Building common knowledge at the boundaries between professional practices: Relational agency and relational expertise in systems of distributed expertise

Edwards, Anne

doi:10.1016/j.ijer.2011.04.007

Cited by 316 publications

(261 citation statements)

References 14 publications

(11 reference statements)

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“…It also requires collaboration across discipline and professional boundaries. Many authors have written about collaboration (for example, Edwards (2011)) in a very wide range of settings, but they virtually all agree that collaboration across disciplinary or professional boundaries is not straightforward.…”

Section: The Role Of Policy Network In Driving Stemmentioning

confidence: 99%

STEM in England: meanings and motivations in the policy arena

Wong

Dillon

King

2016

International Journal of Science Education

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General rightsThis document is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. Full terms of use are available: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/pure/about/ebr-terms STEM in England: meanings and motivations in the policy arena Vicky Wong, King's College London, Corresponding author, Victoria.wong@kcl.ac.uk Justin Dillon, University of Bristol, Justin.dillon@bristol.ac.uk Heather King, King's College London, heather.1.king@kcl.ac.uk Abstract STEM, an acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, is widely used in science education. There is confusion, however, as to its provenance and meaning which is potentially problematic. This study examines the purpose and underlying philosophy of STEM practice in education in England and asks if there are differences in perceptions of STEM between science and mathematics educator stakeholders. The study's contribution to the literature is its unusual focus on those who were responsible for making and enacting national STEM policy. A two-phase qualitative approach was followed comprising an analysis of government documentation related to STEM initiatives together with semi-structured interviews with 21 key contributors to the science and mathematics education discourse in England. Using thematic analysis, recurring patterns were identified in the data. Findings suggest that there is a disconnect between the interpretations of the science and mathematics educators with a danger/advantage dichotomy to participation in STEM being perceived by the mathematics educators. Potential danger did not appear to be felt by science educators, possibly as science was perceived as dominant in STEM discourse. Broader early aims of the architects of the STEM agenda, including those of increasing diversity among STEM students, gave way to a focus on numbers of post-16 physics and mathematics students. We conclude that if the term STEM is to continue to be used then there is a need for greater clarity about what it represents in educational terms and a wider debate about its compatibility with the aims of science education for all. Key words: STEM, mathematics, policy developmentFrom past to present: the story of STEM STEM has become a key driver in science education with many projects funded by the European Union coming under the STEM banner (European Commission, 2016), yet there is a lack of clarity regarding its history and a variety of different meanings are ascribed to it. Part of the reason is that it is an acronym with a vague history. In this section, the history of STEM will be traced and links to wider discourses in education examined. We begin by looking at STEM as a single construct as it is a well-known and frequently used term, however we will also tease out whether seeing it in this way is always helpful.Page 2 of 20 STEM usually refers to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, but to some it is Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine and for many outside the 'STEM community' it ...

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Section: The Role Of Policy Network In Driving Stemmentioning

confidence: 99%

STEM in England: meanings and motivations in the policy arena

Wong

Dillon

King

2016

International Journal of Science Education

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“…In the innovation literature, the space between different groups of collaborator, demarcated by professional, departmental or organisational boundaries, is described as a highly productive area where a diversity of ideas meet and generate socially innovative solutions to practice problems (Vangen & Huxham, 2013). However, these can also be challenging places to negotiate (Akkerman and Bakker, 2011;Edwards, 2011).…”

Section: Dimensions Of Collaborative Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Collaborative practices between correctional and mental health services in Norway: Expanding the roles and responsibility competence domain

Hean

Willumsen

Ødegård

2016

Journal of Interprofessional Care

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“…The benefit of learning from others in other colleges may have been hampered thus hindering networking and learning through diversity. This comment may indicate a readiness to learn from others or benefit from relational expertise (Edwards 2011) outside of their context in an attempt to move to innovation to help break the rut of 'lock-in', in which organisations get trapped (Maskell and Malmberg 2007).…”

Section: Perceptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Insight into the 'how' may be provided by Howell and Annansingh (2013, 33) who say that without knowledge sharing amongst partners, organisations would constantly reinvent themselves with ways of leveraging past experience and expertise and thus avoid innovative practices. Different higher education institutional systems with varying forms of expertise could benefit from collaboration to address the challenges in the context where they are situated (Edwards 2011). The macro-context of this study is thus higher education being responsive to training for the current workplace.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A collaborative higher education initiative for leadership development: Lessons for knowledge sharing

Albertyn

Frick

2016

SAJHE

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The higher education sector needs to prepare youth for the fast changing innovative focused economy. Visionary leadership is needed to facilitate this knowledge transfer for novelty creation.A collaborative initiative could facilitate leadership development and foster knowledge sharing in this context. The initiative with three stakeholder groups started with an Interactive Qualitative Analysis exercise to identify needs and formulate a collaboration charter to ensure reciprocal benefits. A programme evaluation research design was applied three years after implementation using a logic-model framework. Process evaluation entailed collecting data from 103 questionnaires and 11 semi-structured interviews. Based on interpretation of data according to an integrated framework for sharing knowledge across boundaries, we identified three areas for further development: contextual knowledge, collaborative partnerships and common vision.Working collaboratively across institutional and knowledge boundaries towards a common vision could enhance leadership development and contribute to longer-term transformation and sustainable change in complex environments.

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Building common knowledge at the boundaries between professional practices: Relational agency and relational expertise in systems of distributed expertise

Cited by 316 publications

References 14 publications

STEM in England: meanings and motivations in the policy arena

STEM in England: meanings and motivations in the policy arena

Collaborative practices between correctional and mental health services in Norway: Expanding the roles and responsibility competence domain

A collaborative higher education initiative for leadership development: Lessons for knowledge sharing

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