Using art-based methods to explore processes of knowledge brokering in mathematics education

Abstract

Knowledge brokering in education, particularly its application in practice and policy contexts, raises many questions around what ‘good’ evidence use might mean. Defined as a form of mediation and boundary spanning that facilitates knowledge flow between research, practice, and policy [this author, 2022], the specifics of who engages in this work, their motivations, and methodologies are still unclear (Malin & Brown, 2020). This study used art-based approaches to critically and reflexively examine processes of knowledge brokering within mathematics education contexts, specifically transformation. By integrating artistic methods, this research sought to analyse the themes, discourses, and boundaries that emerge for the knowledge broker (the author) through the creation of art as a form of knowledge brokering in mathematics education. The analysis revealed six key themes: storytelling; the duality of rule-abiding and rule-breaking in knowledge brokering; the inseparability of processes and products; the tension between accessibility and gatekeeping; and the dual roles of boundary-eliciting and boundary-blurring in knowledge brokering. These findings, contextualised, offer transferable implications for the field of educational knowledge brokering and advocate for the broader application of art-based methods as inquiry.