Al Hallami, Mariam Omran; (2020) Exploring ‘Policy Learning Communities’: A case study of the Arabic language curriculum policy community in the United Arab Emirates. Masters thesis (M.Phil), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

This study explores, theoretically and empirically, the concept of Policy Learning Communities (PoliLCs) as a model to facilitate collaborative learning in policymaking. Collaborative learning refers to the process of policymakers collectively updating beliefs and policy choices based on evidence. The notion of Evidence-Informed Practice (EIP) has emerged in policy literature as enhancing the rationality of policymaking decisions. Yet, ensuring that evidence positively impacts the policymaking process remains challenging, largely due to issues around linking researchers and policymakers in ways that promote trust, conversation and sharing of ideas and learning. PoliLCs (Stoll 2008; Brown 2013) are thus defined and used as a framework to explore an interactive, government-initiated learning process connecting policy and non-policy actors in policymaking collectives that address shared policy problems via a critical, ongoing, collaborative, and inclusive process. The literature review provided a critical evaluation of collaborative learning models to establish the theoretical grounding of PoliLCs. The resulting theoretical framework framed the study’s empirical investigation of the Arabic language curriculum policy community, established by the Ministry of Education in the United Arab Emirates. The study sought to identify learning in this case to examine the concept of PoliLCs, provide an account of how and why actors engage in learning and interaction, and identify lessons to further EIP in the UAE. A Social Network Analysis (SNA) survey was used to identify basic levels of interaction within the policy community, as well as a smaller interview sample. Nineteen members completed the survey, and seven were interviewed. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse and report these data. This study argues that the PoliLCs framework can effectively describe and explore learning in policymaking, as it provides a systematic model to engage policy actors in learning and evidence use. While this study sought to examine a case study in UAE of PoliLCs, further research may develop the concept and improve its utility in policymaking and knowledge sharing more globally.

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