Collaborative Climate and Knowledge Sharing among ESP Teachers: A Mixed Method Study

Research on teacher collaboration emphasizes the key role of collaborative culture for teachers’

functioning; however, there is little empirical evidence to investigate its relationship with

knowledge sharing among university ESP teachers. In the present study, the relationship

between EFL teachers’ collaborative climate and knowledge sharing was sought. The data were

collected through two surveys of 328 Iranian ESP teachers. A Pearson correlation was carried

out to investigate the relationship between the two variables of the study. A multiple regression

analysis was also run to examine if ESP teachers’ collaborative climate predicts their knowledge

sharing. A follow-up interview with 13 ESP teachers was conducted to consolidate the findings

and explore the contribution of teachers’ collaborative climate to their knowledge sharing.

The Pearson correlation coefficient test demonstrated a significant positive correlation for

four measures (organizational culture, the head of department, teachers’ attitude, workgroup

support), and the collaborative climate. The results of the multiple regression also indicated

that four subscales of collaborative climate were the predictors of ESP teachers’ attitude towards

knowledge sharing. Analysis of the interview data, on the other hand, indicated how teachers’

collaborative climate contributes to their knowledge sharing through one of the four main

sources, namely helpful atmosphere, encouragement received from the heads of departments,

the expectation of reward, and work group support. In line with these findings, several practical

recommendations were offered.

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