The phenomenon of (inter)professional collaboration might not be globally considered a new research field; this area continues to evolve and develop as the challenges faced by many professionals are increasingly complex. The concept of (inter)professional collaboration has been widely studied in a variety of disciplines. Significant part of research in this field has been focusing on professionals whose main objective is to provide an effective, high-quality care to patients or clients (i.e. doctors, nurses, social workers).

In education, (inter)professional collaboration can be defined as a mutual, reciprocal effort among professionals, families, and other caregivers to deliver effective interventions to children for their increased physical, emotional, and academic well-being (Mostert, 1996). Its importance has been rising especially since many educational systems have established inclusion and inclusive education as one of their key priorities. However, this priority is not (yet) reflected by educational practices in a sufficient manner (Slee, 2018). 

Attending different needs of heterogeneous student populations (in inclusive classrooms) can cause the teachers to reach the boundaries of their professional competence (Švec et al., in press). From the standpoint of cultural-historical activity theory and the concept of expansive learning (Engeström, 2001), collaboration in school settings provides the professionals with greater room to maneuver, i.e. more ways of acting and reacting to the needs of students (Roth & Lee, 2007). At the beginning of the collaboration, involved professionals (subjects) form a shared goal or purpose of the collaboration (object) by expanding their original goals (objects) and thus find a common ground. The process of achieving mutually defined goal is determined by sharing the cultural and material resources used in the collaboration (tools) and effective division of work, which combined lead to new ways of acting (innovative practice). If expansive learning is successful, this process eventually leads to internalization of shared cultural tools and practices, resulting in qualitative transformation of all components of the activity system (Engeström & Sannio, 2009). 

Despite many benefits of (inter)professional collaboration and its potential in education, schools worldwide lack directions and clear guidelines regarding how to ensure its most effective implementation (Gable et al., 2004). Research has shown a wide variety of ways in which professionals collaborate. It is possible to identify two broader models of collaboration - the direct and the indirect model. In the case of the direct model the support person works with students, whereas the indirect model is characterized by joint work of professionals who aim to develop the teaching and learning community (Hedegaard-Soerensen et al., 2017). Possible forms of indirect collaboration include exchange of materials, methods and knowledge, division of work, joint planning and structuring, (inter)professional discourse and sharing responsibility (Wiedebusch et al., 2020).

Bearing in mind the importance of collaborative practice and variability in its realization in education, the current study aims to describe how the (inter)professional collaborative practices take place at selected primary and lower secondary schools. The presented study is an introductory part of a larger project which intends to establish the research field on (inter)professional collaboration in education in the Czech context. Despite being a discussed topic among teachers and related professionals as well as among scholars, systematic research in our country is lacking. Research on various forms of collaboration in a different cultural setting will broaden the knowledge on the subject and thus contribute to establishing potentially functional inclusive practice.

Considering the global variance of collaborative practices, we strive for exploration of its possible forms in the Czech cultural context. We aim to describe how the (inter)professional collaborative practices take place at selected primary and lower secondary schools. Hence, the case studies provide an answer to the main research question of how (inter)professional collaboration between professionals is implemented among teachers and related staff. As a methodological approach, an exploratory multi-case study was conducted (Yin, 2014) for the purpose of analyzing the diversity of (inter)professional collaboration in Czech schools. Regarding the research design, the study follows a holistic multi-case approach (Yin, 2014). Each particular case study aims to contribute to the exploration of (inter)professional collaboration among the teaching staff. In order to reflect the assumed variation of (inter)professional collaboration, the participants were purposefully selected. In our research we focus on the analysis of interprofessional collaboration, which was implemented predominantly in the form of an indirect model, i.e. we concentrate on the collaboration among teachers and related professionals. The research sample consists of professionals, who collaborate most frequently in the Czech context. Therefore, following forms of interprofessional collaboration were studied: novice teacher and teaching assistant, class teacher in cooperation with special education teacher and school psychologist, class teacher and special education teacher, and learning community (represented by an experienced teacher and a group of novice teachers).The access into each examined area has been mediated through gatekeepers, which enabled the researchers to explore the specific field. For the purpose of more profound exploration of the research topic, various sources of evidence were required. Research methods included interviews, observations, document analysis, reflective notes and video recordings. The obtained data were subsequently analyzed by means of thematic analysis (Maguire & Delahunt, 2017).

The case studies provided a detailed insight into some of the possible forms of collaborative practices among professionals at selected primary and secondary schools in the Czech Republic. Our evidence suggests that (inter)professional collaboration is not used continuously as an effective tool for inclusion but it is rather time-limited and often arises as a reaction to a certain situation or problem. At this “critical point”, class teachers reach the limit of their professional competence and thus reach out to professionals with a different expertise or more advanced level of experience. Although the research was initially focused on the indirect model of collaboration, the evidence indicates a necessity of a more complex approach. In most cases, collaboration can be described as a combination of the direct and the indirect model. Hence, both models appear to be interconnected and mutually influenced. Based on consultations among collaborating professionals, many direct forms of action took place, i.e. preventive or therapeutic sessions with individuals as well as with the whole class or diagnostics. Results of these direct actions were then again discussed among professionals with subsequent alterations of the original plan. Apart from (inter)professional discourse, other forms of indirect collaboration took place, such as joint planning, sharing materials and distribution of responsibility for teaching. New perspective on their students provided by the collaborating professional was also much appreciated by the class teachers. The evidence emphasizes the crucial role of positive professional relationships between involved staff. Further examination of (inter)professional relationships could provide a more profound understanding of this phenomenon. To conclude, the results of the project offer recommendations for teacher education. The pre-service and in-service teachers ought to become familiar with the diversity and possibilities of (inter)professional collaboration as it has great potential.

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