University and school research partnerships as a source of professional growth in regional communities

There is increasing recognition of the importance of university and school research partnerships for developing approaches to supporting student learning and wellbeing. However, this is a relatively under-explored area of research particularly in regional community contexts. Drawing on data from a 3-year study of learning and wellbeing in low SES regional schools, this paper focusses on research partnerships between a regional university and three regional government schools in the Australian state of Tasmania. The three case studies presented consider the diverse ways that university and school partnerships can serve as catalysts for teachers’ professional experimentation within their classroom practice.