This paper examines and reflects from two perspectives two decades of evolution within NW 20 – Research in Innovative Intercultural Learning Environments – a network that has significantly shaped the discourse on intercultural pedagogy and innovative learning practices since its inception in 2004.

In its early years, NW 20 distinguished itself with clearly defined research boundaries, fostering a dynamic, inclusive community that embraced diverse educational methodologies. Over time, the network expanded from its initial two thematic clusters to encompass over 15 enduring themes, reflecting its growing complexity and the broadening scope of intercultural education.

Central to NW 20’s enduring success has been its commitment to innovation, community engagement, and the continuous renewal of ideas, and whose support established a culture of openness and collaboration (Brunevičiūtė, 2020). This supportive environment not only attracted new members but also encouraged seasoned researchers to contribute fresh perspectives, thereby sustaining the network’s vibrancy through regular turnover and reintegration of experienced voices. The dynamic exchange of ideas, akin to a community where members “bring back” innovations from their experiences in other networks, has enriched NW 20’s intellectual fabric and solidified its identity.

In recent years, NW 20 has embarked on a reflective process to articulate its collective identity, drawing on established organizational models to frame its analysis. Models by Handy (1993), Cameron and Quinn (2006), and Hofstede (2001) have provided a theoretical basis for understanding how organizational cultures are formed, maintained, and transformed. Through an in-depth examination of activities spanning from 2004 to 2018, NW 20 has identified its core values—freedom, self-realization, and equal communication—which underpin its innovative approach to intercultural learning (Brunevičiūtė, 2024). A notable outcome of this reflective process has been the establishment of the ZERO session at ECER, a unique forum designed to introduce new members to the network’s rich history and cultural narrative while simultaneously reaffirming the commitment of long-standing members.

This study offers a comprehensive overview of NW 20’s journey, highlighting the evolution of its research themes, the transformation of its organizational identity, and the enduring impact of its collaborative practices on the field of education. By examining these dimensions, the paper provides valuable insights into how educational research networks can foster innovation and intercultural understanding in an ever-evolving academic landscape.

In addition, the study examines the evolution and thematic trends of contributions within Network 20 “Intercultural Learning Environments” as presented at ECER conferences over the past decades through the tool developed by EERA “EDUTOPICS-ECER2.

This study employs topic modelling (Vayansky & Kumar, 2020) to uncover latent themes within a large corpus of ECER contributions (Christ et al., 2024). Grounded in seminal works by Blei, Ng, and Jordan (2003) and Griffiths and Steyvers (2004), our approach leverages advanced text mining techniques to identify clusters of related terms that represent underlying research topics. Our methodological framework draws on overviews and applications provided by Barde and Bainwad (2017), Kherwa and Bansal (2019), Vayansky and Kumar (2020), as well as examples from social sciences (Ramage et al., 2009; Valdez et al., 2018; Wesslen, 2018) and cultural education (Christ et al., 2021). Topic modelling is implemented as a fuzzy clustering method that assumes each document in the corpus encompasses a mixture of k distinct topics. Each topic is characterized by a distribution of words that tend to co-occur within documents. Two key probabilistic measures guide the analysis: the document-topic probability (γ) and the word-topic probability (β). Determining the optimal number of topics (k) is a critical aspect of the analysis. Although no a priori value for k exists, our decision-making was informed by pragmatic considerations such as the goal of result visualization, computational efficiency, and audience interpretability. Initial experiments, including Gibbs-Sampling (Geman & Geman, 1984; Casella & George, 1992; Resnik & Hardisty, 2010) alongside semantic coherence and perplexity analyses (Aletras & Stevenson, 2013; Morstatter & Liu, 2018; Newmann et al., 2010), suggested a range of viable k values. Through qualitative assessment of word-topic (β) and document-topic (γ) probabilities, we determined that k = 50 offered an optimal balance—sufficiently granular to capture the heterogeneity of ECER research while remaining manageable for visualization and interpretation. Each topic was then scrutinized by analyzing the top 25 words and documents with the highest topic probabilities, thereby elucidating the thematic content and underlying research questions. A trend analysis was conducted for each topic, calculating the mean and standard error of the document-topic probabilities (γ) annually to track the evolution of these themes over time. This comprehensive approach provides a nuanced understanding of the research landscape and reveals dynamic shifts in thematic emphasis across the ECER contributions.

A total of 594 contributions were analyzed to assess the network’s research output in relation to innovative learning environments. Temporal trends were evaluated using linear regression models, with the fitted lines and corresponding 95% confidence intervals indicating significant deviations from expected trends over time. Furthermore, the network’s relative share of contributions among all ECER submissions per year was examined, revealing notable fluctuations that suggest periods of heightened research activity and influence. The most recurrent and highlight topc in NW20 are: 21st Century Skills and Metacognition; Cultural Activities and Literacy; Experiences and Narrative Research; General Education Research; Identity, Social Capital and Habitus; Intercultural Education and Immigration; Language & Multilingualism; Learning Environments and Processes; Research, Collaboration and Communities; Teenagers, Young Adults and Youth Work. However, as NW20 has displayed as mainly network topics are: Intercultural Education and Issues of Inclusion; Innovative Research Methodology; Cross Cultural Research and Intercultural learning; Intercultural Education and Learning Environment in Higher Education, and Innovative Arts Based Educational Enquiry. Within NW 20, these clusters interact synergistically. The individual skills and innovative practices promoted by the first cluster form the foundation for effectively addressing the intercultural and inclusive challenges highlighted in the second cluster. In essence, the development of metacognitive and narrative competencies enables learners to engage with diverse cultural perspectives, thereby supporting the creation of inclusive learning environments. This dual focus not only enriches the network’s intellectual fabric but also exemplifies a comprehensive model for innovative intercultural learning that can inform educational research and practice on a global scale. The findings underscore the dynamic nature of research on intercultural learning environments and its growing impact on educational innovation. Implications for future research and the development of intercultural pedagogical practices are discussed, offering directions for both academic inquiry and community engagement.

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