How does the context of research influence the use of educational research in policy-making and practice?

Closing the gap between research and policy-making to better enable effective educational practice: a proposed framework

“…Moreover, this study makes another contribution by building a bridge between theory and practice. While there are a number of theoretical review studies related to research utility and policy analysis (Bogenschneider & Corbett, 2010 ; Edwards et al, 2007 ; Gelderblom et al, 2016 ; Ion et al, 2018 ), relatively few actually connect theory with its practical application. This study aligned the theoretical foundation of Lasswell’s stages model and Kingdon's perspectives to define a systematic approach for collaboration.…”

“…Adding to that, many researchers acknowledge the advantages of using research in policy to achieve effective practice, but assert that implementation is frequently poor. Furthermore, Ion et al ( 2018 ) revealed that a major issue preventing collaboration is the lack of guidelines and strategies to provide a comprehensive understanding for how research can be operationalized to inform policy and practice (Cobb et al, 2003 ; Poon 2012 ; Power, 2007 ; Urquiola, 2015 ; Whitty, 2006 ). Our study, therefore, attempts to develop an effective, theoretically-grounded framework which comes complete with guidelines, based upon theoretical perspectives developed by Lasswell and Kingdon, to explain how collaboration can occur in systematic stages.…”

“…Kennedy ( 1997 ) condensed these factors into four distinct groups: (1) low quality of research, (2) irrelevant research, (3) research ideas inaccessible to practitioners, and (4) education systems resistant to change. While researchers have paid considerable attention to these challenges, and identified further explanations, they have also found potential solutions to address them (Cherney et al, 2012 ; Levin, 2013 ; Levin & Edelstein 2010 ; Ion et al, 2018 ; Tseng 2012 ). Part of this trend features rising interest in academic literature regarding the use of Research-Practice Partnerships (RPPs).…”

“…Tseng ( 2012 ) attributes this, in part, to the absence of a systematic approach with guidelines for clarifying “how researchers can produce more useful work, how practitioners can acquire and use that work productively, and how policy-makers can create the conditions that enable both to occur,” (P. 3). Furthermore, Ion et al ( 2018 ) conducted quantitative research to determine what factors might influence the use of research in policy and practice. Their conclusions, published in the journal Educational Research for Policy and Practice , revealed that a major issue preventing collaboration is the lack of “institutional strategies” to provide a comprehensive understanding for how research can be operationalized to inform policy and research to achieve successful practice (Cobb et al, 2003 ; Poon, 2012 ; Power, 2007 ; Urquiola, 2015 ; Whitty, 2006 ).…”

Understanding the Role, Expectations, and Challenges That Policy-Makers Face in Using Educational Research

“…The literature in the field of research mobilization tends to focus on challenges in the transfer process from research production to research use [1,2], which leads to a rather low impact of research on policy, rather than on opportunities or areas of improvement. The overall image depicted in the literature mostly reflects the researchers' perspective on knowledge transfer [3,4]. Our research intends to fill this gap and advance the debate on the topic of research utilization by highlighting the perceptions of policy-makers.…”