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The phenomenon of (inter)professional collaboration might not be globally considered a new research field; this area continues to evolve and develop as the challenges faced by many professionals are increasingly complex. The concept of (inter)professional collaboration has been widely studied in a variety of disciplines. Significant part of research in this field has been focusing on professionals whose main objective is to provide an effective, high-quality care to patients or clients (i.e. doctors, nurses, social workers). In education, (inter)professional collaboration can be defined as a mutual, reciprocal effort among professionals, families, and other caregivers to deliver effective interventions to children for their increased physical, emotional, and academic well-being (Mostert, 1996). Its importance has been rising especially since many educational systems have established inclusion and inclusive education as one of their key priorities. However, this priority is not (yet) reflected by educational practices in a sufficient manner (Slee, 2018). Attending different needs of heterogeneous student populations (in inclusive classrooms) can cause the teachers to reach the boundaries of their professional competence (Švec et al., in press). From the standpoint of cultural-historical activity theory and the concept of expansive learning (Engeström, 2001), collaboration in school settings provides the professionals with greater room to maneuver, i.e. more ways of acting and reacting to the needs of students (Roth & Lee, 2007). At the beginning of the collaboration, involved professionals (subjects) form a shared goal or purpose of the collaboration (object) by expanding their original goals (objects) and thus find a common ground. The process of achieving mutually defined goal is determined by sharing the cultural and material resources used in the collaboration (tools) and effective division of work, which combined lead to new ways of acting (innovative practice). If expansive learning is successful, this process eventually leads to internalization of shared cultural tools and practices, resulting in qualitative transformation of all components of the activity system (Engeström & Sannio, 2009). Despite many benefits of (inter)professional collaboration and its potential in education, schools worldwide lack directions and clear guidelines regarding how to ensure its most effective implementation (Gable et al., 2004). Research has shown a wide variety of ways in which professionals collaborate. It is possible to identify two broader models of collaboration - the direct and the indirect model. In the case of the direct model the support person works with students, whereas the indirect model is characterized by joint work of professionals who aim to develop the teaching and learning community (Hedegaard-Soerensen et al., 2017). Possible forms of indirect collaboration include exchange of materials, methods and knowledge, division of work, joint planning and structuring, (inter)professional discourse and sharing responsibility (Wiedebusch et al., 2020). Bearing in mind the importance of collaborative practice and variability in its realization in education, the current study aims to describe how the (inter)professional collaborative practices take place at selected primary and lower secondary schools. The presented study is an introductory part of a larger project which intends to establish the research field on (inter)professional collaboration in education in the Czech context. Despite being a discussed topic among teachers and related professionals as well as among scholars, systematic research in our country is lacking. Research on various forms of collaboration in a different cultural setting will broaden the knowledge on the subject and thus contribute to establishing potentially functional inclusive practice.
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