Knowledge through a collaborative network: a cross‐cultural partnership

Abstract

A recurring issue for researchers, policy-makers and practitioners is how new knowledge can be disseminated, critiqued, assessed and incorporated into policy development and practice. Campbell and Fulford examined strategies in a Canadian Education Ministry which was striving to incorporate research findings into policy debate. They evolved a useful framework indentifying six forms and stages of knowledge development related to research use in this context: generation of new knowledge, mobilisation, contextualisation, adaptation, application and integration. This paper uses their framework to explore links between research and practice in a collaborative cross-cultural partnership designed to develop greater capacity in teacher education in a Pacific country, and based on action, coconstruction and reflection. It argues that there are blurred boundaries between knowledge production and its practical implementation, use and testing, that contextualisation and relationship building are crucial to knowledge mobilisation, and that knowledge is generated across all stages in the process.

Learning communities for curriculum change: key factors in an educational change process in New Zealand

“…Throughout the process, reflection and evaluation to inform further actions were ongoing features. Thus the developing and evolutionary nature of the professional development, and the way it was managed reflected an action research approach in ways similar to the partnership development described by Alcorn (2010). The adopted operational pattern of problem definition, data collection, analysis, planning, monitoring and reflection to inform the next cycle was in keeping with action research methodology.…”

“…The process adopted fits an action research methodology, similar in many ways to that described by Alcorn (2010). As in Alcorn's case study, the purpose of the professional development activity was action to implement change (in this case curriculum change).…”

Sustaining organisational change: Teacher education in the Solomon Islands

“…They relished experiencing and trialling the learner-centred approaches they learned through their involvement in the partnership. Feedback from the SOE staff on learner-centred teaching was very positive, although lack of resources was and continues to be an issue (Alcorn, 2010). So, while learner-centred approaches may not have "taken root in classrooms" (Mtika & Gates, 2010, p. 397) just yet, an enthusiastic start was made.…”

“…Part of the organisational strengthening process involved the development of a teacher education curriculum for early childhood, primary and secondary teachers and this is the focus of other articles in this special edition. Alcorn (2010) framed the Partnership as action research and identified four action cycle phases: programme development and new teaching strategies, organisational changes, leadership and change, and research promotion and dissemination. This article will focus on those aspects of the Partnership that were designed to enhance the sustainability of, and support the changes to, the academic programmes and improve management processes.…”

Community Engaged Research

“…This political component of the project therefore seeks to develop the innovative and ground-breaking potential of two complementary approaches presented through collaborative knowledge generation (CKG) and knowledge to action (KTA) (Bruner, 2004;Durham Community Research Team, 2011;Alcorn, 2010), implemented as exercises towards understanding methodologies of co-creation of knowledge. Located in the practice of participatory action research (PAR), we believe that the investment in research based on CKG and KTA principles can directly influence how co-creation is developed.…”