Collaboration and conflicts among university teachers in a lesson study

Larissa Hagedorn Vieira 1 * , João Pedro da Ponte 1, Marisa Quaresma 1
More Detail
1 Instituto de Educação da Universidade de Lisboa e UIDEF, Lisboa, PORTUGAL
* Corresponding Author
EUR J SCI MATH ED, Volume 13, Issue 4, pp. 238-254. https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/17154
Published Online: 24 September 2025, Published: 01 October 2025
OPEN ACCESS   341 Views   155 Downloads
Download Full Text (PDF)

ABSTRACT

In this article, we address the collaborative relationships among university teachers participating in a lesson study. Specifically, we examine teachers’ changes in response to conflicts that arise during this professional development process. Data were collected through audio and video recordings and interviews during a lesson study conducted with mathematics teachers who taught differential and integral calculus to engineering students. The lesson study took place in the first semester of 2023, over thirteen sessions and included two research lessons. The results show that the group of teachers developed a deep understanding of what collaboration entails and how it should be conducted. Furthermore, the participants demonstrated mutual trust, and in the face of conflicts, their attitudes leaned toward negotiation to reach consensus on the actions to take.

CITATION

Vieira, L. H., da Ponte, J. P., & Quaresma, M. (2025). Collaboration and conflicts among university teachers in a lesson study. European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 13(4), 238-254. https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/17154

REFERENCES

  • Achinstein, B. (2002). Community, diversity, and conflict among schoolteachers: The ties that blind. Teachers College Press.
  • Alshwaikh, J., & Adler, J. (2017). Researchers and teachers as learners in lesson study. In M. K. Mhlolo, S. N. Matoti, & B. Fredericks (Eds.), SAARMSTE book of long papers (pp. 2–14). Central University of Technology.
  • Bertrand, L., Roberts, R. A., & Buchanan, R. (2006). Striving for success: Teacher perspectives of a vertical team initiative. National Forum of Teacher Education Journal-Electronic, 16(3), 1–10.
  • Boavida, A. M., & Ponte, J. P. (2002). Investigação colaborativa: Potencialidades e problemas [Collaborative research: Potentials and problems]. In GTI (Ed.), Reflectir e investigar sobre a prática profissional (pp. 43–55). APM.
  • Bogdan, R. C., & Biklen, S. K. (1994). Investigação qualitativa em educação: Uma introdução à teoria e aos métodos [Qualitative investigation in education: An introduction to theory and methods] (M. J. Alvarez, S. B. Santos & T. M. Baptista, Trans.). Porto Editora.
  • Cajkler, W., Wood, P., Norton, J., & Pedder, D. (2013). Lesson study: Towards a collaborative approach to learning in initial teacher education? Cambridge Journal of Education, 43(4), 537–554. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2013.834037
  • Calleja, J., & Formosa, L. (2020). Teacher change through cognitive conflicts: The case of an art lesson study. International Journal for Lesson & Learning Studies, 9(4), 383–395. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLLS-05-2020-0028
  • Choy, B. H. (2014). Noticing critical incidents in a mathematics classroom. In J. Anderson, M. Cavanagh, & A. Prescott (Eds.), Proceedings of the 37th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (pp. 143–150).
  • Cook, L., & Friend, M. (1991). Principles for the practice of collaboration in schools. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 35(4), 6–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/1045988X.1991.9944251
  • Druken, B. K., Marzocchi, A. S., & Brye, M. V. (2021). Facilitating collaboration between mathematics methods and content faculty through cross-departmental lesson study. International Journal for Lesson & Learning Studies, 10(1), 33–46. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLLS-06-2020-0033
  • Grossman, P., Wineburg, S., & Woolworth, S. (2001). Toward a theory of teacher community. Teachers College Record, 103(6), 942–1012. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146810110300603
  • Hanuscin, D. L. (2013). Critical incidents in the development of pedagogical content knowledge for teaching the nature of science: A prospective elementary teacher’s journey. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 24(6), 933–956. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10972-013-9341-4
  • Hargreaves, A. (1998). Os professores em tempo de mudança: O trabalho e a cultura dos professores na idade pós moderna [Teachers in a time of change: The work and culture of teachers in the postmodern age]. McGraw-Hill.
  • Hourigan, M., & Leavy, A. M. (2024). The complexities of assuming the ‘teacher of teachers’ role during lesson study. Professional Development in Education, 50(4), 655–668. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2021.1895287
  • Jorgensen, D. L. (1989). Participant observation: A methodology for human studies. Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412985376
  • Leavy, A., & Hourigan, M. (2016). Using lesson study to support knowledge development in initial teacher education: Insights from early number classrooms. Teaching and Teacher Education, 57, 161–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.04.002
  • Martins, M., Ponte, J. P., & Mata-Pereira, J. (2023). Learning to promote students’ mathematical reasoning: Lesson study contributions in initial teacher education. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 19(5), Article em2255. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/13127
  • Murata, A. (2011). Introduction: Conceptual overview of lesson study. In L. C. Hart, A. Alston, & A. Murata (Eds.), Lesson study research and practice in mathematics education: Learning together (pp. 1–12). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9941-9_1
  • Puchner, L. D., & Taylor, A. R. (2006). Lesson study, collaboration and teacher efficacy: Stories from two school-based math lesson study groups. Teaching and Teacher Education, 22(7), 922–934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2006.04.011
  • Quaresma, M., & Ponte, J. P. (2021). Developing collaborative relationships in lesson study. PNA Revista de Investigación en Didáctica de la Matemática, 15, 93–107. https://doi.org/10.30827/pna.v15i2.16487
  • Richit, A., Agranionih, N. T., Zimer, T. T. B., & Neves, R. B. (2024). Professional collaboration in a lesson study with university mathematics teachers. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 19(2), Article em0772. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/14290
  • Richit, A., Ponte, J. P., & Tomkelski, M. L. (2020). Desenvolvimento da prática colaborativa com professores dos anos iniciais em um estudo de aula [Development of collaborative practice with early years teachers in a lesson study]. Educar em Revista, 36, Article e69346. https://doi.org/10.1590/0104-4060.69346
  • Rosales, C., & López, C. R. (1990). Evaluar es reflexionar sobre la enseñanza [To evaluate is to reflect on teaching]. Narcea.
  • Stake, R. E. (2011). Pesquisa qualitativa: Estudando como as coisas funcionam [Qualitative research: Studying how things work] (K. Reis, Trans.). Artmed.
  • Stigler, J. W., & Hiebert, J. (1999). The teaching gap. Free Press.
  • Vangrieken, K., Dochy, F., Raes, E., & Kyndt, E. (2015). Teacher collaboration: A systematic review. Educational Research Review, 15, 17–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2015.04.002
  • Wood, D. J., & Gray, B. (1991). Toward a comprehensive theory of collaboration. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 27(2), 139–162. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886391272001