Knotworking — not working: Interprofessional collaboration and co-figuration of pre-service special education teachers

ABSTRACT

The growing expectations and demands for teacher education highlight the need to provide future teachers with more knowledge and to prepare teachers as expert collaborators who can learn from each other. This qualitative case study based on video-recorded reflective assignments investigated how Finnish pre-service special education teachers’ experiences in relational interprofessional work within institutional boundary spaces – the so-called knotworking – contributed to the evolution of their professional agency. The results indicate that interprofessional collaboration during teacher education was challenging and orienting themselves as students was the principal way teachers negotiate their role within boundaries.

KEYWORDS:

• Interprofessional
• collaboration
• knotworking
• pre-service special teacher agency
• teacher education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anitta Melasalmi

Anitta Melasalmi (PhD, Education) is an university lecturer in Early Childhood Teacher Education at the Department of Teacher Education, University of Turku . She is an early childhood special education teacher with working experience in ECEC. Her research interest focuses on in-service –and pre-service ECEC teachers’ professional development, identity and agency.

Saija Tanhuanpää

Saija Tanhuanpää (M.A., Education) has worked at the University of Turku, Department of Teacher Education as a project manager in InnoPlay -project developing craft, design, and technology education until the year 2021. Currently she is working as regional Coordinator in youth welfare development services at Satakuntaliitto. Her scientific interests are participation, special education and collaboration in pre-primary and Early Childhood Education.

Teija Koskela

Teija Koskela (PhD, Education) is an University Research Fellow, working in the University of Turku, Department of Teacher Education as a researcher in FINSCI-project focusing on Future citizens’ science literacy and everyday decision-making. She is a coordinator of research centre CERLI. Her scientific interests are inclusive practices and teacher education.