Rechsteiner Beat, Kyndt Eva, Compagnoni Miriam, Wullschleger Andrea, Maag Merki Katharina
Institute of Education, University of Zurich, Freiestrasse 36, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland.
Centre for the New Workforce, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.
J Educ Chang. 2024;25(2):305-339. doi: 10.1007/s10833-023-09493-7. Epub 2023 Oct 7.
Bridging gaps between educational stakeholders at the classroom, school, and system levels is essential to achieve sustainable change in primary and secondary education. However, transferring knowledge or building capacity within this network of loosely coupled stakeholders is demanding. The concept holds promise for studying these complex patterns of interaction, as it refers to how specific actors () link loosely coupled or disconnected individuals (). However, different research traditions, in terms of theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches, and various stakeholders examined in their role as bridge builders make understanding the role of brokers, brokering, and brokerage in changing educational practice challenging. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the current literature on these concepts in educational change research. In a systematic literature review based on 42 studies, we analyzed each study's theoretical assumptions, methodological approach, scope in terms of stakeholders involved, and empirical findings. First, the literature review revealed that research on educational change refers to four different theoretical frameworks when focusing on brokers, brokering, or brokerage. Second, our results indicate that predominantly qualitative approaches have been applied. Third, using content network graphs, we identified teachers and principals as among the most frequently analyzed brokers. Fourth, four relevant aspects of the empirical findings are presented: brokers' personal characteristics, conditions that enable brokering, successful brokering strategies, and outcomes of brokerage. Finally, we outline a future research agenda based on the empirical evidence base and shortcomings.
弥合课堂、学校和系统层面教育利益相关者之间的差距对于实现中小学教育的可持续变革至关重要。然而，在这个松散关联的利益相关者网络中传递知识或建设能力颇具挑战性。这一概念有望用于研究这些复杂的互动模式，因为它涉及特定行为者（）如何将松散关联或脱节的个体（）联系起来。然而，就理论框架和方法论而言，不同的研究传统以及作为桥梁构建者角色被考察的各种利益相关者，使得理解中介、促成中介行为和中介作用在改变教育实践中的作用颇具挑战性。因此，本研究的目的是概述教育变革研究中关于这些概念的现有文献。在基于42项研究的系统文献综述中，我们分析了每项研究的理论假设、方法论、所涉及利益相关者的范围以及实证研究结果。首先，文献综述表明，在关注中介、促成中介行为或中介作用时，教育变革研究涉及四种不同的理论框架。其次，我们的结果表明，主要采用的是定性方法。第三，通过内容网络图，我们确定教师和校长是最常被分析的中介。第四，呈现了实证研究结果的四个相关方面：中介的个人特征、促成中介行为的条件、成功的中介策略以及中介作用的结果。最后，我们基于实证证据基础和不足之处概述了未来的研究议程。
