Where’s All the Teamwork Gone? A Qualitative Analysis of Cooperation between Members of Two Interdisciplinary Teams

This study explored cooperation between members of two interdisciplinary teams of educators within the agricultural field in a northeastern state. A researcher-developed instrument was used to explore individual perceptions regarding interdisciplinary cooperation. Using qualitative methods, the researchers intended to bring to light the thoughts, feelings and perceptions of educators regarding both the benefits and successes they had encountered, as well as the barriers they had come across during their cooperative experiences. Results indicated several areas of overlap for the disciplines. Recognized advantages included programmatic improvement, time saved, workload reduction and an increase in available resources. Barriers mentioned include time constraints, lack of awareness combined with perceived programmatic differences, and the lack of relationships and networks across disciplines. Suggestions include further research on the subject of cooperation, as well as possible combined in-service training sessions, encouraging the development of relationships through pre-service means (i.e., a combined undergraduate course) and administrator education.