Collaboration at the intersection of policy, practice, and professional identity: Governance and degree learning outcomes in four Swedish professional higher education programmes
Abstract
This article examines how collaboration-related degree learning outcomes are interpreted, implemented, and assessed within four Swedish professional education programmes: the social work programme, the subject teacher programme, the special needs education programme, and the health care counselling programme. Drawing on neo-institutional theory and a governance perspective, the study analyses 30 semi-structured interviews with programme directors from 21 universities using qualitative content analysis. The findings show that collaboration is framed as a self-evident core competence but is translated differently across programmes. Three cross-cutting patterns emerge: (1) professional logics shape local interpretations, giving divergent meanings to similar outcomes; (2) organisational structures, such as timetables, course architecture, and placements, indirectly govern opportunities for collaboration; and (3) assessment practices often privilege reflection over action, shifting responsibility to supervisors in placement and field-based learning contexts. These patterns reveal how governance and professional logics jointly shape opportunities for students to develop collaborative competence. The study concludes that authentic, practice-based learning and assessment designs supported by coherent organisational and policy conditions are crucial for achieving functional equivalence across institutions. The results underline the need for policies and resource support that bridge the gap between formal outcomes and educational practice, creating equitable conditions for students’ development of collaborative competence.