«Det lille ekstra» i tverrprofesjonelt samarbeid

The study investigates challenges and dilemmas that arise in interprofessional collaboration between kindergarten educators, primary and lower secondary school teachers, the Educational and Psychological Counselling Service (PPT) and the child welfare services. The study also highlights how the collaboration can be developed in the field of practice. The research questions are: What kinds of challenges and dilemmas can actors face in interprofessional collaboration, and how can the collaboration be developed?

The study shows that kindergarten teachers, school teachers, child welfare educators and PPT counsellors experience many of the same challenges in interprofessional collaboration. The importance of structure and good framework conditions are highlighted, such as regular meetings, good communication and knowledge of each other’s roles and mandate. The study highlights that interprofessionalisation needs to be better established among leadership/management in order to facilitate effective collaboration across all levels of the organisation. Trust and respect between the professions are also crucial.

The researchers used qualitative interviews as a data collection method. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with four kindergarten teachers from two kindergartens and four teachers from two schools. The aim was to highlight each individual’s experiences and thoughts regarding interprofessional collaboration. In addition, two focus group interviews were conducted: one with three counsellors from the Educational and Psychological Counselling Service (PPT) and one with three child welfare educators from the child welfare services. This was done to gain a broader range of perceptions and perspectives within the same profession about the collaboration with kindergartens and schools. All the participants worked in the same Norwegian municipality and their professional experience ranged from 5 to 23 years. The informants were strategically selected from four professions and recruited through the municipality’s managers. One of the requirements was experience of interprofessional collaboration.

Uglum, M. I., Nornes-Nymark, M., & Ludvigsen, N. (2023). «Det lille ekstra» i tverrprofesjonelt samarbeid. Norsk Pedagogisk Tidsskrift, (3), 270–282.