Value Creation in Social Learning Spaces: Scale Development

Abstract

Wide agreement exists about the value and power of learning in social contexts, and social influences on learning have been studied from multiple perspectives. However, before this study, no known measure of the value of learning that happens in social spaces had been developed. This study introduces a scale to measure value created through participation in social learning spaces as theorized by Wenger-Trayner and Wenger-Trayner (2020). Data were collected from 18 distinct ECHO® education and health learning communities in New Mexico, Oklahoma, India, and Nigeria. These ECHO® communities align with the conceptualization of social learning spaces. Findings resulted in a parsimonious survey that represents the distinct cycles of value creation. The results of the CFA support the validation of this scale and suggest that the instrument accurately represents the value cycles in Wenger-Trayner and Wenger-Trayner’s (2020) framework. This protocol has utility across educational institutions, organizations, and agencies.