The relation between educational research

and educational practice in Flanders (2006)

This study explores the acknowledged gap between educational research and educational practice in Flanders. Although many reports and position papers have been published around this topic, little empirical research data has been collected. In Flanders too, no empirical data about this topic is yet available, and it remains unclear what the impact is of educational research on practice.

The central research question of this study is to explore the relation between educational research and educational practice in Flanders, and to identify factors facilitating the use of research by practitioners. Moreover, this study wants to draw up an inventory of fundamental educational research conducted over the last ten years, and attempts to determine the strategies educational researchers use to disseminate their research results. A dissemination matrix was developed to meet these goals.

The present study used focus group interviews to explore the relation between educational research and educational practice. Focus group interviews are a qualitative research method used to collect information about views, opinions and experiences of groups about a specific topic. Focus group interviews were organised with different key figures involved in the dissemination process of research results: teachers, school leaders, mediators and researchers. The inventory of fundamental educational research and the dissemination matrix are based on data collected through a literature review and a questionnaire for educational researchers.

This study revealed that the gap between educational research and educational practice is a more complex and differentiated phenomenon than commonly assumed in the international research literature. The gap between research and practice was stressed by all actors, but was perceived more strongly by teachers compared to school leaders and mediators. Overall, teachers are rather sceptical about the value of educational research and argue that educational researchers generally do not handle questions of any practical relevance.
The main factor facilitating the use of research by practitioners is the nature of the research question. Overall, descriptive research is valued as un-useful by practitioners On the other hand, practitioners appreciate design-based research or research that leads to practical applications. Main barrier is the technical and complex language used by researchers.
This study points out that researchers mainly disseminate their results through publications in practitioner journals. Nevertheless, this study revealed that these journals aren’t well-known by school leaders and unknown by teachers. This compels researchers to think about the effectiveness of their dissemination activities and to rethink the nature of their dissemination activities. Besides, a supportive context for researchers to disseminate their results is merely absent because researchers’ work is primarily assessed in terms of output in international scientific journals and impact factors.
During the focus group interviews,  suggestions were formulated to bridge the gap between research and practice . The overall recommendation made by all groups of key figures was the need for more cooperation. Specific suggestions to bridge the gap pertain to the nature of educational research. A plea for both more evidence-based research and design-based research was formulated. Evidence based research should provide convincing evidence on what works in practice. The design based research approach is an approach for the study of situated learning or learning in context through systematic design and study to create and extend knowledge about developing, enacting and sustaining innovative learning environments. This approach attempts to be both scientific and educational, and as such bridges the gap between educational research and educational practice.

The inventory of fundamental educational research shows that the proportion of fundamental research in educational studies has increased over the last ten years, and that results of fundamental research are increasingly published in international academic journals. In Flanders, fundamental research covers the broad spectrum of educational sciences.  The dissemination matrix shows that dissemination of research results mainly fits in a Research Development and Diffusion model. Dissemination is seen as a linear spread of knowledge from research to practice through publications in practitioner journals or contributions at practice-oriented conferences.