Collaboration, reciprocity, and challenges: professional development-in-practice

This chapter describes a collaborative research initiative conducted in Japan that encouraged the professional development of young researchers. An area of concern was students' lack of experience with real-world contexts in their L2. A scientific research exchange programme was thus arranged to help prepare students for the world beyond their labs. Throughout the initiative, the author gleaned various insights. Five core principles of collaborative research were identified: dynamic relationships, autonomous learning, knowledge transfer, sharing resources, and professionalism. Three distinct partnerships emerged: learner/learner, instructor/learner, and instructor/instructor. The central aspects underpinning all partnerships were the benefits of collaboration and reciprocity, and the challenges faced and overcome. It was found that the collaborative partnerships functioned effectively when collaborators shared problems and devised solutions, made personal breakthroughs, and committed to the collective's as well as the individual's needs. Reciprocity was achieved through dyadic relationships that lasted for a long duration and had a meaningful impact. Challenges overcome were mainly scheduling, trust, and technological issues. The chapter concludes with the thought that as current research trends continue to shift to global collaborative and interdisciplinary initiatives, it is beneficial to provide training programmes for young researchers to prepare them for their professional life.