Professional collaboration to improve educational outcomes in Scottish schools: developing a conceptual framework

Abstract

Within Scotland’s education system, professional collaboration is extolled as a
mechanism to improve consistency within and across schools and local
authorities, and as a vehicle for teachers and education leaders to
conceptualise and manage the demands and tensions within Scotland’s
complex education policy context. This conceptual analysis interrogates current research literature around collaboration and positions it in the context of current Scottish education policy, to identify and synthesise the personal, political, situational and structural variables that can support or undermine the practice and impact of collaboration between education professionals in Scotland. The researcher’s experience as a current school leader in Scotland has motivated the research aims and influenced the selection of research literature, adding currency and relevance to the conceptual framework that is developed through the analysis.

The conceptual framework is offered to educational professionals as a tool for iterative use to explore professional collaboration within their own contexts. Its aim is to provide practical coherence and clarity around the contextual variables, professional actions and defining factors of successful collaborative practice to maximise the impact of collaboration across the system. The conclusion reflects on the strengths and limitations of the conceptual analysis process, suggesting application and refinement of the emergent framework and indicating avenues for further research to support the strengthening of professional collaboration in schools across Scotland and beyond.