What Works report no. 6: Australia-Asia school partnerships

This What Works report explores how schools can build demand for studies of Asia and Asian languages. The research addresses the challenge of fluctuating demand for Asia literacy in schools, despite over 20 years of policy and effort.

6 June 2013

Report

Education

Asia (general)

Download report (pdf 3.9 MB)

About this Report

Australia-Asia school partnerships explores success factors for intercultural engagement and interaction based on AEF’s Australia-Asia Building Relations through Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement (BRIDGE) School Partnerships project. It addresses the need for an analytical tool for schools to successfully develop, implement and evaluate their international school partnerships. The research proposed a continuum for developing sustainable structures and models of intercultural engagement and interaction. This continuum was developed using a combination of three interconnected factors: 

  • intensity of engagement 
  • nature of pedagogical/curricular support 
  • involvement of, and structural transformation processes within, the school community. 

Using this continuum, the research identified four key features of the BRIDGE model that lead to successful international school partnerships, namely: 

  • BRIDGE as a multi-dimensional teacher capacity-building tool 
  • BRIDGE as a tool/source of authentic learning 
  • BRIDGE as a facilitator of cross-cultural relationships 
  • BRIDGE as a facilitator of sustainable school partnerships. 

Key findings 

  • 97 per cent of all BRIDGE teachers in Australia stated that their intercultural understanding has developed as a result of BRIDGE. 
  • 95 per cent reported that their knowledge and awareness of the partner country has expanded. 
  • 92 per cent reported that BRIDGE has enabled students to expand their knowledge and awareness of the partner country. 
  • 90 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that students have further developed their intercultural understanding as a result of BRIDGE. 
  • 83 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that BRIDGE has enabled them to improve their second language proficiency. 
  • 80 per cent maintain contact with their partner school, and 79 per cent indicated that staff have had a chance to visit their partner school. 
  • 77 per cent indicated that their partnerships are actively supported by their school leaders. 
  • 62 per cent have taken steps to plan for the sustainability of the partnership.