Ensuring quality in education: Is research-practice partnership the way?
Abstract
This article is a theoretical contribution that highlights the need for a more holistic and coherent understanding of and systematic approach to knowledge development within the Norwegian education system. In doing so, the authors explore whether and how research-practice partnerships (RPPs) can contribute to this. Although RPPs as a framework for systematic collaborations between researchers and practitioners in kindergartens and schools are increasingly emphasized internationally as an important contribution to knowledge development within the education system, more research on how RPPs can be carried out has been called for. The concept of coherence is applied as a theoretical framework for examining how shared meaning, direction, and connections may be developed within organizations. Based on this theoretical approach and by looking at national guidelines and local contextual factors, this article underscores how RPPs can provide a systematic framework for and approach to collective sense-making and coherent knowledge development by bridging different forms of knowledge and thus reduce potential power imbalance between stakeholders. Finally, the paper argues for a closer integration of diverse forms of knowledge to strengthen the interplay between education, research, and professional practice.