Playful learning and boundary-crossing collaboration in higher education: a narrative and synthesising review

Abstract

The literature review examines collaboration across disciplinary and professional boundaries within playful learning in higher education. This objective is motivated by expanding the research literature on characteristics, potentials, and challenges in the intersections between boundary-crossing collaboration, playful learning, and higher education pedagogy. The literature review examines and analyses four themes and their characteristics: 1) Conceptualisations of playfulness and the language of play, 2) playful pedagogical qualities, 3) playful and collaborative learning and pedagogy, and 4) playful limitations. The themes are connected to shared and diverse play theories, play types, creativity and co-creativity, trustful collaboration, joint knowledge-building and affective-experiential learning processes. Finally, the literature review synthesises a theoretical framework to inform and guide research and practice on playful learning in higher education across disciplinary and professional boundaries, along with discussing applications and implications for higher education pedagogy.