Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop an analytic framework for studying interdisciplinary learning in collaboration between schools and child support services. The analytic framework connects the concept of boundary crossing with the social–psychological processes of trust and identity formation. Design/methodology/approach The paper is written from a theoretical point of view. Empirical research data from two schools are used to illustrate the use and merit of the proposed framework. Findings The framework proved to be useful for identifying the level of co-work in the two schools. In addition, the framework helped to shed light on how the support for trust and identity formation by the school management aids interdisciplinary learning. Research limitations/implications The most essential feature of the suggested framework is its use of complex theoretical concepts. Examining each concept in detail would ignore the interconnected nature of concepts in the framework, as well as the fact that it is not yet known how this interconnectedness works. Therefore, the framework is based on a generalised use of the concepts. Practical implications The contribution of the framework for practice lies in its potential to shed light on how processes in interdisciplinary collaboration can be shaped. The framework can be used to inform contextual interventions that seek to optimize collaborative structures. Originality/value The paper contributes to understanding the complex processes that constitute interdisciplinary learning in collaboration.
Collaboration between teachers and child support workers is seen as a promising way to effectuate inclusive practice in mainstream education. This paper aims to explore how co-location of services promotes transformation of practice, and to expand an analytic framework for interdisciplinary collaboration. By combining these two perspectives, we intend to contribute to both theory and practice. The data consist of semi-structured interviews that explore the experiences of teachers and child support workers who co-work in three schools for secondary education. A template analysis was used to examine collaboration in co-location, and to further develop the framework with which we began our empirical research. The initial template consisted of dimensions of knowledge sharing in relation to dimensions of trust and dimensions of identity. The results showed that proximity can be divided into three different types, being spatial proximity, organisational proximity and personal proximity. These types of proximity, in turn, can be related to knowledge sharing, trust and identity. The contribution of the expanded framework for practice lies in its potential to shed light on how processes in interdisciplinary collaboration can be shaped.
Although the benefits of family-school partnership are clear, secondary schools struggle to successfully realise this partnership. Drawing on interview data from Dutch parents of secondary school students, this study aims to explore underlying structures of familyschool partnership and opportunities for improvement. We defined family-school partnership as boundary crossing in collaboration between equal agents. Using a framework for analysing interdisciplinary collaboration, we explored what levels of co-work can be observed in parents' accounts and what factors affect parents' agency in family-school partnership. In total, 24 parents participated in 11 individual semi-structured interviews and 3 focus group interviews. Data were analysed using a template analysis. The analysis showed that, although coordination and collaboration can be observed in the partnership, the most common level of cowork is cooperation. Furthermore, the findings show that at each level of co-work, the agentive roles of parents are affected by equality of condition, including: access to resources, recognition of expertise, and acknowledgement of authority. The study contributes to the scientific understanding of the relationship between families and schools by breaking down the complex concept of family-school partnership into smaller, more tangible and more manageable components. Defining levels of co-work, different agentive roles and different levels of equality helps to deepen the theoretical understanding of the interrelated aspects of familyschool partnership. In practice, defining components that are observable may lead to actionable insights.
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