Cross-border collaboration to promote STEM education

Abstract

This study explores cross-border collaboration within the EUTech project, an educational initiative to promote STEM among lower secondary students in the Euregion Meuse-Rhine. The EUTech Award, central to this project, involved students in a three-phase design competition rooted in design- and inquiry-based learning. To support sustainable implementation and inform future partnerships, this study investigated the collaborative dynamics within a multidisciplinary project team via the theoretical lenses of boundary crossing (interprofessional learning) and team developmental space (intraprofessional learning). Data were collected across six partner meetings via storyline methodology, which captured participants’ perceived moments of flow and friction. The results revealed that flow occurred more frequently and intensely than friction did. Flow emerged primarily from structured coordination, clear communication, and shared ownership, whereas friction arose from inconsistent information sharing, professional and cultural differences, and administrative burdens. All four boundary learning mechanisms (identification, coordination, reflection, and transformation) were observed, which developed iteratively throughout the project. The team’s developmental space initially revealed a strong performance orientation (organising, goal setting) that was increasingly complemented by sense-making activities (dialoguing, reflecting), with frictions often prompting deeper reflection and learning. The findings highlight how the integration of boundary crossing and developmental space theories offers a nuanced and holistic understanding of inter- and intraprofessional collaboration in complex, cross-boundary settings. Practical implications include fostering mutual understanding, ensuring shared ownership, and proactively addressing boundary tensions.