Virtual communities of practice: An inquiry into the creation, benefits, motivations, enablers and barriers to participation

Abstract

Teachers’ Communities of Practice (CoP) offer the potential for continuous professional development through knowledge sharing networks. Taking place both face-to-face and online in Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoP) the transfer, generation, and reinforcement of knowledge can promote better practices in the classroom. Through this investigation, the barriers, motivations and enabling factors affecting the creation and success of VCoPs will be illustrated with reference to literature and interviews with members of a professional organization of teachers in Japan. Significant influences affecting VCoPs will be shown to be teachers’ personal motivations, technology use and interpersonal relationships.