Building Respect, Responsibility, and Reciprocity: Insights From a Rural STEM Research Practice Design Partnership

Rural schools often have strong community involvement and thus can offer educational experiences to students that are more closely aligned with local people and places. However, curricula in rural schools rarely offer this same alignment. Partnerships with others, including higher education, can support rural schools in creating STEM curricula that center the resources and careers present in their communities. A research design practice partnership (RPDP) was created as a Third Space to enable the development of locally relevant STEM curricula. The partnership was formed focusing on respect, responsibility, and reciprocity, necessary tenets as the roles and goals of the project changed. Interviews with participants provide insights into the formation and maintenance of RPDPs, especially as roles changed and goals shifted. Collectively, the importance of having shared vision and goals for the project are a core part of establishing and maintaining respect. Responsibility is difficult to maintain within a Third Space, especially as members of long-term RPDPs change professionally. Reciprocity should be evidenced in many ways, starting at the onset of the RPDP, to establish a Third Space wherein all perspectives are valued and encouraged. Findings discuss the importance of, and challenges faced within, the RPDP, centering respect, responsibility, and reciprocity.