Making Connections between Research and Practice Alisa Belzer, ASSOCIATE professor, Rutgers University Margaret Patterson, PHD, Research Allies for Lifelong Learning COABE Webinar March 2017

Let’s Understand Your Thoughts on Research – A Quick Poll Please enter your responses in the webinar polling feature: 1. What sources do you use to find research articles? General search engine (e.g., Google) Google Scholar Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) College or university database Local public library database Other I don’t seek out research articles

Let’s Understand Your Thoughts on Research – A Quick Poll Please enter your responses in the webinar polling feature: 2. How often do you turn to research to address challenges and questions you encounter in your practice or just to keep up on what’s going on in the field? Regularly Sometimes Rarely or never

Let’s Understand Your Thoughts on Research – A Quick Poll Please enter your responses in the webinar polling feature: 3. How understandable do you feel the most recent research article or report was that you read? Very understandable Somewhat understandable Not very understandable Not at all understandable I have not read any research recently

Let’s Understand Your Thoughts on Research – A Quick Poll Please enter your responses in the webinar polling feature: 4. How useful do you consider the most recent research article or report that you read? Very useful Somewhat useful Not very useful Not useful at all I have not read any research recently

Webinar Purpose To follow-up on “Research to Practice Connections” (COABE Journal, Winter 2016, available on COABE website) To promote practitioner use of research Locating research Evaluating research Using research To engage more practitioners in a conversation about strengthening connections between research and practice that was begun at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) 2016 and at COABE 2016 meetings which will be continued as a special session at the COABE Conference, 2017.

Bridging the Research-to-Practice Gap: Conversation Points from AERA Research and practice need to connect This connection occurs less than researchers would like Researchers would like to have more venues for applied research Researchers are interested in conversations with practitioners on how to bridge the research/practice divide AERA’s 2016 ALAE SIG leaders are interested in restarting these conversations

Webinar Overview Why practitioners should care about integrating research and practice What is the need Why practitioners don’t use research more Strategies for improving research to practice connections Where to locate research How to evaluate research How to make use of research Question and Answer What’s next – building professional communities that support research use

Why Practitioners Should Care about Integrating Research and Practice (Smith, Bingman, and Beall, 2007) To support adult educators’ practice, research can… justify what they feel they are already doing well in their classrooms or programs and/or what they already know about best practices and theory moderately or dramatically improve current practices analyze and/or solve a problem describe new and effective practices and ideas

Why Practitioners Should Care about Integrating Research and Practice (Smith, Bingman, and Beall, 2007) To support adult educators’ practice, research can… validate problems they face and assure themselves that others have similar issues and experiences strengthen funding proposals replace anecdotal decision making encourage implemeningt a strategy that others have found effective

Voices From the Field: The Research/Practice Divide Practitioner quotes about research (Journal of Research and Practice, “Research to Practice Connections”, 2016) “Not much current empirical research in adult literacy to inform practice” “At the community college where I work, literacy and discipline faculty often do not use research to inform their practice… nor do they typically conduct research.”

Why Don’t Practitioners Use Research More Why Don’t Practitioners Use Research More? Belzer and Bruno, After the Research (2016) Teachers don't often use research in practice, with the exception of teachers in graduate programs or professional development settings Researchers do not do research necessarily to meet the needs of practitioners because they are not accountable to teachers, but rather to academic standards, funder standards, and other researchers Research may lack credibility among teachers

Why Don’t Practitioners Use Research More Why Don’t Practitioners Use Research More? Belzer and Bruno, After the Research (2016) Teachers may see research as lacking utility, overly theoretical, inconclusive, or too difficult to apply Teachers may not have time, opportunity, expertise, or support to access research and determine how best to use it Researchers may lack the experience in practice to enable them to make stronger connections between their work the work of practitioners

Addressing Access: Where to Locate Research Research journals related to adult education: Journal of Research and Practice (COABE), Journal of Adult Education (MPAEA)*, Adult Education Quarterly*, Journal of Literacy and Technology, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy*, Journal of Lifelong Learning (PAACE) Search engines Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/ * available through subscription or library

Addressing Access: Where to Locate Research ERIC: https://eric.ed.gov/ LINCS Resources (be sure to specify research): https://lincs.ed.gov/professional-development/resource-collection/search-resources Library data bases (college, university, or public libraries)

Addressing Usefulness: How to Evaluate Research (Gall, Gall, and Borg, 2010) Once you locate a research article or report that looks like it could be helpful, your next task is to evaluate it to decide how trustworthy and useful it is. Researcher’s background Literature review 3. Research questions

Addressing Usefulness: How to Evaluate Research (Gall, Gall, and Borg, 2010) 4. Variables 5. Topic 6.a. (quantitative) Sample Selection 6.b. (qualitative) Sampling procedure 7.a. (quantitative) Subgroups 7.b. (qualitative) Data collection

Addressing Usefulness: How to Evaluate Research (Gall, Gall, and Borg, 2010) 8.a. (quantitative) Valid measures 8.b. (qualitative) Intensity of data collection 9.a. (quantitative) Statistical techniques 9.b. (qualitative) Participant response or behavior

How to Evaluate Research (Gall, Gall, and Borg, 2010) 10.a. (quantitative) Researcher’s conclusions 10.b. (qualitative) Hypotheses or questions 11. Generalizing results 12. Implications for practice

Addressing Application: How to Make Use of Research (Smith, Bingman, and Beall, 2007; Smith, 2016) When reading research articles, look for the research question first to see if it fits your teaching context, then read the executive summary to determine if the research addresses a problem of interest to you Read research articles and discuss them with your colleagues Advocate for, lead, and/or participate in study circles and seminars as professional development options

Addressing Application: How to Make Use of Research (Smith, Bingman, and Beall, 2007; Smith, 2016) Share what you have learned from reading or doing research at staff meetings Collaborate with teachers and other staff in action planning around information from research.

Addressing Application: How to Make Use of Research (Smith, Bingman, and Beall, 2007; Smith, 2016) Ask your program administrator for funding for a classroom-based investigation based on trying something new you encountered by reading research Suggest research agenda/questions to your program director or state staff Conduct your own practitioner research and share your results with others in your program or state

Addressing Application: Making Use of Research (From AERA meeting) Create professional learning communities with a scholarly focus Foster a professional development “culture” with a research / theory focus Emphasize action research where practitioners and researchers engage in applied research together Partner with university/college researchers so your institution becomes a laboratory for research

Q & A What concerns do you have about accessing, evaluating, or using research in adult education?

Follow-up Question for Next Steps in Bridging the Research-to-Practice Gap How can researchers and practitioners partner together to make research and practice connections?

Conclusion and Contact Information Please join us at COABE on Monday, April 3, at 3:15 in Orlando! Alisa’s e-mail: alisa.belzer@gse.rutgers.edu Margaret’s e-mail and website: margaret@researchallies.org www.researchallies.org