Doing and using educational research: engaging researchers, practitioners and policy makers in productive partnerships

Abstract

A key issue for educational researchers who intend their work to influence change both in the educational system and in individual schools is how to engage key stakeholders both policy makers and practitioners in using and possibly engaging in research. The dissemination of the outcomes of educational research is problematic in several respects. It is not easily accessible to potential users in printed or electronic form, particularly to practitioners who do not have access to academic libraries or electronic search facilities. The utilization of educational research findings to inform decisions about educational change has only recently been opened up as an area of study. At a national level in the UK, most policies and strategies are informed by educational research and through the implementation process they do influence practitioners in schools. Recent studies have shown how practitioners in schools and classrooms can use and engage in research for themselves to create new knowledge. However it is clear that much more needs to be understood about these processes and how practitioners can be supported in these endeavours.