Cultural-historical influences on interprofessional collaboration: a study of early intervention services in Hong Kong

Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is a pivotal approach in early intervention services internationally. Understanding the factors influencing IPC's implementation is crucial to enhancing its quality. This paper enriches international discourse with a study from the Asia-Pacific region. The study investigated IPC between early childhood education teachers and early intervention specialists designed to benefit children experiencing vulnerability who were attending Hong Kong kindergartens. A qualitative study was employed, with cultural-historical activity theory as the theoretical framework. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, participant observations, and documentation. A deductive - inductive - abductive approach was employed to analyze the data. Participants were 25 teachers and early intervention specialists from two kindergartens and two nongovernment organizations. Findings indicate that IPC practices were shaped by factors including market-driven policy approaches, the historical separation between education and early intervention services, and Chinese cultural values such as <i>mianzi</i> ;(face) and <i>guanxi</i> ;(relationships). Hierarchical structures and a culture of effectiveness acted as both constraints and affordances. The introduction of a new tool facilitated shifts in power dynamics and expansion of shared goals. This study highlights the analytical value of cultural-historical activity theory in illuminating how cultural and structural contradictions influence IPC and offers new insights for fostering collaboration in early childhood settings.