While studies on ambidexterity and its impact on outcomes have been ubiquitous in organizational research, the literature regarding its nature in schools has been scarce and has lacked information about its impact on student achievement. To address this research gap, this study examined the interactive role of the two dimensions of ambidexterity—exploration and exploitation—in accounting for variations in school-level average student achievement in language and math. Additionally, we investigated the moderating role of several school-context variables (school size, school location [rural or urban], student poverty, and school type). We used data from a random sample of 295 schools in Chile, estimated structural equation models, applied response surface analysis, and employed machine learning. The results showed that a high integration of exploration and exploitation, and hence ambidexterity, was significantly related to student achievement. In high-poverty schools, a focus on acquiring new knowledge and exploring innovations can function as a catalyst for reducing the achievement gap. We conclude that the integration of exploration and exploitation in schools could help schools increase student achievement and reduce educational inequalities.

中文翻译：

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组织二元性和学生成绩：学校的知识探索和开发是否会产生影响？


虽然关于二元性及其对结果影响的研究在组织研究中无处不在，但关于其在学校性质的文献很少，并且缺乏关于其对学生成绩影响的信息。为了解决这一研究差距，本研究考察了双元性的两个维度——探索和开发——在解释学校水平学生在语言和数学方面的平均成绩变化方面的互动作用。此外，我们还研究了几个学校环境变量（学校规模、学校位置 [农村或城市]、学生贫困和学校类型）的调节作用。我们使用了来自智利 295 所学校的随机样本数据，估计了结构方程模型，应用了响应面分析，并采用了机器学习。结果表明，探索和开发的高度整合，以及因此的双元性，与学生的成绩显著相关。在高度贫困的学校中，注重获取新知识和探索创新可以成为缩小成绩差距的催化剂。我们得出的结论是，在学校中整合探索和开发可以帮助学校提高学生成绩并减少教育不平等。