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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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.”

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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:
* available through subscription or library

15. Addressing Access: Where to Locate Research
ERIC:
LINCS Resources (be sure to specify research):
Library data bases (college, university, or public libraries)

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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.

22. 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

23. 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

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

25. 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?

26. Conclusion and Contact Information
Please join us at COABE on Monday, April 3, at 3:15 in Orlando!
Alisa’s
Margaret’s and website: