Behind the Scenes: Intermediary Organizations and Researchers in Research-Practice Partnerships

• In Event: 75.043 - MTCC Poster Session 17
  In Poster Session: Policy Implementation and Scale

Abstract

Many intermediary organizations (IOs) in education pride themselves in the expertise they bring to bear when navigating the space between research and practice. In turn, many research-practice partnerships (RPPs) are incorporating IOs as key partners in their joint work. Through the lens of Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), I explore the roles and relationship between the curriculum developers and researchers in a RPP during the first 6-months of joint design work. Findings demonstrate a key contradiction between the researchers and developers related to varying degrees of expertise necessary to engage in the work. This analysis contributes to the paucity of studies on IOs and offers ‘behind the scenes’ perspectives on IOs as a promising way to leverage educational research.

Author

• Stephanie Brown, York College of Pennsylvania