SUSTAINABILITY OF AN EDUCATIONAL CHANGE IN A SCHOOL-UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP: A CASE STUDY OF TEACHERS' EXPERIENCES ON BROKERAGE

One of the main goals of school-university partnership (SUP) is to bridge the persistent research–practice gap to implement sustainable educational change. However, this remains challenging as the impact of change often fades when the partnership ends. By examining a rare but successful SUP case, this dissertation explores how brokerage supports the sustainability of educational change in a kindergarten after the conclusion of the GEG Chinese Literacy Education and Research (CLEAR) Project. This qualitative case study investigates teachers’ experiences of brokerage in terms of knowledge mobilisation within their Professional Learning Community (PLC) and its diffusion to the whole school.

Data from eight semi-structured interviews were analysed thematically using a conceptual framework proposed in this dissertation that integrates brokerage and sustainable educational change.

Findings reveal that effective brokerage was crucial in sustaining educational change school-wide. The study highlights the importance of teacher-brokers, supportive PLCs and organisational routines in achieving sustainable impact. A refined conceptual framework is proposed, capturing the multifaceted nature and key dimensions of knowledge mobilisation, including the type, flow, frequency, audience, and channels of knowledge exchange. Results show that a “high gain with modest input” approach that minimised additional workload and respecting professional autonomy within existing resources can promote teacher engagement and reduce burnout when enacting the innovation.

Limitations include reliance on self-report and a single-site case. Nevertheless, this dissertation enriches understanding of brokerage and sustainable educational change relationship by contributing an empirically tested framework and practical recommendations for SUP managers, funding bodies and policymakers.