Examining Principles Distinguishing Research-Practice Partnerships in the Swedish Context

• In Event: International Explorations of Collaborations: How Do Research-Practice Partnerships in Europe Compare With Those in the United States?

Abstract

In this paper, I examine a team of around 300 practitioners, four researchers, and an independent research institute working together to understand and improve how preschools work with sustainable development with their children. Specifically, I will explore how this Swedish research-practice partnership (RPP) and the Swedish RPP context in general aligns with established RPP principles (Author et al. 2021). While collaborative educational research efforts are common in Sweden, spurred by state policies and initiatives (e.g. Prøitz et al., 2022; SFS, 2010:800), long term partnerships, such as RPPs, are relatively scarce.

Theoretical framework and study design
The study employs five principles of RPPs (Author et al. 2021) to understand the Swedish RPP context. By analyzing 45 hours of recorded meetings between researchers and practitioners, along with RPP documents like research plans and logic models, the paper draws upon the experiences of a large-scale RPP with over 300 participants.

Findings
The majority of aspects that distinguish research-practice partnerships (RPPs) from other types of collaborations align well with the Swedish context. RPPs are characterized by rigorous processes that promote the integration of diverse experiences and expertise, with a central focus on research and its role in driving educational improvement and equitable transformation. In this specific RPP working with sustainable development, a variety of stakeholders engage with surveys, recorded talks with children, and observation protocols to investigate their practices. School leaders and researchers sit together in decision-making structures, while all participants (preschool teachers, principals, municipal educational leaders, and researchers) engage in improvement seminars sharing experience and expertise to move forward. With preschool teachers often the ones collecting data in research efforts.

However, within the Swedish context, the aspect of "long-term" collaboration requires attention. While initial commitments to long-term collaboration are made in the RPP studied here, there is a noticeable absence of discussions among researchers and practitioners about the continuation of their work once the initial funding concludes. Nevertheless, existing discussions about long-term efforts go beyond the mere duration of the RPP itself and encompass the sustained involvement and engagement of key individuals, as observed in other studies investigating Swedish collaborative research efforts (Prøitz et al., 2022).

In this RPP, a perceived distinction between research and improvement influences collaboration dynamics. Efforts to shift power relations, particularly regarding practitioner involvement, are essential. While practitioners contribute to research direction and interpretation, school leaders express concerns about limited engagement. Notably, school leaders, rather than teachers, primarily challenge traditional structures. Findings indicate practitioners lean towards conventional roles during research activities, and RPP facilitators' efforts to address this are limited. These findings align with prior studies showing Swedish teachers' perceived insecurity, potentially influenced by the Swedish policy context, and subsequently affecting researcher-practitioner relationships (Wermke, 2011; Ryve & Hemmi, 2019; Author, 2023).

Significance
Understanding how RPP principles are translated into the Swedish context challenges common perceptions while reinforcing most aspects. Comparing the Swedish RPP with RPPs in other countries will provide valuable insights into RPPs, benefiting both Sweden and other contexts.

Author

• Simon Sjölund, Mälardalen University