hone my message and take out extra verbiage. I learned
that directly on social media.
CT 3 also noted how the types of teacher influencer content are wide ranging, and their
degrees of utility and effectiveness will vary based on the user and context. Some teacher

56
influencers on social media are also AP teachers who share resources for other teachers to utilize,
such as classroom processes and organization techniques, so that teachers can strive to
incorporate similar processes in their classrooms to streamline student learning that results in a
better learning environment. CT 3 explained how teachers can also conveniently save and
organize teacher influencer content on social media platforms to later incorporate into a lesson
where it better fits and possibly yields more student engagement.
Teachers are able to view teacher influencer profiles and save specific teacher influencer
content to inform and support their instructional practices. CT 3 detailed how he uses teacher
influencer content to support his instructional and organizational practices by indexing and
saving teacher influencer content for subsequent implementation in his teaching practices. CT 3
elaborated on how the social studies teacher influencer content is more engaging and interesting
to students because it often includes aspects of social media trends to which students can relate.
High school teacher participants used teacher influencer content as a supplementary
educational source to supplement their instructional practices. The teachers were also directly
using teacher influencer content as an educational tool to show students subject specific content,
such as HistoryToks. Additionally, teachers were using teacher influencer content to inform their
lesson planning and subject knowledge which, in turn, supported their instructional practices.
The use of teacher influencer content may vary and depend on factors such as teaching
experience, time of year, teacher skills, and teacher needs. CT 2 explained how teachers may
vary in their use of teacher influencer content depending on their teaching experience.
Specifically, CT 2 highlighted the versatility of TikTok teacher influencer content and explained
how TikTok and Instagram may be viewed by some teachers as a supplementary resource with
utility and applicability, depending on duration of teacher experience. Teachers with experience

57
may utilize online resources differently than novice teachers regarding ideas for first day of
school activities, social media resources for student introductions, and establishing classroom
culture. However, even experienced teachers expressed leveraging teacher influencer
instructional material via the bios of teacher influencer profiles on TikTok and Instagram that use
Linktree to connect to Google Drives or other online resources. Teacher influencers’ Google
Drives and online libraries of instructional materials lead to unique resources, such as slide
decks, that can be easily accessed and modified to match student and teacher needs. Participants
described creating entire folders categorized for school and leveraging the content when and how
they deemed them instructionally relevant and applicable.
High school teacher participants also stressed that similar to the internet as a whole, not
all teacher influencer content is usable, or even credible. Therefore, teachers must assess the
applicability, relevance, and trustworthiness of teacher influencer content before utilizing it for
instructional and curricular purposes. As suggested by the participants, perhaps the more detailed
and informative a teacher influencer’s post is, the more likely a teacher is to utilize it. CT
4 outlined some of the drawbacks of teacher influencer content when she described teacher
influencer content that was not useful to her practice, stating, “I don’t think it has any kind of an
influence if the teacher didn’t really go into detail on the lesson or how they set it up wasn’t
really helpful with how to get to where they are at.”
The teacher participants described how the utility and value of teacher influencer content
varies just as much as a teacher’s effectiveness in the application or decision to adopt a learned
action from teacher influencer content will vary. The ever-growing nature of teacher influencer
content on TikTok and Instagram enables teachers to access an expansive set of educational
resources on topics such as classroom management, instructional strategies, and engaging

58
instructional content that teachers can tailor to their needs and instructional goals. In sum, high
school teacher participants leveraged a breadth of ideas and instructional content from social
media to improve their practice.
Finding 2: Teacher Influencer Content as a Source of Inspiration, Innovation, and
Creativity
The teacher influencer participants also suggested that teacher influencer content can
support teachers in applying innovative and creative teaching styles that are not common
practices on their school campuses. TI 2 explained how she had learned about new innovative
instructional strategies in her university teaching program but that she was discouraged about
implementing them in her classroom. Few other teachers in her school were open to adopting
new approaches, and she did not want to be an instructional outlier amongst her peers. TI 2
explained how viewing teacher influencer content reassured her and provided the support needed
to continue with her instructional practices despite not receiving support from her colleagues. TI
4 further discussed how viewing other teacher influencers’ creative approaches to instructional
content had encouraged and inspired her to also be creative in the classroom and to continue to
share her results via her teacher influencer content to inspire other teachers. Teacher influencer
content may have the potential to expedite the adoption of innovative, effective, and emergent
pedagogical practices. TI 2 and TI 4 explained how teachers might be at a school where new
approaches are adopted gradually due to there being no example on the premises to model the
teaching practices after the delivery of a formalized professional development. TI 2 further
suggested that teacher influencer content can support teachers’ practices by reinforcing the
actions of teachers who decide to adopt new best practices with the aim of improving academic
outcomes, despite there being little support to do so on their physical campus. TI 2 described

59
how seeing a teacher influencer who was a prominent educator in her region reinforcing the best
practices she was learning reassured her in her application of new pedagogical practices on her
school campus.
TI 5 also discussed how teachers who were struggling with change in their schools
regarding new technologies and curriculum could leverage teacher influencer content to adapt
and master new educational tools. TI 5 explained how many contemporary classrooms utilize
online tools and technologies, and that teacher influencer content can promote a sense of support
for teachers to continue to utilize new technologies for instructional purposes when they see high
school level teacher influencers are having success and discussing it in their teacher influencer
content. TI 4 further explained how teacher influencer content and the creative functions of
Instagram and TikTok could potentially be leveraged in the classroom as instructional tools for
educational purposes. Combining essential curricular content with school appropriate social
media, or specifically vetted teacher influencer content, could potentially provide students with a
more holistic understanding of key themes and subsequently lead to improved academic
outcomes.
TI 4 detailed how she is integrating the functions of popular social media apps, such as
Instagram and TikTok, to replace outdated and ineffective learning activities or assignment
formats, such as worksheets and even slide deck presentations, with more appealing social media
posts on social media platforms of students presenting the instructional content covered in class.
Teachers’ innovative use of popular social media app functions could be an emerging form of
culturally relevant pedagogy in the 21st century by grounding it in the learning theory of
connectivism which purports the facilitation of learning via cyber nodes in social media
networks.

60
TI 6 offered a reminder of how teachers who go above and beyond in the classroom
sometimes struggle and doubt their rationale for being an instructional outlier amongst their high
school educator colleagues. But when TI 6 sees other teacher influencers doing similar activities,
he feels reinforced in the applicability of more non-traditional and fun learning experiences.
Teacher influencer content could be the reinforcement teachers need to try new instructional
approaches and learning opportunities for students. TI 6 described how being unique and
approaching learning in a fun and dynamic way could, in some cases, be professionally isolating.
Knowing that other high school teachers exist out there who believe this is the right way to teach
can be reassuring to high school teachers like him. TI 6 emphasized how social media platforms
can provide the virtual reinforcement and support that teachers may be yearning for when they
are seeking new and fun ways to engage students and enhance their learning environment.
Teacher influencer content can function as a source for innovative, creative, and inspiring
content that can influence high school teachers’ instructional practices. Teachers who are hesitant
to try new instructional strategies to avoid pushback from their colleagues are finding the
reassurance they need to be instructionally innovative by engaging with teacher influencer
content. The various functionalities of social media platforms, coupled with the supportive
content and information of teacher influencer content, was expressed as positively impacting
teacher practices and leading to academic benefits for students. Teacher influencer content can
inspire teachers to overcome barriers to improved instruction by reassuring them in their pursuits
of more effective and engaging instructional content for contemporary students.
Research Question 3 Findings
Research Question 3 asked both high school level teacher influencers and high school
teachers how they believe teacher influencer content can promote collaboration, networking, and

61
support among high school teachers. Teachers and teacher influencers alike reported that teacher
influencer content could support teachers by validating teacher experiences, reinforcing beliefs,
and leading to a reduction in feelings of professional isolation and, potentially, an increase in
teacher self-efficacy. Research Question 3 led to three key findings:
1. Teacher influencer content reduced professional isolation amongst teachers via
validation of teacher experience.
2. Teacher influencer content creates and supports professional learning communities.
3. Teacher influencer content supported teacher perceptions of self-efficacy.
These findings will be discussed in detail in the following sections.
Finding 1: Reducing Professional Isolation Amongst Teachers via Validation of Teacher
Experiences
Both study participant groups suggested that teacher influencers and teacher influencer
content could play a significant role in reducing professional isolation by enabling teachers to
find validation through teacher influencer content on social media. When teachers were facing
personal, behavioral, or administrator challenges at their schools, teachers found consolation or
solutions by engaging with teacher influencer content. Nine out of eleven participants suggested
that teacher influencer content can reduce professional isolation, and six out of those nine
elaborated on exactly how teacher influencer content could reduce professional isolation.
TI 1, TI 2, TI 3, TI 4, CT 2, and CT 3 all elaborated on how teacher influencer content
reduced their feelings of professional isolation. TI 2 explained how she believes teacher
influencer content can play a large role in reducing professional isolation for educators through
teachers watching teacher influencer content showing both the successes and hardships around
teaching in public schools in the United States. Specifically, TI 2 outlined how sometimes

62
teachers may believe that an experience is occurring only to them, but when teachers search
TikTok or Instagram for teacher influencer content, they will likely see that their experience in
the classroom, either positive or negative, is happening to someone else as well.
The high school teacher participants also spoke to the importance and power of teacher
influencer content to promote collaboration, networking, and support both during and after the
COVID-19 pandemic. For example, CT 2 highlighted how she saw teacher influencer content
validating her experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition back to schooling
by visually illustrating how other schools across the country were facing similar experiences on
TikTok and Instagram. When teachers realize that many of their teacher experiences are
occurring on a larger scale, it can bring a sense of peace and normalcy which can reduce feelings
of professional isolation in teachers.
Teacher influencer content is not limited solely to instructional support but can also
provide insights into managing student behavior or navigating a situation that includes
unsupportive administrators. CT 2 explained teacher influencer content can reduce isolation
through validating teacher experiences as related to multiple educational stakeholders, such as
students, teachers, administrators, and parents. Teacher influencer content can provide relatable
scenarios of high school teachers navigating challenging experiences successfully which viewers
could then apply to their own challenging circumstances with key educational stakeholders.
Teacher influencer content on social media can also have the potential to reduce
professional isolation by providing access to a professional community. CT 2 further explained
how smaller schools may have fewer teachers to interact with, and social media may be able to
offset the limited personnel and diverse professional and pedagogical input from colleagues. CT
2 continued that some teachers may find the lack of fresh input may increase feelings of

63
professional isolation since there are no remedies present or available to teachers on their school
campus, but there probably will be some via teacher influencer content on TikTok and Instagram.
CT 2 even outlined the convenience of teacher influencer content when she stated:
So, I definitely think that it has a huge capacity for reducing isolation in a lot of ways,
whether it is validating your experiences or just giving you a professional community
that you can engage with without having to really give anything.
CT 2 described how teachers who are burnt out and overworked may appreciate the onesided nature of teachers viewing and leveraging teacher influencer content on social media. It
can reduce their personal cognitive load yet still provide a beneficial idea exchange. TI 3 also felt
social media educator content can have a large impact on reducing professional isolation,
suggesting a key way it could do this through educator coworkers finding relatable content to
talk about or think about together. TikTok and Instagram can function as sources to support and
inform teacher practices in a timely and convenient manner, especially within the context of
teacher shortages and high rates of teacher burnout within public schools in the United States.
Interestingly, TI 3 also explained how even negative teacher influencer content was encouraging,
comforting, and consoling because it validated the realities of teaching, which include bad days
of instruction and learning.
TI 3 responded with the following when asked how teacher influencer content can impact
professional isolation:
Yeah, I think that’s probably, in my opinion, one of the biggest impacts that, you know,
the teacher community on social media can have. Especially in a time where I think so
many teachers just feel like we’re being both attacked and neglected so much. It’s

64
had a huge impact on me just in the year, year and a half that I’ve been involved with it.
I think that it helps with the isolation because there are so many teacher perspectives
within our community.
TI 3 highlighted the role that teacher influencer content can play in reducing professional
isolation, especially within the contemporary context of public education in the United States,
where educators may feel attacked and neglected. Engaging with teacher influencers may reduce
feelings of professional isolation by encouraging teacher collaboration, including with teacher
influencers on campus, or with other teachers engaging with the content. TI 4 explained that
teacher influencer content can build community amongst teachers and expand their professional
learning networks in their school districts and beyond through the review of teacher influencer
content in department meetings and district level professional development offerings. TI 4
further described how she personally has invited other teachers to create teacher influencer
content with her and that she has also seen other teacher influencers on social media include
teachers to make videos. This teacher inclusion for creative social media collaboration could
positively impact professional isolation.
Teacher influencer content can generate positive feelings and reduce their feelings of
isolation by validating their experiences. Both study participant groups explained how teacher
influencer content validated their experiences, including around instructional challenges, lack of
administrator support, and even the COVID-19 pandemic. It also made them understand that
they were not alone in what they were experiencing. Teacher influencer content’s tendency to
portray both the successes and challenges of teaching was also validating for teachers and
resulted in decreased feelings of isolation, supporting their well-being, and reducing feelings of
burnout.

65
Finding 2: Teacher Influencer Content Creates and Supports Professional Learning
Communities
Teacher participants contributed how high school teacher influencer content shared
amongst coworkers in schools could enhance professional learning communities (“PLCs”).
Similarly, some high school level teacher influencers expressed that they have found the sharing
of resources and connections formed on online platforms as being akin to PLCs on school
campuses. Finding relatable and relevant teacher influencer content for coworkers, who are
perhaps coaches or teach specific content areas, can be a way to connect with coworkers. Despite
not teaching the same subject or being involved in the same activity, social media content can be
a convergence point for both formal and informal conversations.
CT 3 explained that when he sees teacher influencer content that is connected to the
preferences and interests of coworkers, or the needs of his department, the content can foster
collaboration and boost morale by providing a conversation point with his coworkers. Teacher
influencers are accessing high quality online communities on social media platforms where
communities can be formed based on shared interests. These online communities can support
teachers in a variety of ways, including instructionally or professionally. TI 5 discussed how
teacher influencer content may also be able to function as a source of professional development
in schools for a diverse set of educational stakeholders, such as teachers, administrators, or
support staff.
Teacher influencer content can also serve as a tool for teachers to improve their learning
environments because collaboration possibilities are expanded beyond their school colleagues
and on-campus collaboration possibilities. TI 2 explained how upon being assigned to teach
Spanish for native speakers, she was intimidated because she had no formal training in teaching

66
Spanish to native speakers. She only had training in teaching Spanish to non-Spanish speakers.
TI 2 decided to post on her teacher influencer profile if anyone had any suggestions or ideas that
could help, and she immediately received feedback, comments, support, and instructional
resources to support her in her new teaching assignment. TI 2 reiterated how she believed that, in
this way, teacher influencer content can promote collaboration and grow a teacher’s professional
network, essentially forming a PLC that extends beyond their school walls. TI 2 was able to
successfully apply some of the suggestions other teachers and viewers shared in her classroom.
TI 2 also explained how this support and teacher collaboration is multidirectional because many
of her teacher influencer content viewers regularly ask about specific instructional strategies or
classroom management approaches and request details and guidance on implementing shared
strategies in their own classrooms.
TI 4 similarly outlined how teacher influencer content promotes collaboration and
network building for educators beyond one’s own campus because teachers follow each other on
social media platforms, send to one another teacher influencer profiles that highlight engaging
teacher practices, and subsequently implement learned teacher influencer practices in their
classrooms. TI 4 further explained how she and other teachers are not only doing this on their
own school campuses but throughout their district when a particular teaching strategy or learning
activity proves significantly successful. In this way, they extend these benefits to the entire
school district.
Depending on the degree to which teachers utilize and engage with teacher influencer
content, there is the potential for teachers to expand their educator networks beyond their school
campuses. TI 4 explained how teachers follow each other on social media platforms and then
share and create ideas that can be used on their school campuses and beyond. TI 4 and TI 6

67
explained how teacher influencer content facilitates a learning community akin to a PLC beyond
their school campuses as teachers utilize teacher influencer content to inform their teaching
practices and collaborate on their school campus, as well as throughout their school district and
online via TikTok and Instagram. TI 6 then emphasized how teacher influencer content and
social media platforms can provide a safe space for teachers to find a supportive educator
community to discuss pertinent topics that may be impacting student learning and a school
campus’ climate:
Like right when Black Lives Matter was like really sort of cresting, I collaborated
with a bunch of teachers, and it was maybe about eight of us from all over the country,
and we tried to get a pretty diverse group together to talk about how we are talking about
things like race in the classroom. Are we? Should we be? Should we not be? And so there
has been these really incredible moments of coming together as a community when we
know that there are things that need to be talked about.
Unavoidable and difficult conversations that high school teachers might not be able to
engage in on their physical campuses, due to conflict or lack of a safe space, could occur on
social media platforms. Specifically, teacher influencers and their content enable teachers to have
access to a PLC that can provide support, acknowledgement, and direction, as needed, and when
it is unavailable on their own school campuses. TI 6 explained how social media can create
spaces where teachers can connect and discuss relevant topics that are impacting education and
are beneficial to teachers. TI 3 also explained how teacher influencer content can elucidate
contrary educational perspectives or instructional strategies for teachers that could provide
teachers with a more nuanced and holistic understanding of educational practices across the
country:

68
There are several teacher influencers that I follow, and they share things that I don’t
always agree with. But I do appreciate getting to hear another voice or perspective on
things. And that’s okay, we don’t all have to agree. But I think, again, because we’re in
that community, there are so many things that do unify us, and we do relate to.
TI 3 pointed out how despite the multitude and sometimes conflicting education
perspectives that exist, there are ultimately more unifying similarities and experiences that can
result in overcoming the differences among teachers. TI 5 described how teacher influencer
content on social media was also being leveraged by high school teachers to collaborate and
recreate the learning experiences gleaned from social media but tailored to their school campus
and learning environment. TI 5 explained how the benefits and utility of teacher influencer
content is multifaceted as it can be leveraged informally and formally, as well as on an individual
or collective basis:
Even from the viewpoint of those who aren’t influencers, but I know several of my
colleagues they are not per se on social media like that, but obviously they are watching
the videos. And so, when we have conversations like in PLCs and meetings and stuff,
people sometimes will share the things they are watching and basically be like, “I want
to learn how to do that,’’ or “I would like us to do a project of some sort similar to
whatever it is,’’ and “I think that leads to, at least with me and my peers, we’ll work
together to kind of come up with something that works for whatever we need based, of
course, on the idea that we saw online.”
Teacher influencer content can enhance and expand a teacher’s PLCs and facilitate access
to a greater network of educators. The expanded PLCs also yield teachers access to safe spaces
that can support teachers who may be lacking a safe space and support on their own school

69
campuses. Participants also spoke about how the diverse opinions that teacher influencers
promote can help teachers access diverse perspectives that ultimately result in teachers having a
more holistic understanding of relevant policies, educational challenges, and instructional
approaches to bring to their learning communities.
Finding 3: Supporting Teacher Perceptions of Self-Efficacy
Several participants, including CT 2, TI 2, TI 3, TI 4, TI 5, and TI 6, discussed teacher
influencer content’s impact on teacher notions of self-efficacy, and how the effects may vary. On
the one hand, viewing teacher influencer content on TikTok and Instagram may show the
classroom aesthetics or ambiance with picture perfect undertones that can be perceived by
teachers as areas of needed improvement and negatively affect their self-efficacy. TI 2, TI 3, and
TI 6 explained how if high school teachers are not thinking critically about the teacher influencer
content they are consuming, and about the high likelihood that a teacher influencer has curated a
highlight reel of excellent educational moments on their TikTok or Instagram accounts, they
might become discouraged, and it could negatively impact their self-efficacy. TI 6 warned that
not all teacher influencer content will be positive or even helpful, and some teacher influencer
content is superficial and of dubious quality. TI 3 was also mindful of the common tendency of
social media influencers generally, but also teacher influencers, to carefully curate the content on
their teacher profiles that may showcase an unrealistically perfect teacher and learning
environment. TI 3 posited that viewing teacher influencer content has increased her self-efficacy
overall, but the positive and negative effects have varied and changed over time because the
teacher influencers she initially followed and interacted with shifted away from education to
more fashion centric roles, and this resulted in less educational related material on the teacher
influencers’ social media profiles. Teachers need to be mindful of the curated nature of teacher

70
influencer profiles, because without teachers acknowledging that even picture-perfect teacher
influencers on TikTok and Instagram have bad days in the classroom, teacher self-efficacy may
be negatively impacted due to an educational mirage presented by teacher influencers not being
critically analyzed by teachers when consuming the content.
TI 3 emphasized the distinction between teacher influencer content and a teacher’s
instructional lesson when she stated:
Like other types of social media, what you see in the post is not everything. We have to
remind ourselves that the classroom is not social media. There is a fine line between
curating a post and creating a lesson.
Teachers need to be cognizant of the curated nature of social media content to prevent teachers
from feeling discouraged due to an inability to replicate picture perfect results. Even teacher
influencers who appear to be highly effective teachers and successful professionals have bad
days just like other teachers do, and that is a normal experience for teachers in the United States.
On the other hand, when a teacher is feeling they are underperforming or feeling burnt
out, viewing a teacher influencer’s posts about persevering or successfully navigating through a
similar situation can support their own confidence. Seven out of the eleven interviewees said
they believed viewing teacher influencer content increased their self-efficacy, including four out
of five classroom teachers, with one saying it had a neutral effect. See Table 3 for a breakdown
of teacher influencer contents’ impact on teacher self-efficacy.

71
Table 3
Breakdown of Participants’ Perceived Effects of Teacher Influencer Content on Self-Efficacy
Pseudonym Interviewee type Did viewing teacher
influencer content increase
your self-efficacy as a
teacher?
CT 1 Classroom teacher Increased
CT 2 Classroom teacher Increased
CT 3 Classroom teacher Increased
CT 4 Classroom teacher Neutral
CT 5 Classroom teacher Increased
TI 1 Classroom teacher and teacher influencer Neutral
TI 2 Classroom teacher and teacher influencer Increased
TI 3 Classroom teacher and teacher influencer Increased
TI 4 Classroom teacher and teacher influencer Increased
TI 5 Classroom teacher and teacher influencer Increased
TI 6 Classroom teacher and teacher influencer Neutral
Note. CT = classroom teacher and TI = teacher influencer
Teacher influencer content can positively impact teacher self-efficacy by providing
motivational or inspirational content to teachers. TI 3 explained how she believes teacher
influencer content can have a positive impact on teacher self-efficacy, while acknowledging that
the type of impact it may have depends on the type of teacher influencer content viewed and
teacher influencer profiles followed. TI 3 reiterated how she found herself in a position with
hardly any instructional materials, no curriculum, and unsupportive educational coworkers.
Teacher influencer content provided the needed guidance and instructional resources that were

72
not provided by administrators or simply unavailable due to working in under-resourced schools
and districts. TI 3 elaborated that her administrators were not providing feedback, and she did
not have access to another teacher who could support her, so she turned to social media where
she found supportive, knowledgeable, and credible teacher influencer content and instructional
practices that she could apply in her classroom. TI 3 was doubting her instructional effectiveness
and decided to apply the strategies she viewed on TikTok to her own classroom, and her selfefficacy positively benefited.
TI 2 further explained how the impact teacher influencer content has on a teacher’s
perception of their self-efficacy could depend on the type and quality of teacher influencer
content, as well as the degree of openness and adaptability of a teacher towards the teacher
influencer content they are viewing. She stated:
I think that it can impact them both positively and negatively. If they already have low
self-efficacy, they might see something and be like, ‘Well, I’m not doing that I must not
be very good.’ And you know, I think that is a negative aspect of it. I think that just
because you are not doing something doesn’t mean that you’re not good, you know? And
I think that’s a negative aspect of it.
Alternatively, TI 2 explained how teachers who are experiencing a stretch of time of low
student engagement might go on social media and see something that sparks their interest and
suddenly positively impacts teacher self-efficacy. She stated:
But I think that positively, it can give you some inspiration. You might feel that you are
a teacher, and you are in a rut, like I’m doing the same things. I don’t know what else to
do. And you go online, and you see something like, ‘Oh! That sparked my interest.
So, I think it can have both a positive and negative impact. I just think that it kind of

73
depends on the situation, but I think I can see it both ways being positive and negative.
Overall, TI 2 believed that viewing and creating teacher influencer content has increased
her self-efficacy as a teacher. TI 2 explained how via her teacher influencer account and content,
she has been able to connect with teachers locally, nationally, and internationally which has
expanded the instructional possibilities in her classroom. Specifically, she is actively moving to
integrate a modern pen pal experience by connecting with a teacher in Argentina who is teaching
her students English with TI 2’s students who are learning Spanish. Teacher influencer content
created this opportunity for collaboration, which resulted in TI 2 feeling increased self-efficacy.
TI 5 further explained teacher influencer content may increase teacher self-efficacy if the
content is relevant and reinforcing of the teacher’s beliefs and experiences. Teachers who are
experiencing difficult situations at work could turn to social media teacher influencer content for
support, before seeking compulsory support on their own campus. TI 5 also detailed how high
school teachers who are also teacher influencers can receive support from their followers and
profile viewers in building their confidence in speaking up for themselves should they not be
receiving sufficient support from their school administrators or teacher colleagues. Teacher
influencers may post about challenging situations in the workplace and receive advice and
support from their viewers that gives teachers the confidence and tools necessary to resolve their
challenges.
TI 4 also detailed how teacher influencer content has positively impacted self-efficacy
through positive reinforcement of her teaching style, as well as by functioning as an educational
creative outlet where her teaching approaches can be assessed, praised, and critiqued by viewers.
TI 4 would then reflect on the feedback and adjust her instructional approaches as necessary
which led to more confidence in her instructional abilities. Teacher influencer content can have

74
varied effects on teacher perceptions of self-efficacy. Teacher influencer content can negatively
affect teacher self-efficacy if teachers do not view teacher influencer content with a critical lens
that can detect artificial curations and performance. More generally, participants reported teacher
influencer content increasing their self-efficacy through the reinforcement and support teacher
influencer content provided for their own teaching philosophy and teaching practices. Although
teacher influencer content had various effects on teacher perceptions of self-efficacy, most
teachers and teacher influencers thought it had a greater positive than negative effect on selfefficacy.
Summary
Teacher influencers provide a wide range of content for viewing on social media
platforms that informs and supports teacher practices. Teacher influencer content may also serve
as a medium for transparency and support for public education. Participants reported teacher
influencer content on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram as a space for teachers to
come together and find a digital community that can be supportive and empowering. Teachers
who viewed teacher influencer content suggested gaining much more than just instructional
resources. Social media platforms provided support to new teachers who were either young
educators just starting in the field or experienced professionals who had shifted to the education
field. Participants also raised the importance of teacher influencer content being viewed with a
critical lens to avoid unrealistic teaching and learning expectations which could then decrease a
teacher’s sense of self-efficacy. Alternatively, participants offered a multitude of ways in
which teacher influencer content increased teacher self-efficacy and provided teachers exactly
what they were looking for or needed at just the right moment. Teacher influencer content also
promoted collaboration, networking, and support among high school teachers within their own

75
schools as well as locally, nationally, and globally, essentially providing new forms of
professional learning communities.

76
Chapter Five: Discussion and Recommendations for Practice
The objective of this study was to explore the role high school level teacher influencers
on social media platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram, currently play and could play in the
future in supporting and informing the practices of high school teachers. A key focus was
understanding this from both the perspective of high school teachers and high school level
teacher influencers. This study included 11 qualitative interviews in a semi-structured format
with six high school level teacher influencers and five high school teachers who reported
viewing teacher influencer content on TikTok and Instagram.
The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the study’s findings in relation to prior research
and to the learning theory of connectivism as well as to offer recommendations for practices to
best support high school teachers in their use of teacher influencer content personally,
pedagogically, and professionally. This chapter also discusses the limitations and delimitations
of this research and suggests areas for future research before concluding the study.
Discussion of Findings
This section discusses the findings from the study within scholarly literature and the
connectivism conceptual framework related to the following research questions:
1. How do high school level teacher influencers perceive their roles?
2. How do high school level teacher influencers inform the instructional and curricular
practices of high school teachers?
3. How can high school level teacher influencers promote collaboration, networking,
and support among high school teachers?

77
Research Question 1 Discussion of Findings
Research Question 1 addressed what high school level teacher influencers perceive their
role to be within education. Revealed were the diverse possibilities and roles that teacher
influencers and teacher influencer content have as a source of information, inspiration, and
instructional support for educational stakeholders. As suggested by the high school teacher
influencers, teacher influencer content can function as a relevant resource that leverages the
social and cultural contexts teachers are currently in, which is rapidly changing due to advances
in technology and the rise of popular social media platforms. Carter Andrews and Richmond
(2019) suggest that when designing and implementing learning opportunities, effective
professional development takes into account the social and cultural contexts within which
teachers and students operate. The teacher influencer participant group explained how the
popularity of social media platforms amongst adults has resulted in high school teachers viewing
teacher influencer content for personal, professional, and educational purposes.
Further, the connections high school teacher influencers described as making with high
school teachers as part of their role are in alignment with the learning theory of connectivism that
views learning as a network phenomenon influenced by technology and socialization (Goldie,
2016). Teacher influencers described their role as creating content as a form of an adult
encounter facilitated through social media platforms that could lead to positive instructional
outcomes for teachers. Teacher influencer participants reported how they functioned as
connection points for high school teachers to access instructional content that would improve
teaching and learning in classrooms. This included learning how to leverage emerging
technologies and the information on social media platforms accessed by teachers. In effect,
teacher influencers were enacting the learning theory of connectivism by connecting high school

78
teachers to spaces of support and instructional material. Teacher influencers discussed how their
content supported teachers by enhancing adult learning encounters with modern technologies
that could then lead to positive outcomes. This is similar to what was suggested by Schmeichel et
al. (2023) who explained how teacher influencers leverage the user’s connection to the classroom
to provide relevant teacher content that supports and informs teacher practices.
Teacher influencer participants also expressed how, similar to social media in general,
content from teacher influencers on social media has the potential to encourage detrimental
comparisons, adversely affecting teacher self-esteem and exacerbating anxiety. Willis et al.
(2023) highlighted that overuse of teacher influencer content by teachers could lead to
overwhelming effects due to perceived pressures to keep up to date, information overload, and
negative comparisons to the highly stylized and curated teacher influencers. As suggested by
both the teacher influencers and Shelton et al. (2021), high school teachers viewing teacher
influencer content must apply a critical lens to identify unrealistic learning and teaching
expectations and questionable quality to avoid potential problems to teaching and learning.
The spectrum of teacher influencer types that vary from informal and profit-driven to
professional and educational could be a barrier that is overcome with proper institutional
oversight and professional guidance of proper educational use (Shelton et al., 2020). Teacher
influencer participants also reported their ability to provide high school teachers with support by
highlighting teachers' value and social importance against the current backdrop of public
education criticism. Teacher influencers were again reinforcing the components of the
connectivism learning theory by functioning as access points to larger learning communities.
Goldie (2016) explains how connectivism facilitates learning by stating:
In connectivism the starting point for learning occurs when knowledge is actuated by

79
learners connecting to and participating in a learning community and learning
communities are defined as the clustering of similar areas of interest that allows for
interaction, sharing, dialoguing and thinking together. (p. 1065)
Teacher influencers, and their uplifting narratives and classroom experiences they share
on TikTok and Instagram, can counterbalance the public perception some have of public
education in the United States that includes troubling aspects such as standardization, low
teacher morale, and teacher shortages (Shelton et al., 2020). As teachers connect with more
teacher influencers, like their posts, and interact with a teacher influencer profile, their networks
grow, again demonstrating the learning theory of connectivism that was developed to explain
learning in the digital age. The manner in which high school teachers and high school level
teacher influencers continue to leverage connectivism via social media networks is likely to
continue to change and grow, and with that, as suggested by the high school teacher influencers,
has the potential to yield additional benefits for teaching and learning in public schools in the
United States.
Research Question 2 Discussion of Findings
Research Question 2 addressed the ways teacher influencers inform the instructional and
curricular practices of high school teachers, as seen through the perspectives of high school
teachers. Revealed were the myriad instructional uses of teacher influencer content and how
teacher influencer content functioned as a source of instructional inspiration, innovation, and
creativity in the classroom for high school teachers.
Personalized adult learning and development for teachers is necessary for the cultivation
of the wide variety of teachers skills necessary to support student learning and academic success
(Carter Andrews & Richmond, 2019). High school teacher participants expressed how teacher

80
influencer content has cultivated and refined their instructional strategies and approaches. This
included the ability to search for specific instructional content on teacher influencer pages
depending on the time of year and instructional aims. This on-demand accessibility was
described as something that is not present in traditional professional development. They
emphasized how leveraging teacher influencer content as supplemental content to their own
instructional approaches positively impacted their teaching practices and students learning. They
appreciated the utility of teacher influencer content that provided scenarios and lesson resources
that could directly apply to their own classrooms. A significant and continually growing number
of teachers are routinely accessing online platforms for informal and formal learning to improve
their teaching (Trust et al., 2016).
Connectivism elucidates how social media platforms and teacher influencer content has
expanded the social networks teachers have access to by enabling teachers to connect with digital
spaces where they can receive instructional materials tailored to their instructional needs and
teaching dispositions (Torphy et al., 2020). High school teacher participants expressed how their
specific search entries coupled with the TikTok and Instagram’s powerful social media
algorithms resulted in content being tailored to a high school teacher’s active needs and interests.
Zhang and Liu, (2021) discussed how internet applications have improved to the point where
users’ content has become more specific, precise, and personalized, satisfying the search of
specific information for users and also expanding the users search curation to new adjacent
topics they may be interested in and benefit from. As suggested by the theory of connectivism,
learning in the digital age is facilitated by learning networks powered through computer and
internet technologies that provide individuals access to information and learning networks of
professionals that share similar interests (Kropf, 2013). By viewing teacher influencer content on

81
TikTok and Instagram, teachers were able to find, share, discuss, and learn from other teachers’
instructional resources and teacher influencers themselves, both synchronously and
asynchronously (Carpenter & Harvey, 2022).
Similar to the teacher influencers, high school teacher participants warned about the
responsibility of educators to vet and assess the credibility of instructional material gleaned from
teacher influencer content before applying it to their teaching practice. As suggested by Torphy et
al. (2020), without proper vetting and assessment of teacher influencer content instructionally
utilized by teachers to inform their teaching, student learning and teaching could be negatively
impacted at a large scale due to leveraging ineffective teacher influencer content in the classroom
to support student achievement.
High school teacher participants expressed the benefits of searching for specific content
via search functions that could then lead to more relevant content. As discussed by Zhang and
Liu (2021), sometimes high quality and applicable content did not always spontaneously appear
on a teacher’s feed. Teachers can search for topical content that is instructionally relevant
through the search function and also benefit from an algorithmically curated feed that may be
more aligned to a teacher's interests and teaching style (Zhang & Liu, 2021). The ever-expanding
content on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram exposed educators to fresh ideas,
creative approaches, and valuable instructional resources, potentially elevating their teaching
practices and providing instructional support as needed.
Research Questions 3 Discussion of Findings
Research Question 3 addressed how high school level teacher influencers can promote
collaboration, networking, and support among high school teachers, from the perspective of both
high school level teacher influencers and high school teachers. Revealed were the multiple

82
benefits teacher influencer content provided to high school teachers, such as reducing
professional isolation, expanding teacher professional learning communities (“PLCs”), and
supporting teacher perceptions of self-efficacy. Both participant groups expressed the potential of
teacher influencer content to reduce professional isolation via validation of teacher experiences.
Both participants groups also explained how teacher influencer content has the ability to
neutralize negative experiences and unsupportive school colleagues by providing teachers with
support, guidance, and resources to overcome school and teaching-related challenges. Torphy et
al. (2020) also suggested that teacher influencer content can function as an external source of
educational content and instructional material which teachers can turn to and thus circumvent
any social stigma that might exist on their school site or when seeking support from internal oncampus colleagues. Connectivism helps to contextualize the ways that high school teachers
engage with multiple teacher influencers and their content and then benefits them in a way that
decreases professional isolation. Teacher influencers function as the hundreds of nodes that then
connect teachers to various content and networks that will provide support (Kropf, 2013). Both
participant groups also discussed the hardships and struggles they were facing around
unsupportive teachers and administrators that were leading to instructional underperformance
and professional isolation. They suggested that connecting with other teachers through teacher
influencer content provided a space for reassurance and ideas to handle issues they were facing.
Professional learning communities, as a form of professional development in which small
groups of educators with shared interests work together to expand their knowledge and improve
their craft, have shown evidence of reducing teacher isolation and improving student
achievement (Arantes & Buchanan, 2022). Study participants suggested how teacher PLCs can
be expanded and supported by teacher influencers and their content as participants gained access

83
to more resources and effective educators via teacher influencer content. To maximize
effectiveness, professional development opportunities and PLCs for teachers should be designed
with an alignment between teachers’ personal objectives and school-based objectives (McCray,
2018). High school teacher participants expressed how teacher influencer content can be an
effective tool and medium for teachers to supplement their on-campus resources with online
resources that are aligned to teacher interests and school needs. Teacher influencer content on
TikTok and Instagram, which delivers content based on user preferences and interests by using
algorithms, can support designing professional learning communities and learning opportunities
that are both personalized and school specific or move beyond the boundaries of the school. As
suggested by Paulus et al. (2020), high quality learning opportunities for teachers also consider
and include teacher beliefs and attitudes towards technological, pedagogical, and content
knowledge to design appealing learning opportunities. As suggested by the study participants,
teacher influencer content on TikTok and Instagram can provide personalized content on the
foundational, contemporary, and emerging instructional and educational concepts and approaches
to support teacher learning and pedagogy.
Both participants groups’ use of teacher influencer content and the nature of the
connection’s teachers formed via this content are in alignment with the theory of connectivism,
which emphasizes how modern-day learning occurs through network connections of individuals
who share interests, knowledge, perspectives, expertise, and opinions in online communities
(Kropf, 2013). In this way, teacher influencers and their content are creating new PLCs for
teachers and enhancing their current PLCs. Teacher influencer content on platforms like TikTok
and Instagram also provide teachers access to narratives and educators who may provide positive
reinforcement and supportive narratives that run counter to instructional structures of oppression

84
(e.g., standardized testing and uniform curriculums) by providing teachers with access to other
learning networks that are in better alignment with teacher needs and their philosophies. As
suggested by Shelton et al. (2022), teacher influencers on social media offer teachers a chance to
interact with content that challenges institutional norms by sharing culturally relevant, anti-bias,
and anti-racist instructional materials.
Further, both participant groups explained how viewing and engaging with teacher
influencer content can support and even increase their perceptions of their self-efficacy. Teacher
influencer content can enhance teachers' sense of self-efficacy via providing teachers access to
relevant instructional materials and a network of educators that can positively impact their
learning and their students’ outcomes (Carpenter et al., 2020). Further, the study participants
expressed how engaging in teacher influencer content allowed them to see how other teachers
had persevered or navigated similar situations they were facing, building their confidence to do
the same. The online communities teacher influencers created on social media platforms
supported connectivism as a viable learning theory for contemporary learning.
Recommendations for Practice
The purpose of this study was to explore the role of teacher influencer content in
supporting and informing teaching practices. Based on the interview data and related findings
that were identified within Chapter Four and discussed in this chapter, three recommendations
for practice are proposed.
See Table 4 which presents each recommendation and its connection to the study
findings. Table 4 also illustrates my research questions, key findings, and corresponding
recommendations. Some recommendations are applicable to multiple key findings and research
questions. The not applicable abbreviated sections of this table distinguish those

85
recommendations that are specific to certain key findings and research questions from those
which are applicable to all.
Table 4
Maximizing the Role and Utility of Teacher Influencer Content in Academic Settings: Key
Findings and Recommendations
Findings and
recommendations
RQ1: How do high
school level teacher
influencers perceive
their roles?
RQ2: How do high
school level teacher
influencers inform
the instructional and
curricular practices of
high school teachers?
RQ3: How can high
school level teacher
influencers promote
collaboration,
networking, and
support among high
school teachers?
Key Finding 1 High school level
teacher influencers
can provide a
window into
contemporary
classrooms.
Myriad instructional
use of teacher
influencer content
Teacher influencer
content reduced
professional
isolation amongst
teachers via
validation of
teacher
experiences.
Key Finding 2 Teacher influencers can
provide support and
guidance around
emerging educational
technologies and
their applicability in
classrooms.
Teacher influencer
content functions
as a source for
instructional
inspiration,
innovation, and
creativity in the
classroom.
Teacher influencer
content creates and
supports
professional
learning
communities.
Key Finding 3 Teacher influencers can
highlight teacher
authenticity and
humanness that is
sometimes
overlooked.
– Teacher influencer
content supported
teacher perceptions
of self-efficacy.

86
Findings and
recommendations
RQ1: How do high
school level teacher
influencers perceive
their roles?
RQ2: How do high
school level teacher
influencers inform
the instructional and
curricular practices of
high school teachers?
RQ3: How can high
school level teacher
influencers promote
collaboration,
networking, and
support among high
school teachers?
Recommendation 1 Leverage teacher
influencer content to
effectively integrate
emerging
technologies into
teaching and learning
across school
functions.
Leverage teacher
influencer content
to effectively
integrate emerging
technologies into
teaching and
learning across
school functions.
Leverage teacher
influencer content
to effectively
integrate emerging
technologies into
teaching and
learning across
school functions.
Recommendation 2 – Formalize teacher
utility of teacher
influencer content
–
Recommendation 3 Institutional
encouragement for
teachers to access
teacher influencers
PLCs for personal
and emotional
benefits
– Institutional
encouragement for
teachers to access
teacher influencers
PLCs for personal
and emotional
benefits
Recommendation 1: Leverage Teacher Influencer Content to Effectively Integrate
Emerging Technologies Into Teaching and Learning Across School Functions
As public education continues to leverage and integrate emerging technologies into
teaching and learning (i.e., artificial intelligence and social learning platforms), teacher
influencer content can provide a critical function in keeping education current and future
oriented. This includes helping teachers master instructional technologies and software programs
in ways that are relevant and applicable to each user and offering teachers another tool to expand
their current toolbox to expand teaching and learning. Greenhow et al. (2020) discussed how the
growing social media space necessitates K–12 educational stakeholders to better understand the

87
impact of social media on education and better leverage the resources, information, and people
available through global social networks that could result in students and teachers accessing a
different contemporary culture more suitable to 21st century teaching and learning. Both
participant groups in this study described teacher influencers and their content as being
instrumental in maintaining alignment with modern trends and social norms, including teachers
and schools having an online presence in alignment with the experience of students and adults on
school campuses. Students are engaging in and thinking about social media content on a daily
basis, and classroom learning approaches that leverage this may positively impact student
learning by increasing student investment due to cultural and instructional relevance (Zeng et al.,
2021).
Further, as reported by both participants groups, while usage of teacher influencer content
on social media is already occurring in many teacher classrooms, it could be leveraged in
additional ways. As suggested by Carpenter et al. (2024), teacher influencer content could be
leveraged for student learning and professional learning that is not only instructional but also
focused on skill development, sports improvement, emotional well-being, and conflict resolution.
This could aid multiple facets of schools to improve their practices. Expanding the applicability
of teacher influencer content across school departments and functions could be the next step to
maximizing the use of current technologies for educational purposes in an academic setting. A
typical U.S. public school curriculum may lack connections to students that cause them to
disengage and not learn effectively (Levin, 2012).
Social media users and teacher influencer content viewers have a wide variety of
dynamic and comprehensive creator tools on popular apps like TikTok and Instagram, where
they can share resources and their creations. The expediency of online creator tools could

88
translate into more learning opportunities and professional activities in the academic calendar
year. Integrating and leveraging teacher influencer content within and beyond the classroom
could be meaningful and culturally relevant to engage Generation-Z and Generation Alpha
learners, and also adults on school campuses, who are increasingly more technologically inclined
and digitally connected than ever before. Teacher influencers could play a critical role in helping
other educators understand and effectively integrate emerging technologies into teaching and
learning, both within classrooms and in other areas of need within schools to best serve students.
Recommendation 2: Formalize Teacher Utility of Teacher Influencer Content
Both groups of participants in this study expressed the myriad of benefits and
instructional uses that teacher influencers and their content provided. This recommendation is to
support teacher influencer content as a form of professional development, including helping
teachers access valuable content and take care in its use. As suggested by McNulty (2016), the
amount of time teachers spend locating and retrieving applicable instructional content online
could be reduced by leveraging teacher influencer content for educational purposes. Harnessing
the utility and influence of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram and the
instructional material provided by teacher influencers could support and inform the instructional
practices of high school teachers more effectively by formalizing and encouraging teacher
engagement with teacher influencer content in high schools. Providing professional development
opportunities around proper usage of teacher influencer content, which is already occurring in
high schools, could yield positive outcomes for schools. Teacher influencer content is diverse
and expansive enough to provide a plenitude of instructional resources that are unique and
differentiated to meet the needs of students (Greenhow et al., 2020). However, without proper
curation and filtering for specific teacher influencer content aligned to teacher and student needs

89
and being able to assess the quality of such content, teacher influencer content may do more
harm than good.
Teachers utilizing instructional materials created and shared by teacher influencers on
TikTok and Instagram must be cognizant and cautious of the self-promotional nature of some
teacher influencers on social media which may distract and divert teachers from accessing high
quality instructional materials that could positively impact student achievement (Carpenter &
Harvey, 2022). Teacher influencer content can be a powerful instructional tool for teachers, but it
can also have a negative impact on teachers and students without the proper institutional vetting
and personal filtering of teacher influencer content to match the teacher and student needs.
Formalizing access and understanding of teacher influencers could help to minimize misuse of
teacher influencer content. Professional development in schools aiming to increase teachers’
digital literacy skills could help teachers sift through the overwhelming and sometimes dubious
teacher influencer content and information on social media spaces (Richter et al., 2022).
Teachers are actively using and leveraging teacher influencer content for instructional purposes
and formalizing this process to provide guidance, resources, and programming around how to do
this effectively and its proper use would help establish better overall use of teacher influencer
content that is likely to continue to proliferate.
Recommendation 3: Institutional Encouragement for Teachers to Access Teacher
Influencer PLCs for Personal and Emotional Benefits
Both participant groups suggested that not only did teacher influencer content positively
influence their instructional practices, but teacher influencers on TikTok and Instagram can
function as a source of support to discuss critical social justice issues that are relevant to teacher
professionalism and their pedagogical approaches (Carpenter et al., 2020). Both participant

90
groups emphasized how teacher influencer content was a source of knowledge and
encouragement, expanding teachers’ professional learning networks by sharing resources related
to social justice, equity, and effective instructional approaches. Shelton et al. (2020) suggests that
this content could potentially support and inform teacher practices in the areas of social justice
and equity. Schools could see a benefit in having administrators encourage teachers to engage
with teacher influencer PLCs in this way. Further, high school teachers reported currently using
social media to collaborate with other educators, expanding their PLCs, and this collaboration,
according to Richter et al. (2022), is positively connected to teachers’ well-being, job
satisfaction, and student achievement. Any professional learning opportunity provided to
teachers that are related to teacher influencer content should be based on adult learning
principles. Effective adult learning through professional development typically includes contentfocused, active learning, collaboration via job-embedded contexts, modeling, coaching support,
feedback, reflection, and sustained duration (Martin & Mulvihill, 2023).
Both participant groups described how they benefited emotionally and instructionally
from engaging with teacher influencer content that supported their approach to learning within
certain political contexts. Teacher influencer content has the potential to elevate and amplify
racial justice discourses schoolwide while also providing appropriate instructional and emotional
support for teachers who are seeking it. Teachers expressed benefitting from viewing the content
of specific teacher influencers that highlighted anti-bias and anti-racist messages that promoted a
social justice and equity-orientation in schools. Encouraging teachers to engage with and access
teacher influencer content and even expand their involvement in these online communities as
PLCs could be beneficial to school climates.

91
Limitations and Delimitations
Delimitations are the aspects of a research study that are in the control of the researcher
when designing their study (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). One delimitation of this study is the
curated and edited videos that teacher influencers upload to social media that give a filtered
version of the content they are presenting. I used these to identify potential high school level
teacher influencer study participants. There are hundreds of thousands of teacher influencer
videos, reels, and stories. There was certainly excellent teacher influencer videos and content that
I did not engage with due to the exponential amount of teacher influencer content available and
accessible online. An additional delimitation of the study is that it looked at high school level
teacher influencers who are also high school teachers, and it does not speak to the influence of
middle school or elementary school teacher influencers or teacher influencers who are not also
classroom teachers. An additional delimitation in this study was that the teachers who were
selected to participate in the study were teachers who taught each either English, Spanish, or
social studies. As a teacher of social studies, my lived experiences with teaching a similar
humanities subject and utilizing teacher influencer content in my classroom may have helped
with the data analysis portion of this study, but it could have also introduced biases. Finally,
another delimitation of this study is the sample size which was limited due to time constraints
and resources to conduct the study as part of doctoral research. The experiences and perceptions
of teacher influencers and English, Spanish, and social studies teachers may not be representative
of the lived experiences and perceptions of those who are not included in the research.
Limitations are the aspects and instances beyond a researcher's control (Creswell &
Creswell, 2018). One limitation of this study is the degree of honesty teachers provided during
the recruitment process and interview process of this research. Teachers may have been

92
unwilling to admit they viewed teacher influencer content and thus were excluded from the study
when they met the study criteria. Another limitation of this study may be the degree of honesty of
teachers during the interviews about their engagement with teacher influencer accounts. Some
teachers may have said that they engaged with teacher influencers more than they actually did
and vice versa. Another limitation of this study is the limited research and literature available that
explores teacher influencer perceptions of themselves and how high school teachers are informed
and influenced by the content teacher influencers create and share. The limited literature and
recency of teacher influencers as a phenomenon meant there was not a robust body of literature
in which to place the findings or recommendations for practice.
Recommendations for Future Research
The utilization of teacher influence content for educational purposes has only just begun,
and future research could explore the innovative ways educators leverage it in the classroom and
beyond. The expanding impact and reach of social media platforms require education
policymakers, administrators, teachers, students, and parents to gain a deeper comprehension of
social media’s potential role in education (Greenhow et al., 2020). Future research could focus
on how other educational stakeholders, such as administrators, counselors, and instructional
coaches, are utilizing teacher influencer content and how it may support and inform their
practices. Connecting to students with teacher influencer content could be a 21st century
culturally relevant pedagogical approach which also reflects the proposed learning frameworks
of connectivism (Kropf, 2013).
Teacher influencer content is actively supporting high school teachers by validating their
instructional approaches and teaching styles, and it may also have the same utility towards
supporting student practices and their learning. Students may also view teacher influencer

93
content in a similar light since it is in alignment with their way of consuming media and social
media influencer content (Zhang & Liu, 2021). Future research could study this from the
perspective of students and explore the benefits of having schools leverage teacher influencer
content and similar educational content to support pedagogical and andragogical teaching and
learning in public schools in the United States.
Conclusion
Teacher influencer content is supporting and informing teacher practices in a myriad of
ways. In this study, across two sets of semi-structured interviews, eleven participants elaborated
on the emerging instructional, professional, and educational utility of teacher influencer content.
The high school teacher influencer participant group expressed the value and importance of
teacher influencer content in bringing awareness and transparency to contemporary teaching and
learning in U.S. public schools. The high school teacher participant group described the
versatility of instructional utilization of teacher influencer content and the ways it can lead
teachers to be inspiring, innovative, and creative in the classroom. They also suggested the
importance of extending their professional learning communities beyond their school walls. Both
participant groups described the effectiveness of teacher influencer content in reducing
professional isolation, expanding professional learning communities, and supporting teacher
perceptions of self-efficacy. At the same time, both participants groups warned of the importance
of establishing guidelines and protocols to both the review and application of teacher influencer
content for instructional purposes to avoid educational misuse in school settings. Based on these
findings, recommendations for practice included the need to leverage teacher influencer content
to support the instructional utilization of emerging technologies, formalize teacher utility of

94
teacher influencer content, and encourage teachers to access teacher influencer PLCs for
personal and emotional benefits.
The digital age of learning arrived in the 1990s with the inception of the internet for the
public but only recently have social media platforms blurred the lines between physical reality
and our digital environments. The growing popularity of social media platforms and the
existence of both a personal and professional presence on platforms like TikTok and Instagram
necessitate a review of the potential for teacher influencer content to support and inform the
educational practices of schools nationwide and globally. Teacher influencers as an educational
resource to improve academic outcomes in public schools is only the starting point to leveraging
emerging educational technologies. The growing social media space and the creation of a
contemporary culture deeply influenced by a phenomenon of virality and sweeping cultural
trends points to the need to align teaching and learning to a new 21st century human conception
and orientation of reality. Future research may reveal how other educational stakeholders such as
administrators, counselors, and coaches can similarly leverage social media influencer content
that is aligned to their employment capacity to support and inform their practices. This study
offered new insight into the role of teacher influencers on social media to support and inform the
practices of high school teachers and student learning more broadly. The potential of educational
content on social media to support and inform teacher practices goes beyond the classroom and
could yield benefits across all facets of an educational school system with proper assessment and
application of social media content.

95
References
Allegretto, S. & Mishel, L. (2020). Teacher pay penalty dips but persists in 2019: Public school
teachers earn about 20% less in weekly wages than nonteacher college graduates.
Economic Policy Institute.
Arantes, J., & Buchanan, R. (2022). Educational data advocates: emerging forms of teacher
agency in postdigital classrooms. Learning, Media and Technology, 1–21.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2022.2087084
Barrot, J. S. (2021). Scientific mapping of social media in education: A decade of exponential
growth. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 59(4), 645–668.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633120972010
Beavers, A. (2009). Teachers as learners: Implications of adult education for professional
development. Journal of College Teaching & Learning (TLC), 6(7).
https://doi.org/10.19030/tlc.v6i7.1122
Carter Andrews, D. J., & Richmond, G. (2019). Professional development for equity: What
constitutes powerful professional learning?. Journal of Teacher Education, 70(5), 408–
409. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487119875098
Carpenter, J. P., & Harvey, S. (2019). “There's no referee on social media”: Challenges in
educator professional social media use. Teaching and teacher education, 86, 102904.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.102904
Carpenter, J. P., Morrison, S. A., Shelton, C. C., Clark, N., Patel, S., & Toma-Harrold, D.
(2024). How and why educators use TikTok: Come for the fun, stay for the learning?.
Teaching and Teacher Education, 142, 104530.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104530

96
Carpenter, J. P., Morrison, S. A., Craft, M., & Lee, M. (2020). How and why are educators using
Instagram?. Teaching and teacher education, 96, 103149.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103149
Carpenter, J. P., Shelton, C. C., & Schroeder, S. E. (2022). The education influencer: A new
player in the educator professional landscape. Journal of Research on Technology in
Education, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2022.2030267
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed
methods approaches (Fifth edition). Los Angeles: SAGE.
Foroughi, A. (2015). The theory of connectivism: can it explain and guide learning in the digital
age?. Journal of higher education theory and practice, 15(5), 11.
Foster. (2022). The Research Foundation for Standards for Professional Learning. Learning
Professional, 43(3), 22–.
Goldie, J. G. S. (2016). Connectivism: A knowledge learning theory for the digital age?. Medical
teacher, 38(10), 1064–1069. https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159X.2016.1173661
Greenhow, C., Galvin, S. M., Brandon, D. L., & Askari, E. (2020). A decade of research on K–
12 teaching and teacher learning with social media: Insights on the state of the field.
Teachers College Record, 122(6), 1–72. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146812012200602
Guskey. (2021). Professional Learning with Staying Power. In Educational Leadership (Vol. 78,
Issue 5, p. 54–). ASCD.
Hartung, C., Ann Hendry, N., Albury, K., Johnston, S., & Welch, R. (2023). Teachers of
TikTok: Glimpses and gestures in the performance of professional identity. Media
International Australia, 186(1), 81–96. https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X211068836

97
Johnson B. & Christensen L. B. (2017). Educational research: quantitative qualitative and
mixed approaches (Sixth). SAGE Publications.
Jiménez-Buedo, M. (2021). Reactivity in social scientific experiments: what is it and how is it
different (and worse) than a Placebo effect?. European journal for philosophy of
science, 11, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13194-021-00350-z
Kennedy, M. M. (2016). How does professional development improve teaching?. Review of
educational research, 86(4), 945–980. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315626800
Kropf, D. C. (2013). Connectivism: 21st Century's New Learning Theory. European Journal of
Open, Distance and E-Learning, 16(2), 13–24.
Lawson Bush, V., & Bush, E. C. (2018). A paradigm shift? Just because the lion is talking
doesn’t mean that he isn’t still telling the hunter’s story: African American male theory
and the problematics of both deficit and nondeficit models. Journal of African American
Males in Education (JAAME), 9(1), 1–18.
Levin, H. M. (2012). Some economic guidelines for design of a charter school district.
Economics of education review, 31(2), 331–343.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2011.08.010
Lochmiller C. R. & Lester J. N. (2017). An introduction to educational research: connecting
methods to practice. SAGE.
Martin, L., & Mulvihill, T. (2023). Voices in Education: Successful Professional Development
for Educators: What Does It Look Like and Who Should Be Involved?. The Teacher
Educator, 58(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/08878730.2023.2145716
Maxwell, J.A. (2013) Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach. Sage, Thousand
Oaks.

98
McCray, C. (2018). Secondary teachers’ perceptions of professional development: A report of a
research study undertaken in the USA. Professional Development in Education, 44(4),
583–585. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2018.1427133
McNulty, M. (2016). How teachers will benefit from Amazon Inspire: The new online education
resources platform. Deseret News. https://www.deseret.com/2016/7/2/20591238/howteachers-will-benefit-from-amazon-inspire-the-new-online-education-resources-platform/
Merriam, S. B. (2001). Andragogy and self-directed learning: Pillars of adult learning
theory. New directions for adult and continuing education, 2001(89), 3.
Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and
Implementation (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
Milner, H. R. (2007). Race, culture, and researcher positionality: Working through dangers seen,
unseen, and unforeseen. Educational Researcher, 36(7), 388–400.
https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X07309471
Onyema, E. M., Eucheria, N. C., Obafemi, F. A., Sen, S., Atonye, F. G., Sharma, A., & Alsayed,
A. O. (2020). Impact of Coronavirus pandemic on education. Journal of education and
practice, 11(13), 108–121.
Opfer, V.D. and Pedder, D. (2011) Conceptualizing Teacher Professional Learning. Review of
Educational Research, 81, 376–407. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654311413609
Paulus, M. T., Villegas, S. G., & Howze-Owens, J. (2020). Professional learning communities:
Bridging the technology integration gap through effective professional
development. Peabody Journal of Education, 95(2), 193–202.
https://doi.org/10.1080/0161956X.2020.1745610

99
Probst, B. (2015). The eye regards itself: Benefits and challenges of reflexivity in qualitative
social work research. Social work research, 39(1), 37–48.
https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svu028
Rai, R., Cheng, M. I., & Scullion, H. (2023). How People Use Instagram and Making Social
Comparisons Are Associated With Psychological Wellbeing. Journal of Technology in
Behavioral Science, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-023-00319-0
Richter, E., Carpenter, J. P., Meyer, A., & Richter, D. (2022). Instagram as a platform for teacher
collaboration and digital social support. Computers & Education, 190, 104624.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104624
Rubin, H.J. and Rubin, I.S. (2012) Qualitative Interviewing: The Art of Hearing Data. 3rd
Edition, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks.
Schellewald, A. (2021). Communicative forms on TikTok: Perspectives from digital
ethnography. International journal of communication, 15, 21.
Schmeichel, M., Kerr, S., & Wurzburg, E. (2023). Postfeminism, Progressive Neoliberalism, and
Teacher Influencers. In Progressive Neoliberalism in Education (pp. 105–120).
Routledge.
Shelton, C. C., Curcio, R., Carpenter, J. P., & Schroeder, S. E. (2022). Instagramming for
Justice: The Potentials and Pitfalls of Culturally Relevant Professional Learning on
Instagram. TechTrends, 66(5), 837–854. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-022-00758-1
Shelton, C., Geiger, T., & Archambault, L. (2021). Becoming a better teacher through online
teacherpreneurship? Factors influencing online teacherpreneurs’ perceived gains in
teaching practice. The Elementary School Journal, 122(1), 8–25.
https://doi.org/10.1086/715521

100
Shelton, C., Schroeder, S., & Curcio, R. (2020). Instagramming their hearts out: What do eduinfluencers share on Instagram?. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher
Education, 20(3), 529–554.
Sidik, N., Zaiton, S. N. A. H., Hambali, N., & Sujak, S. F. (2021). Exploring Connectivism
through Online Engagement. International Journal of Academic Research in Business
and Social Sciences. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v11-i11/11303
Siemens, G. (2005) Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. International Journal
of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1).
Siemens, G. (2017). Connectivism. Foundations of learning and instructional design technology.
Torphy, K., Hu, S., Liu, Y., & Chen, Z. (2020). Teachers turning to teachers: Teacherpreneurial
behaviors in social media. American Journal of Education, 127(1), 49–76.
https://doi.org/10.1086/711012
Trust, T., Krutka, D. G., & Carpenter, J. P. (2016). “Together we are better”: Professional
learning networks for teachers. Computers & education, 102, 15–34.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.06.007
Willis, A., Grainger, P., Thiele, C., Simon, S., Menzies, S., & Dwyer, R. (2023). The benefits
and pitfalls of social media for teachers’ agency and wellbeing. Technology, Pedagogy
and Education, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939X.2023.2210585
Zeng, J., Abidin, C., & Schäfer, M. S. (2021). Research perspectives on TikTok & its legacy
apps research perspectives on TikTok and its legacy apps—introduction. International
Journal of Communication, 15, 12.
Zhang, M., & Liu, Y. (2021). A commentary of TikTok recommendation algorithms in MIT

101
Technology Review 2021. Fundamental Research, 1(6), 846–847.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fmre.2021.11.015

102
Appendix A: High School Teacher Interview
I’d like to start by asking some background questions about you.
1. First, tell me about your background in education?
• How did you become interested in the field of education?
• How long have you worked in the field?
• What roles or positions have you held?
2. What subject(s) do you teach? Tell me about your role in the program/school.
I’m now going to ask you about teacher perceptions of social media and teacher
influencers.
3. Tell me about your typical usage of the TikTok and Instagram apps as related to your
work. What are you most likely to see?
• How is the content relevant to your work?
• Think about the most recent teacher influencer content you found informative.
What was it? In what ways was it informative?
4. What role, if any, do teacher influencers play in informing your instructional and
curricular practices? Think about a recent time when you leveraged teacher influencer
content in your classroom, if at all. Tell me about it.
5. If you are finding teacher influencer content instructionally relevant, why is that the
case? When it is not, why is that the case?
Now, I’d like to ask you some questions about how teacher influencers may impact education
and teachers’ practice.
6. How do you feel when you see teacher influencer content reinforcing your beliefs
about education (i.e., alignment with your teaching philosophy or teaching style)?

103
7. Has the content you have seen promoted collaboration, networking, or support among
high school teachers? If so, how has it done so? Can you provide a specific example?
How do you think it could that better?
8. What role if any, can teacher influencers play in reducing professional isolation?
9. Suppose a teacher has low self-efficacy; how might you say consuming teacher
influencer content may impact them?
10. To what extent, if any, has engaging with teacher influencer content increased (or
decreased) your self-efficacy as a teacher? How so?
11. What other insights, if any, would you like to add to our conversation about the
potential role of teacher influencers in supporting and informing teacher practices that
I might not have covered?
Thank you for your time. Should you have any questions, you can email me at
zozayate@usc.edu

104
Appendix B: Teacher Influencer Interview
I’d like to start by asking some background questions about you.
1. First, tell me about your background in education?
• How did you become interested in the field of education?
• How long have you worked in the field?
• What roles or positions have you held?
2. What subject(s) do you teach? Tell me about your role in the program/school.
I’m now going to ask you about teacher perceptions of social media and teacher
influencers.
3. If someone were to ask you what the role of teacher influencers in education is, what
might you say?
4. What role, if any, do you believe social media platforms should have in education?
5. What would characterize the ideal teacher influencer profile?
Now I’d like to ask you some questions about how teacher influencers may impact
education and teachers’ practice.
6. How do you feel when you see teacher influencer content reinforcing your beliefs
about education (i.e., alignment with your teaching philosophy or teaching style)?
7. Has the content you have seen promoted collaboration, networking, or support among
high school teachers? If so, how has it done so? Can you provide a specific example?
How do you think it could do that better?
8. What role, if any, can teacher influencers play in reducing professional isolation?
9. Suppose a teacher has low self-efficacy; how might you say consuming teacher
influencer content may impact them?

105
10. To what extent, if any, has engaging with teacher influencer content increased (or
decreased) your self-efficacy as a teacher? How so?
11. What other insights, if any, would you lie to add to our conversation about the
potential role of teacher influencers in supporting and informing teacher practices that
I might not have covered?
Thank you for your time. Should you have any questions, you can email me at
zozayate@usc.edu.

106
Appendix C: Teacher Influencer Recruitment Questionnaire Via Microsoft Forms
1. What is your first and last name?
2. What is your email?
3. What is your phone number?
4. Do you actively consider yourself a teacher influencer on one of the following social
media platforms: Instagram, TikTok?
• yes
• no
5. On which social media platforms are you actively posting content as a teacher
influencer?
• Instagram
• TikTok
• other
6. Are you a high school teacher in addition to being a teacher influencer on social
media?
• yes
• no
7. Are you able and willing to meet over Zoom to complete a 45–60-minute interview?
• yes
• no

107
Appendix D: High School Teacher Recruitment Questionnaire Via Microsoft Forms
1. What is your first and last name?
2. What is your email?
3. What is your phone number?
4. Do you actively view teacher influencer content on one of the following social media
platforms: Instagram, TikTok?
• yes
• no
5. On which social media platforms are you actively viewing teacher influencer content?
• Instagram
• TikTok
• other
6. Are you a high school teacher who views teacher influencer content on social media?
• yes
• no
7. Have you utilized teacher influencer instructional or curricular practices from social
media in your teaching and in an effective manner?
• yes
• no
• prefer not to answer
8. Are you are able and willing to meet over Zoom to complete a 45–60-minute
interview?
• yes

108
•
no

Abstract (if available)

Linked assets

University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Conceptually similar

PDF

Evaluating social networks and impact of micro-influencers who promote e-cigarettes on social media

PDF

Teacher as nurturer: perceptions of elementary teachers integrating social and emotional learning practices

PDF

Academic, social, and emotional supports for high school students in online schools

PDF

In-service teacher training in Pakistan’s elite private primary schools – lessons for Pakistan’s public schools

PDF

Modeling collaboration in K–12 teacher professional development

PDF

Sustained mentoring of early childhood education teachers: an innovation study

PDF

A multi-case study on teaching practices and how teachers use technology to support scientific inquiry in 1:1 classrooms

PDF

Factors influencing technology at a secondary school

PDF

Technology integration and self-efficacy of in-service secondary teachers in an international school

PDF

Teacher retention in an urban, predominately Black school district: an improvement study in the Deep South

PDF

Perceptions of inclusion: high school students diagnosed with learning disabilities and their level of self-efficacy

PDF

Classrooms beyond the binary: elementary teachers gendered beliefs and classroom practices

PDF

Deepening awareness: the integration of mindfulness practices in United States high schools

PDF

Exploring primary teachers' self-efficacy and technology integration in early reading instruction

PDF

Teacher discourse and practice: the role of discourse in grade-level meetings for teacher learning and changes in practice

PDF

A qualitative examination of PBIS team members' perceptions of urban high school teachers' role in implementing tier 2 schoolwide positive behavior supports

PDF

Metacognition and self-regulation strategies to support high school student athletes

PDF

One Hawai’i K-12 complex public school teachers’ level of computer self-efficacy and their acceptance of and integration of technology in the classroom

PDF

Application of professional learning outcomes into the classroom: an evaluation study

PDF

Welcoming and retaining expatriate teachers in an international school

Asset Metadata

Creator Zozaya Tellez, Juan Luis (author)

Core Title TikToking and Instagramming: following high school teacher influencers' roles in supporting and informing teacher practices

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Educational Leadership (On Line)

Degree Conferral Date 2024-05

Publication Date 05/22/2024

Defense Date 05/01/2024

Publisher Los Angeles, California (original), University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Connectivism,content,Education,emergent,Followers,influencers,Instagram,learning,OAI-PMH Harvest,online platforms,perception,professional development,professional isolation,professional learning communities,self-efficacy,social media,teacher influencer,technologies,TikTok,U.S.

Format theses (aat)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Krop, Cathy (committee chair), Datta, Monique (committee member), Franklin, Gregory (committee member)

Creator Email jzeducator@gmail.com,zozayate@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC113953630

Unique identifier UC113953630

Identifier etd-ZozayaTell-13003.pdf (filename)

Legacy Identifier etd-ZozayaTell-13003

Document Type Dissertation

Format theses (aat)

Rights Zozaya Tellez, Juan Luis

Internet Media Type application/pdf

Type texts

Source 20240522-usctheses-batch-1159 (batch), University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright.

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA

Repository Email cisadmin@lib.usc.edu