Bridges and Barriers: Learning Experiences from an International Research Project

Abstract

This paper is based on experiences gained from working in a collaborative project, between researchers from a university in Sweden and a university in Australia. The overall aim of the paper is to illuminate and discuss learning experiences of working in an international research project in a global context. The key research questions explored in the paper are: (i) which bridges and barriers are identified as critical aspects for collaboration? (ii) how can our experiences be understood in the light of theories on learning? In order to answer the posed research questions, members of the research team have conducted written reflections, which provide the empirical foundation for this paper. We use Wenger’s theory of communities of practice as a theoretical point of department. The analysis of the empirical materials, the written reflections, resulted in four themes; Choice of partner(s), The meaning of personal encounters, Encounter between different academic cultures, and the issue of languages. As conclusions, we want to emphasis that boundary-breaking encounters that take place in a research project like this are challenging, but at the same time, they provide opportunities for new and rich understandings of research. We have found that to create a community of practice in which new and rich understandings of research can be accomplished is challenging, much due to the issue of geographical, cultural, and linguistic distance.