Bringing research to life
Looking for effective ideas for converting research into practice? Jean Carwood-Edwards offers some recommendations from the Early Years team at Learning and Teaching Scotland.
What can researchers do to strengthen the research into practice bridge?
Plan the timing of research projects so that findings will fit with priorities.
Involve the end users at the outset to enhance awareness and ownership.
Ensure the focus is relevant and will be regarded as useful by end users.
Build practice links into the research brief to aid conversion into practice.
Use inclusive language that will Be meaningful to the majority of end users.
Produce tailored summary reports as well as full technical reports.
Make the research findings accessible to end users.
Agree the presentation format and style at outset, in line with target users.
Generate curiosity and expectation by communicating intentions and keeping in touch with end users through updates as the research
process progresses.
What can practitioners do to strengthen the research into practice bridge?
Make known the questions you think need to be explored to improve the quality of provision for children and families.
Overcome the notion that research is 'academic territory'.
Talk about research findings with colleagues, children and parents.
Use online facilities such as the LTS websites and Glow to keep up with new research.
Share your own experience of what works with others via LTS online, Glow and other websites.
Select different aspects of practice with colleagues and discuss why you do what you do in the way that you do.
Acknowledge elements of practice in your setting that are underpinned by evidence and discuss this with others.
Subscribe to a new e-bulletin, publication or website.
Encourage children to adopt a 'finding-out' culture so that research is regarded as a natural tool.
What can LTS do to strengthen the research into practice bridge?
Ensure relevant research evidence is made accessible and available.
Influence researchers to undertake studies that fit with practitioners' needs and interests.
Encourage researchers to build explicit practice links into research plans.
Examine existing research messages and make available to the Early Years community in accessible forms.
Use research findings as a starting point for dissemination rather than regard it as the end of a project.
Identify potential users of the research in policy and practice contexts and communicate with them.
Organise online and other CPD opportunities and invite practitioners and others to participate.
Build research findings and related practice examples into publications, conferences and other media.
Convert research messages into practice by highlighting case studies that exemplify key findings.
Facilitate practitioners and policymakers to plan how they can convert research into practice in line with their own context.
Assist practitioners, policymakers and researchers to identify key gaps and priorities for future research.
Support practitioners and policymakers in sourcing, making relevant connections and using existing research.
Disseminate research findings which encompass international, national and local perspectives.
Communicate effectively with researchers to help mediate and strengthen the research into practice bridge.
Provide mechanisms for planning, debating, evaluating and sharing across the children’s workforce to help build capacity and improve evidence-informed practice.
- Posted on 08 September 2009 under Educational research, Research, Early years, Issue 16, Research into practice.
- Tagged as research.
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