Policies and Practices in Educational Research

1. Policies and Practices in Educational Research Martin Valcke Martin.Valcke@UGent.be http://users.ugent.be/~mvalcke/CV/CVMVA.htm Quito – June 15, 2011

2. Conclusions: lessons for research policies and practices Research policies should: • acknowledge GAP between research and practice • consider perspectives different stakeholders • respect complexity of educational setting • differentiate between micro-, meso-, and macro-level in the discussion • involve expertise from different knowledge fields • distinguish educational research and innovation • Provide a diversity of funding models meets the diversity of research needs

3. How will we work during this session? • x

4. How to work during this session? • What has the highestpositive impact onlearningresults of pupils? • Diet • Class size • Watchingtelevision • Reducinganxiety • Click 1, 2, 3 or 4 .12 .21 -.18 .40

5. ? • What has the highestpositive impact onlearningresults of pupils? • Diet • Class size • Watchingtelevision • Reducinganxiety ES .12 ES .21 ES -.18 ES .40 ES ~Effect size = x standard deviation change in average performance

6. Effective education

7. Evidence Based Education

8. Call for Educational Research • Evidence-based education • Effective education

9. The GAP between research and practice

10. The GAP between research and practice • Biesta (2007): • Research ABOUT education? • Research FOR education? • Mortimer (2000) role of educ. research • Observe and record • Analyze and draw conclusions • Publish findings • Improve processes and outcomes

11. The GAP • Teachers find educational research relevant/useful for their current practice. • 1 = Completely disagree • 2 • 3 • 4…. • 7 • 8 • 9 = Completely agree

12. The GAP • Four key problems (study NL/FL): • Result are not strong; hardly scientific evidence is generated • Results are hardly useful for practice • Practitioners find the results not convincing / of little practical use • Practitioners make little use of research findings

13. The GAP between research and practice Educational practice Researchers Not a straightforward relationship Policy makers

14. The GAP: stakeholder perspectives Government Intermediairy agents (e.g., educational advisors Principal Teacher Funding agency Researcher

15. The GAP • Stakeholder perspective • Study in Belgium/Flanders (Vanderlinden & van Braak, 2009)

16. The GAP: research • Teachers most critical • Research does not address MY problems and questions • School leaders less critical • Use research results focused at school level. • Ask to strengthen link between research and practice. • Observe differences in languages of stakeholders. • Intermediary actors are least critical • Is there a gap?

17. The GAP: research • Stakeholder perspective • Study in the Netherlands(University of Amsterdam, 2007)51 researchers, 32 managers / policy makers, 20 teacher trainers, 19 teachers, 14 students, 5 designers / developers, 19 others (e.g. journalists). • In what do they agree/disagree

18. The GAP: research • Strongestagreement (>5) • Education sector does not use research results • National policy is not based on educational research • Consulting research is not the norm in education • Educational actors do not have means to use research • Educational actors do not conduct research • No cooperation between education sector and researchers • Facilities for cooperation are lacking • Research can contribute more to practice than onethinks.

19. The GAP: research • Weakagreement (2-3): • Educational research has not produced significant scientificknowledge. • Educational research cannot deliver practically applicable results because education is too complex. • Educational research can contribute less than one would expect, even when it develops further and results are optimallyused.

20. Lesson 1 • Educational research policies should consider the current (perceived) GAP between research and practice.

21. Who is present? • Government • Intermediary organisation • School principal / rector /director • Researcher • Teacher / professor

22. Lesson 2 • Educational research policies should balance the perspectives of the different stakeholders Researchers Educational practice Policy makers

23. Training Support Characteristics Pre-service training In-service-training Characteristics Educational structure Characteristics Learning Principal School Teacher Teacher team Didactical activity Group of learners or class learner Organisation

24. http://www.adb.org/documents/books/education_natldev_asia/chap03.pdfhttp://www.adb.org/documents/books/education_natldev_asia/chap03.pdf

25. Complexity in educational setting

26. Microlevel (lesson focus) • Focus on • Learner(s) in particular lesson/activity learning setting (characteristics) • Learning product and process outcomes (learning) • Teacher in this particular lesson • Didactical activity (lesson, teaching) • Organisation (budget, infrastructure, timing, ..) • Context (SES, family, …)

27. Lesson 3 • Educational research should acknowledge and center on complexity of education • Multiple actors • Interrelated processes • Connected variables

28. Who did what kind of research at microlevel? 0. No research • Learner(s) characteristics • Learning product /processoutcomes • Teacher • Didacticalactivity (lesson, teaching) • Organisation (budget, infrastructure, timing, ..) • Context (SES, family, …)

29. Microlevel

30. Micro-meso-macro-level • But the perspective shift when we move from • Micro-level: learner/teacher to • Meso-level: school, school group to • Macro-level: the school system …..

32. Lesson 4 • Educational research should consider the discussion at different levels in the educational context: • micro-level • meso-level • macro-level

33. Meso-level Macro-level Micro-level Need for different types of research: individual (learning), teacher behavior, organisations, systems, … . http://www.virtual.gmu.edu/ss_research/cdpapers/policy.pdf

34. Lesson 5 • Educational research policies should build on different types of expertise: • Disciplines (psychology, education, sociology, economy, health sciences, …) • Interdisciplinary approach; international examples • Eureopean Research Council: Joint programming in research • European Institute for Innovation and Technology

35. Models to set up educational research • RDD (Research, Design, Development) • External party in the lead; pupils, teachers, schools “consume” 2. Evidence based practice model • Focus on presenting evidence about “effects” • Research in school setting • Quasi-experimental research (real classes, real teachers, no randomisation)

36. Research models to set up educational research 3. Cross-sectoral practices • Researchers work in setting of practicioners • Researcher act as teachers 4. Knowledge communities (networks) • Shared endeavour of defining, setting up and implementing research • Teachers involved in research, reserachers involved in teaching

37. Research models to set up educationalresearch • DOER Decision oriented educational research • Client orientation: researcher – policy/educators • Ongoing educational dialogue - no role switching • CAR Collaborative Action research • Collective dialogue enriched with joint participation • RCP Research as Practice • Blurring of roles between policy, researcher, educator http://www.equip123.net/archive/ieq-071.pdf

38. Research models to set up educational research • Who carries out the research?: • Researcher = away from practice • Teacher = away from research • Teacher as a researcher … • Chooses the research problem? Selects alternative solutions? Helps to interpret the results? • Role teacher/researcher (Wagner, 1997) • Data extraction (old model) • Clinical partnership (more interactive) • Co-learning (most interactive)

39. Teacher as researcher

40. Teacher as researcher

41. CoL model in China Collegial collaboration classrrom

42. Question • Would you accept collegial collaboration? • Works in your classroom • Discussies nature and quality of your approach • Develops together new ideas, alternative lesson approaches • 0 = Not al all • 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 • 9 = yes, let’s start today

43. Lesson 6 • Educational research should balance a number of “research models” to set up educational research. • Role and responsibilities can become shared, shifted, blurred, … .

44. Research competencies

45. Research competencies • Theoretical base as to role/impact of variables and processes in actors

46. Research competencies • Methodological competencies • Qualitative skills • Quantitative skills • Methodological logistic support • Instruments, administration, coding, data entry, data storage, … .

47. Research competencies • Question: what % of staff in your organisation MASTERS basic educational research competencies?0 = 0% - 1 = 10% - 2 = 20%3 = 30% - ……. - 9 = 90%

48. Lesson 7 • Research policies should consider the development of research conditions: • Staff with expertise: junior, senior, • Management expertise • Logistic support • Vb STIHO innovatie HO twee rondes

49. Educational research and innovation INNOVATION

50. Educational research and innovation INNOVATION