Empirical Insights on Success Factors, Challenges, Disappointments, and Organizational Impacts in Research-Practice Partnerships

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 8:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Organizational Change in Teacher Education (Table 8)

Abstract

This study examined boundary-crossing collaboration in a research-practice partnership (RPP) in initial teacher education in Germany, exploring improvements for the theory-practice link between academic expertise and professional practice. The study drawed on a quantitative survey with 78 participants from four groups: school practioners, researchers, teacher students, partners from extracurricular organizations. Participants´ answers on five questions with open reponse format were analysed and a one-way ANOVA was calculated. Results revealed, among others, personal development as most central success factor, bidirectional knowledge transfer between school and university, challenges and disappointments primarily relating to organizational aspects, and differences between groups mainly existing between school practioners and researchers. This study contributes to the international debate on RPPs and advocates their establishment in teacher education.

Authors

• Sandra Fischer-Schöneborn, IU International University of Applied Sciences

• Timo Ehmke, Leuphana University - Lueneburg