Context and Research Question

Collaborative professional learning is strongly linked to sustained changes in teaching practice, particularly when it is closely connected to classroom experience and supported by peer interaction (Darling-Hammond et al., 2009; Webster-Wright, 2009). Research on adult learning also highlights dialogue, reflection, and shared inquiry as central to professional growth, rather than the transmission of predefined knowledge (Knowles et al., 2015). Although these perspectives are well established, the specific processes by which collaboration generates professional learning remain underexplored, especially in contexts where organizational and cultural norms influence professional interaction.

The Indonesian educational context presents unique challenges and opportunities for collaborative professional development. Teacher professional development (TPD) in Indonesia has frequently been implemented through a cascade model of centrally designed programs that emphasizes standardization and scale (Tanang & Abu, 2014; Revina et al., 2020), resulting in predominantly top-down, one-off knowledge transmission. Professional relationships are further shaped by cultural norms, with seniority and formal roles influencing participation in professional spaces (Nilan, 2003). The scale of the education system, which serves approximately four million teachers, limits the feasibility of individualized support for teachers. Consequently, peer-based approaches are increasingly relevant. However, questions persist regarding how collaborative learning operates under these conditions and what factors enable it to become productive rather than merely procedural.

This study investigates collaborative learning processes within a seven-month TPD program focused on digital pedagogy involving twelve Indonesian secondary English teachers. The program consisted of six workshops that integrated structured collaborative activities, classroom experimentation between sessions, and collective reflection. As part of a broader doctoral research project, this study focuses on teachers’ experiences of collaboration and the construction of professional knowledge through peer interaction. Rather than presuming that collaboration inherently leads to learning, the study addresses the following research question:

How did teacher participants construct professional knowledge through peer collaboration? What conditions supported or hindered their collaborative learning?

Understanding these mechanisms is practically significant for designing professional development at scale. If peer collaboration can effectively support teacher learning, it represents a viable strategy for large-scale capacity building. The findings offer empirical evidence relevant to contexts that face similar challenges in developing teacher expertise through scalable and sustainable approaches

The study contributes to the ECER 2026 theme “Knowing and Acting” by examining how collaborative knowing emerges through interaction and how this knowing informs collective pedagogical action. By focusing on the mechanisms of collaboration, the study offers insight into how professional learning can be designed and sustained in large-scale education systems.

Theoretical Framework

This study draws on three theoretical perspectives. Communities of Practice theory conceptualizes professional learning as emerging through participation in shared practices within communities, emphasizing peer interaction as a primary learning mechanism (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998).

Collaborative knowledge construction theory emphasizes epistemic agency and the ways in which groups build understanding through the exchange and refinement of ideas (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 2006). Dialogic learning theory highlights learning through interaction, where multiple perspectives are explored and pedagogical reasoning is made explicit (Alexander, 2018). This literature informs the analysis of how TPD collaborative structures shape knowledge construction in practice, even in contexts where hierarchical traditions might otherwise constrain peer collaboration.

This qualitative study investigated teachers’ experiences of collaborative knowledge construction within a collaborative, participatory Design-Based Research (DBR) TPD program. A qualitative approach was selected to capture participants’ interpretations of collaborative processes and learning over time. Twelve Indonesian secondary English teachers participated in a seven-month TPD program on digital pedagogy, conducted from August 2024 to February 2025. Participants taught in public and private schools across rural and suburban areas of Malang Regency, Indonesia. The program comprised six face-to-face workshops. Between workshops, participants implemented new practices in their classrooms and reflected on these experiences for subsequent collective discussion. Collaborative structures were systematically integrated throughout the TPD. Workshop activities encompassed small-group problem-solving, whole-group dialogue, peer observation and feedback during micro-teaching sessions, as well as collaborative lesson planning and interactive tasks. Group composition varied through rotating partnerships and station-based assignments, enabling participants to engage with diverse colleagues and perspectives. Data collection centered on teachers’ experiences of collaboration and their perceptions of learning processes that occurred. Pre-TPD focus group discussions (FGDs) explored participants’ prior professional learning experiences and expectations. Meanwhile, post-TPD FGDs examined experiences of collaboration, factors supporting learning, and perceived constraints. All FGDs followed semi-structured protocols. Supplementary data sources included workshop observation notes and teachers’ reflections after each workshop. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2023), with a focus on collaborative design structures. Themes were identified inductively to capture teachers’ collaborative learning mechanisms, perceived enabling conditions, and implementation challenges. Quality assurance procedures included intercoder reliability verification (20% of data; κ = 0.83), grounding claims in verbatim quotations, triangulation with pre-TPD data, and consideration of disconfirming evidence.

The analysis demonstrates that collaboration facilitated professional learning through multiple mechanisms, shaped by both enabling conditions and practical limitations. One prominent mechanism was collective knowledge pooling. Teachers indicated that direct engagement with peers’ ideas and materials broadened their pedagogical resources. As Teacher 9 stated, “From other teachers, there are increasingly many topics and materials. I have many more references.” Multi-directional knowledge exchange validated participants as legitimate knowledge contributors, regardless of career stage, thereby challenging typical hierarchical patterns. Early-career teachers reported learning from experienced colleagues, while senior teachers learned from junior peers, particularly regarding digital practices. Teacher 2 reflected, “I could learn from the juniors... The participants here were very welcoming.” Observational learning made pedagogical reasoning visible through micro-teaching. Teacher 6 explained: "From micro-teaching, we could learn from the teachers. Teacher 11's descriptive text about rooms; the topics and vocabulary are familiar to my students and can be adapted." Watching peers implement strategies prompted discussions about contextual relevance. Collaboration also enabled shared problem analysis. Teachers working in similar contexts reported that individual classroom challenges became focus of joint inquiry. As Teacher 10 explained, “We have many similarities in school characteristics… we learn from each other how we find solutions.” These learning mechanisms were supported by intentional collaborative design and gradual relational trust development. However, constraints included limited time for deeper inquiry, authenticity concerns about brief activities, and sustainability uncertainty beyond TPD. This study provides empirical insight into collaborative professional learning mechanisms in contexts shaped by hierarchical norms. The findings demonstrate that shared repertoires (Wenger, 1998) and epistemic agency (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 2006) were fostered through intentional design choices that structured interaction and participation. For education systems seeking scalable approaches to TPD, the study suggests that peer collaboration is most effective when organizational structures actively support reciprocal engagement and sustained relational work.

Alexander, R. J. (2018). Developing dialogic teaching: Genesis, process, trial. Research Papers in Education, 33(5), 561–598. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2018.1481140 Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2023). Toward good practice in thematic analysis: Avoiding common problems and be(com)ing a knowing researcher. International Journal of Transgender Health, 24(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1080/26895269.2022.2129597 Darling-Hammond, L., Wei, R. C., Andree, A., Richardson, N., & Orphanos, S. (2009). Professional learning in the learning profession: A status report on teacher development in the United States and abroad. National Staff Development Council. Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2015). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development (8th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315816951 Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511815355 Nilan, P. (2003). Teachers’ Work and Schooling in Bali. International Review of Education / Internationale Zeitschrift Für Erziehungswissenschaft / Revue Internationale de l’Education, 49(6), 563–584. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3445398 Revina, S., Prabawa-Sear, K., & Wicaksono, T. Y. (2020). Four decades of teacher professional development in Indonesia: A review of the policy landscape (RISE Working Paper Series 20/054). Research on Improving Systems of Education (RISE). https://doi.org/10.35489/BSG-RISE-WP_2020/054 Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (2006). Knowledge building: Theory, pedagogy, and technology. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences (pp. 97–118). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511816833.008 Tanang, H., & Abu, B. (2014). Teacher professionalism and professional development practices in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, 3(2), 25–42. https://doi.org/10.5430/jct.v3n2p25 Webster-Wright, A. (2009). Reframing professional development through understanding authentic professional learning. Review of Educational Research, 79(2), 702–739. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654308330970 Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511803932