The Third Learning Space in Dual Higher Education: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Dual higher education seeks to integrate academic learning with workplace-based experience; however, research has consistently reported persistent structural, curricular, and didactic discontinuities between higher education institutions and workplace learning environments. These challenges are frequently described as weaknesses in learning place cooperation rather than as a lack of genuine pedagogical integration. In response, the notion of a third learning space (Dritter Lernort) has emerged as a promising but under-theorised approach for moving beyond dyadic university-workplace models. This article presents a conceptually guided systematic literature review that synthesises research on third learning spaces relevant to dual higher education. Structured searches across international and German-language databases, supplemented by repository searches and citation chaining, yielded a documented corpus of n = 74 publications covering the period 2000-2026, of which n = 71 were included in the conceptual analysis and n = 3 served as methodological references for the review design. Inclusion was based on conceptual relevance rather than terminology alone and captured adjacent strands such as learning place cooperation, boundary crossing and boundary spaces, and work-integrated learning (WIL). An iterative coding and synthesis procedure mapped the literature in terms of educational sectors, disciplinary perspectives, functions, modalities, learner roles, and curricular integration. Across the strands reviewed, the third learning space emerges as a functional, learner-centred intermediary that supports theory-practice integration through reflection, competence development, standardisation, and innovation, often in hybrid learning arrangements. Building on this synthesis, the article proposes an integrative zonal model and discusses its implications for curriculum design, assessment, and future research in dual higher education.