Characterizing Collaboration in a Research and Preschool Development Program: A Critical Study of Discourse

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session Four
  In Roundtable Session: Organizing for Collaborative Improvement (Table 2)

Abstract

This study is based on the premise that people construct their own truths and that they do so based on the social practices in which they take part (Fairclough, 2003). As such it is imperative that we become aware of the discourses that shape our understanding of reality, and in this specific case, the relationship between researchers and practitioners in educational partnerships. Hence, the aim of this study is to characterise the discourses that influence how roles are assumed.
An initial analysis identify two discourses (i.e. ‘objectivist and distance’ and equity and engagement’) on collaborative work in educational partnerships. Moreover these discourses are connected to a ‘planning and decision making’ context as well as a ‘research and development’ context.

Author

• Simon Sjölund, Mälardalen University
  Presenting Author