Educational research collaboration
The EU-funded project POET (Pedagogies of educational transitions) fostered exchange and networking among five universities in Australia, Iceland, New Zealand, Scotland and Sweden. The project’s research themes addressed educational topics, focusing particularly on how children transition through their education. To achieve its aims, the project established staff exchanges for periods between one and three months. It targeted early-stage researchers and doctoral candidates from the partner institutions, leading to the expansion of researcher knowledge. Research skills developed during the exchanges include spatial mapping, approaches to indigenous research, researching with complexity, and methods of critique and examination. Researcher collaboration initiatives produced several presentations at conferences and symposia. Publications include a special issue of a journal and one book on the topic. Moreover, POET established the basis for ongoing collaboration, including a document outlining the principles of collaboration. Other documents detail principles of indigenous research in early childhood education. A major project achievement has been the emergence of in-depth research regarding educational transitions for young children, particularly the transition to school. New research on the importance of inter-professional, inter-sectoral collaboration and trust has come to light, while practices related to diversity and inclusion have been challenged. Also noteworthy is the new knowledge regarding how children can erroneously be regarded as lacking skills. The fact that any transition for the child is also a transition for the family, community and relevant practitioners was also emphasised during the project. Importantly, the POET project assisted several early-stage researchers in earning doctorate and master’s degrees with focus on educational transitions for young children. It disseminated its results through research conferences, journal articles and books. Lastly, POET engaged policymakers and practitioners in this field of research in the five countries involved in the project. Early childhood education stands to be strengthened, thanks to the project’s activities and initiatives.
Keywords
Educational transitions, school children, POET, pedagogies, early childhood education
