A Relational Perspective on Instructional System Coherence: Introducing New Approaches from Network Analysis

Purpose: Instructional system coherence plays an important role in sustaining high-quality learning environments. Though it is acknowledged that instructional systems are dynamic and relational, most research quantifies coherence in terms of its overall presence (or absence) in the learning environment. In this study, we investigate whether a network-based approach that accounts for the relational nature of system coherence can yield new insights into teachers’ perceptions of instructional systems. Methods: We analyzed survey data from a multistate sample of K–12 English language arts (ELA) teachers using methods adapted from network analysis. These methods allow us to visualize coherence more holistically by illustrating the ties between different components of teachers’ instructional systems that give them messages about what and how to teach. Findings: We found that teachers perceived relatively high levels of instructional system coherence, though there was disagreement among teachers within schools. We found structural differences in how coherence is perceived and identified five main profiles of instructional system coherence. When we relate these profiles to contextual conditions hypothesized to be associated with coherence, we find that several profiles associate similarly with preconditions. Implications: Our findings illustrate ways that relational measures of instructional system coherence can characterize not only how many instructional system components are perceived to be similar or reinforcing but also which components may have strongly reinforcing relationships, and which may have weaker or conflicting relationships. Such insights could lead to the formulation of new theories of how coherence influences teaching and learning and may inform school improvement strategies.