The Challenge of Joining Theory and Practice Across Collaborative Research: The Experience of the Group "School, Diversity and Immigration" from the University of Barcelona

Abstract

We want to share our experience in the constitution of an interdisciplinary and collaborative research group on the relationship between school, diversity and immigration in Catalunya, Spain. Our main purpose is to relate the perceptions and experiences based on our different educational experiences. Firstly teachers who work at the so called "aulas de acogida"—special resources directed to students of immigrant parents; secondly university researchers from pedagogy and psychology fields, thirdly, administrative staff who are mediating between educational policies and the practical reality of the schools, and finally the university and PhD students involved in our project. These different voices allow us to interlace theoretical analyses with more practical others, as well as to delimit what kind of needs emerge from professional practice, and what tools seem to usefully facilititate our process. We believe that establishing bridges between university and schools is a fundamental aspect to promote a fruitful dialectical exchange. Therefore, we want to report our group's process and share our experiences in the analysis of these questions. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0901469