Co-production as a research practice in internal scientific communication in foreign language teaching/research – using the example of the spring conference

Abstract

How do discourses emerge in the discipline, who initiates them and with what interest? Discipline-specific discourse refers to the exchange of information, experience and knowledge within a disciplinary community. The focus is on topics of subject-specific interest. The associated discourses take place in social networks, at events or in the media, are thus based on co-productive processes and are decisive for the (further) development of the respective discipline. But how exactly do the individual processes of co-construction work in the field of language teaching and research? This study focuses on the Spring Conference, which since 1981 has been the central ritualised exchange forum for professors of foreign language teaching and research in Germany. It is a space for reflection and action for collaborative knowledge production. Based on interviews with five members of this sub-scientific community, the communication and negotiation processes in this co-productive research environment are explained in more detail and (further) development opportunities are identified.