Shared Vision: A Key to Successful Collaboration?

A three-phase Australian study designed to help students learn to avoid plagiarism gave rise to some interesting and potentially useful findings about collaboration between teachers and teacher librarians. Although the original research purpose was not to investigate collaboration, the existence of strong collaborations determined the success of the entire project. The data collected through observation and focus group interviews were analysed to reveal what could be understood about these collaborations, and these findings are presented within the context of categories of necessary prerequisites for successful collaborations that emerge from the literature on collaboration. The research suggests that the likelihood of success with collaborations may be deeply influenced by the participants' level of shared concern for the topic under consideration