Knowledge brokering’ illustrates how knowledge can move between research communities and contexts outside of academia (Olejniczak, 2017; Ward et al., 2009). The term is also present in governmental documents in Norway, most recently in National Strategy for Research on Education 2020-2024 (Kunnskapsdepartementet, 2020) and the state budget for 2023 (Finansdepartementet, 2022). In the strategy, the Norwegian Ministry of education states that “[…] all activities that promote the use of research can be labelled knowledge brokering” (p. 15, our translation). Based on this, it is hard to see how the concept of knowledge brokering differs from terms like knowledge transition (Kumar & Ganesh, 2009; Lavis et al., 2003), knowledge mediation (Montalt-Resurrecció & Shuttleworth, 2012), and knowledge transaction (Patsarika & Townsend, 2022). To understand what knowledge brokering entails, it becomes necessary to study the term conceptually.

The ability to apply knowledge in contexts outside of its domain of origin is an epistemological challenge (Leppälä, 2012). Still, this is required in professional school and kindergarden development and projects driven by research-based decisions. We will focus on knowledge brokering between academic institutions and primary schools, considering school development.

Conceptual framework

When it comes to development in the educational sector, it is not possible to point our finger at something as the result of the process, as we work with immaterial objects. These objects must be constructed socially. Through situated learning (Lave & Wenger, 1991) and sociocultural approaches (Säljö, 2007), it becomes apparent that language plays a definite role in meaning-making and is understood as a medium by which we construct the objects we work on.

Statement of the problem

What can ‘knowledge brokering’ entail in the relationship between academia and primary schools, regarding professional development in both sectors?

We will apply discourse analysis to examine how ‘knowledge brokering’ is used in various documents and discuss its possible content. We will use Wartofsky’s (1979) perspective on 'model’ as an analytic taxonomy.

Significance of the Research As the potential for collaborative development between academia and primary schools seem to be unfulfilled, this research will contribute to seeing this relationship in new ways. Our view on ‘knowledge brokering’ is highly optimistic. We argue that this field has the potential to advance the way we understand the application of knowledge in the social sciences.

Finansdepartementet. (2022). Meld. St. 1. Nasjonalbudsjettet 2023. https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/meld.-st.-1-20222023/id2931224/ Kumar, J. A. & Ganesh, L. S. (2009). Research on knowledge transfer in organizations: a morphology. Journal of Knowledge Management, 13(4), 161–174. https://doi.org/10.1108/13673270910971905 Kunnskapsdepartementet. (2020). Forskning, kunnskaps megling og bruk. Strategi for utdanningsforskning 2020–2024. https://www.regjeringen.no/contentassets/8b5e5ebb145540f581c9996ef164acfb/kd_strategi-for-utdanningsforskning-2020-2024.pdf Lave, J. & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated Learning. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511815355 Lavis, J. N., Robertson, D., Woodside, J. M., McLeod, C. B., Abelson, J. & Group, K. T. S. (2003). How Can Research Organizations More Effectively Transfer Research Knowledge to Decision Makers? The Milbank Quarterly, 81(2), 221–248. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0009.t01-1-00052 Leppälä, S. (2012). An Epistemological Perspective on Knowledge Transfers: From Tacitness to Capability and Reliability. Industry and Innovation, 19(8), 631–647. https://doi.org/10.1080/13662716.2012.739759 Montalt-Resurrecció, V. & Shuttleworth, M. (2012). Research in translation and knowledge mediation in medical and healthcare settings. Linguistica Antverpiensia, New Series–Themes in Translation Studies, 11. Olejniczak, K. (2017). The Game of Knowledge Brokering. American Journal of Evaluation, 38(4), 554–576. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098214017716326 Patsarika, M. & Townsend, S. (2022). Interdisciplinary Service Learning as a Critical Knowledge Transaction Space in University-Community Engagement. The Educational Forum, 86(2), 185–198. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131725.2020.1859661 Säljö, R. (2007). Læring i praksis. Et sosiokulturelt perspektiv. Cappelen Damm akademisk. Ward, V. L., House, A. O. & Hamer, S. (2009). Knowledge brokering: Exploring the process of transferring knowledge into action. BMC Health Services Research, 9(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-9-12 Wartofsky, M. W. (1979). Models. Representation and the Scientific Understanding. (R. S. Cohen, Ed.). Springer. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-9357-0