Institute of Education
Mind the gap! Do practitioners
and researchers live in parallel
universes?
Linking research and practice
John Oversby, Reading
April 9, 2015
© University of Reading 2008
www.reading.ac.uk
Overview
• What is the problem?
• Previous research
• Formation of a teacher researcher group
• Teacher-researcher group principles
• Evidence of success
• First outcomes
• Moving on
• Challenges
• Impacts
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What is the problem?
• Perceived notion that researchers output is not helpful,
and can not be found!
• Perceived notion that teachers do not value research.
Solution
Linking research and practice is a human relationship
matter and best solved co-operatively!
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Previous research
• The gap first reported by Dewey in 1903 and continuing
ever since
• Most of the studies focus on Nursing!
• Interventions include Journal Clubs, Professional articles
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Bridging the Gap Between
Research and Practice - Davis S (2007)
Davis SH (2007) Bridging the gap between research and practice: what’s good,
what’s bad and how can one be sure? Phi Delta Kappan 88 568-578
Problems with researchers
• Many of us have simply lost touch with the day-today
complexity of human interactions in schools.
• Academics often write for the wrong audience.
• Academics frequently use “hit and run” tactics.
• Academics can be an arrogant bunch.
• Not all research is good research.
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Bridging the Gap Between
Research and Practice - Davis S
Problems with practitioners
• The seductive power of silver bullets and gurus.
• Exaggerated attributions of causality and
misconceptions about chance.
• Presumed associations in different contexts.
• Wishful thinking for success.
• Generalizing from nonrandom and small samples.
• Generalizing from perceptions and self-reported data.
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Bridging the Gap Between
Research and Practice - Davis S
What to do
• Empirical research looks at only a part of the picture
• Useful evidence comes in many forms, not only quasiexperimental
• Anecdotal evidence can be useful, even if it is not
research!
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The Gap Between Research and
Practice Revisited - Korthagen FAJ (2007)
Korthagen FAJ (2007) The Gap Between Research and Practice Revisited
Educational Research and Evaluation 3, pp. 303 – 310
• gap between professional cultures
• need for researchers and practitioners to build joint communities
• One cause has to do with teachers’ prior knowledge of how subjects
should be taught based on their own experiences.
• Human beings are fairly inflexible and resistant to change.
• A cognitive stance is not enough, feelings and emotion play an
essential part.
• Teaching is complex (‘teachers are often expected to accomplish
complex and conflicting goals’)
• Even experts differ on how to bridge the gap!
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The Gap Between Research and
Practice Revisited - Korthagen FAJ (2007)
What can be done?
• Develop partnerships between universities and schools
(Professional Development Schools)
• Instigate teacher research
• Individual coaching and mentoring (a professional
mediator)
• Self-study research by teacher educators on how they
bridge the gap - insider research
• Reinforced by Vanderlinde and van Braak (BERJ, 2009) on
the role of teacher educators as mediators
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A literature review
Broekkmann & Van Hout-Wolters (2007)
•
Broekkamp, H. & Van Hout-Wolters, B. (2007) The gap between educational research
and practice: a literature review, symposium and questionnaire, Educational Research
and Evaluation, 13, 203–220.
• 1. Educational research yields few conclusive results; or educational
research does not provide valid and reliable results that are
confirmed through unambiguous and powerful evidence.
• 2. Educational research yields few practical results; or educational
research is limited in practical use.
• 3. Practitioners believe that educational research is not conclusive
or practical; or educational research is not meaningful for teachers.
• 4. Practitioners make little (appropriate) use of educational
research; or practitioners do not have the skills to use educational
research results.
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Community of Professional Practice
Communities of practice are groups of
people who share a concern or a passion
for something they do and learn how to do
it better as they interact regularly. (Etienne
Wenger, 2006)
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A problem
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Formation of a teacher researcher group
• Reading PGCE course (in early 90s) explicitly based on
education research-based evidence and taking part in
active education research. Teachers and mentors
explicitly embedded in a research ethos.
• A group of new science teachers and mentors requested
a group to continue this research ethos in their everyday
work.
• Some financial and mentoring support through the Best
Practice Research Scheme (BPRS).
• John Oversby invited to convene the group
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Our purpose - exploration
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Teacher-researcher group principles
• Respect for research-based evidence
• Respect for each other independent of experience and
employment
• Critical approach to existing research aimed at improved
understanding of research evidence and research
methods
• Encouragement to take part in research in the classroom
• Focus on high standards of reliability, validity and analysis
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Evidence of success
• Attendance and engagement consistent. Conferences of
40-60.
• Outputs of research based on chemical education
(mainly aspects of signs, symbols and equations)
• Documentary evidence of high levels of satisfaction
• Some members representing group at national and
regional conferences
• Changes to Schemes of Work, lesson plans and activity
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Moving on or outward
• First research was on chemical equations
• What are notebooks for? The views of pupils,
teachers, senior management and parents
• What is revision? Is revision effective?
• What is effective homework?
• Modelling:
– In ecology
– In explaining sound
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Challenges
• Sponsorship (RSC, ASE)
• Place and time to meet
• Maintaining interest and managing turnover
• Writing up findings
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Impacts
• Classroom practice
• Long term group sustainability
• Conferences
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What next?
• Reproduction - workshop at ASE (5.Jan.13) on
how to set up a science teacher-researcher
group through metacognitive modelling
• Network of groups to maintain sustainability if
one fails
• Presentations of Mind the Gap
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Member comments - examples
• 1. What is the extent of your involvement with PALAVA? I attend meetings
whenever I can
• 2. What influenced your decision to attend PALAVA? A desire to remain in
contact with current research with teachers and John
• 3. For you, was PALAVA valuable? Yes, because I am able to listen to what is
current in science education research and hear practising teachers experiences,
concerns and the research they are engaged in and would like to pursue.
• 6. What have you taken from PALAVA sessions? inspiration
• 7. What could have improved/ increased what you gained? Regular
attendance at meetings
• 9. Do you have any other comments? The group is led/steered/motivated by
John in a way that allows all attendees to contribute or not. It is a supportive,
collaborative and non threatening environment, good forum for exchange of
ideas.
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Bridge the gap project
• Teacher educator thinking about sessions
• Teacher response to requests to read/take part in
research
• Successful methods of mediating research
• Interventions to engage with research
• Large scale (EU FP7?) funding for international work
• Funding will need to cover meetings, salaries for
members and researchers.
• Rough estimate 750K over three years
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