¿Por qué no pueden colaborar? Obstáculos para la colaboración docente

This article highlights the collaboration of teachers as an indispensable tool for improving education, inter-disciplinary work, professionalism and the creation of new knowledge. Based on a qualitative approach, with an analytical scope, this investigation employed semi-structured interviews to inquire into the difficulties and obstacles which hinder the collaboration among peers, in accordance with the perceptions of school teachers in Chile. The results and the analysis evidence that collaborating does not only depend on individual attitudes or characteristics, but also on the design of their work (on the meso level) and pedagogical leadership, as well as their professional culture (on the macro level). This article likewise discusses the challenges the above poses to the initial and ongoing training of female and male teachers, and the possibilities which academic management and leadership may have for promoting the collaboration of professionals in schools.