Knowledge Generation, Transfer, Exchange, and Production in School-University Partnerships in China: Stakeholder Perspectives

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 3:45 pm - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: From Partnership to Practice: RPPs, Pathways, and Program Innovation

Abstract

This research examines how school-university partnerships in China function as third spaces for negotiating knowledge, power, identities, and practices. Framed within a social constructivist lens and a qualitative case study design, it draws on data collected from two partnerships, one university-led and one district-led, through interviews, observations with 25 participants, and document analysis. The study explores how participants’ identities and agency shift through situated activities and how these shifts contribute to the emergence of the third space and foster individual and organisational change. Findings highlight that while national and local reforms initiate collaborations, it is the internal dynamics, such as power negotiations, evolving goals, and sustained professional interaction, that shape different manifestations of third space and drive meaningful change across contexts.

Author

• Wanyue Chen, University of Nottingham