Hur, Jung Won, and Thomas A. Brush. "Teacher participation in online communities: Why do teachers want to participate in self-generated online communities of K–12 teachers?." Journal of research on technology in education 41.3 (2009): 279-303.

This study delves into the motivations behind K–12 teachers' participation in self-generated online communities. Through interviews with 23 teachers and the analysis of over 2,000 community postings, five primary reasons for participation emerged: sharing emotions, leveraging online environment benefits, addressing teacher isolation, exploring new ideas, and fostering a sense of camaraderie. These insights suggest that teacher professional development programs should focus more on emotional sharing and self-esteem enhancement to better support teachers' needs.