I would add that there' s also disconnection between researchers and practitioners.¿ What if, for example, more effort was placed to reach the practitioner local community than to publish in Journals, from the researcher point of view?. ¿Could maybe more social media research diffusion help to gain visibility?. ¿Do schools need a sort of research advisor?. So, in my point of view, one of the solutions would be to strenghten the researcher-practitioner partnership( with a focus of communities of practitioners), in addition to embed more consistently evidence based education training across all levels, within a given educational system.

Considero muy oportuna esta pregunta debido a que el marco teórico vienen apuntando esa nueva linea de investigaron la formación docente debe impactar en la mejora de la practica docente de nuevos docentes, caso de Finlandia por ejemplo, Shangai, Toronto, Hong Kong, y Singapur específicamente son ejemplos de la nueva formación de docentes contempla cerca cde un 20% de la malla curricular en cursos que vienen incrementando las competencias investigativas del nuevo docente a fin de que pueda realizar sin ningún problema investigaciones de aula de problemas de aprendizajes de factores asociados entre otros....

Gracias, Arturo.

He adjuntado un artículo propio que puede interesarle.

Bill

Unfortunately very few teachers read research and engage meaningfully in personal and academic development.

I feel that it requires a lot of energy and hard work plus independent research.

Education can change if teachers. ..I am one too... challenge the quick fix development courses and dig in more in depth work.

Let research be more visible and written to catch a lethargic audience.

Interesting, Holly. What would make research more visible to you and your colleagues? I understand the point about the writing, but good research requires dispassionate inquiry and writing that reflects that is unlikely to inspire the lethargic.

I hope that I understood your question correctly that your own research on education also influences also your daily lectures. I think that this is true because you develop an own reflection about your work. It would be interesting if there could be a practical evidence but I think this is very complicated to do a measurement setup due to many side effects.

Most quality teacher preparation programs are strongly research-based and encourage inquiry-based teacher activities in collaborative groups. Those that do not often offer these options (such in online programs) rely on teacher motivation to pursue research topics and links to other teachers who are interested in the same topics. Sadly, however, some of these programs are not well-designed nd do not practice what they preach ...

I would say that, looking back to the last two centuries, teaching practices have changed dramatically especially in developed countries. The learning methods based on constructivism (in Maths and sciences, for example) have shifted the teacher's role of 'provider of knowledge' for the students to that of 'guide', one who accompanies students in their processus of constructing or acquiring their knowledge. Therefor, the teaching practices are no longer the same. And this may have happened because of the researches that have proven the efficacy of those methods. Teachers may not have read research reports, but those in charge of the teacher training or professional development may use research results in their interventions. However, there's no doubt that even those teachers who participate in development research have difficult do not change easily their practices.

Hello,

Teachers' awareness of practicality of theories related to teaching practices can be manifested through research. In point of fact, implementing action research provides professionals working in the education system with a systematic, reflective approach to demystify the areas of need within their respective domains. Notably, action research can offer teachers several advantages.  First, it helps teachers to rid themselves of personal preferences or hunches by relying more on the data guided by rigorous research. This transforms the role of teachers since action research , by proposing ideas and theories that can be backed up by data, can help them be authors rather than actors.  This gives teachers something more concrete to work with instead of just relying on the principles that theorists have suggested in the past.  Accordingly,   there have been a lot of changes to the way things are taught in school as a result of action research. Second, action research influences the quality of students, education , and the professional development of teachers.  Logically, action research paves the way for reflecting on what a teacher is doing in the classroom, which unravels the problems overshadowing the teaching/learning processes. Therefore, it becomes easier to see what the problems are and how to go about solving them. Third, action research not only leads to actions that change the the environment but it also plays a pivotal role in improvement of specific pedagogical practices.  Finally, action research has the advantage of developing a culture of inquiry in the educational contexts and reflective educational practices.  On this basis, action research can be thought of as the main cause behind many of the innovations and alterations in pedagogy we now have at our disposal as present and future teachers.

Best regards,

R. Biria

The considerable research efforts of scholars, who are also teachers, matter. For example, the work of John Hattie, whose synthesis of some 800 meta-analyses of different factors affecting learning concluded that all educational innovations, in fact, work, but not for everyone, everywhere. Studies such as this provide empirical validation of the complex pedagogical context of learning, and differentiate between pedagogy and practice. This, in turn, provides teachers, administrators, instructional designers, etc. with deeper understanding of the multi-factorial and fluid interactions in learning settings. Hence, exposure to such investigations as part of teacher training, and with this, the encouragement of ongoing teacher research, help to build praxis before and during professional teaching. Teachers, whose sense of inquiry is supported and nurtured, are less likely to lose touch with themselves as learners, something Richard Sagor has wisely observed as being fundamental to the teaching profession. My own experience collecting data from and about teachers, and then sharing it with them, has shown that, when presented with new insights (including their own), these teachers were more willing to reconsider their approaches, to rethink why they do what they do, and to continue this professional reflection, both individually and collectively. By such means collective intelligence is born.

Post Script:

Mike Caulfield, who is currently the director of blended and networked learning at Washington State University Vancouver, has suggested, intriguingly, that our problem today is not information overload, but information underload. According to Caulfield, we suffer not because there is too much good information out there to process, but because most information out there is insufficient, lacking in evidential support, or disconnected.

Dear William

I work in an international school and hardly anyone applies their interest to academic research as they don't know where to find it.

I gave gone back to university so I have the link. Plus when I try to encourage them on a research path then they seem to unexpectedly find grains of sand in their shoes and dust to attend to.

Sad and lonely as this makes me feel I am considering their point of view to break the ice of indifference.

What if research took a second path. One that invites to think and dig deep. One that illustrates the passion and interest put into it.

I feel that some write with an overall energy and drive why others tick the box.

Learning should be forever. ..at every corner. .seen as nourishment.

Lethargic doesn't mean dead. A nudge. ..a pat on the shoulder.

I feel that what makes the difference is the passion to inspire to transmit to share. A fundamental characteristic of any teacher at any level.

Research is fundamental in any area of life.

Let it be catchy and inviting.

Muito interessante a sua pergunta. Em meus artigos, percebo o aprendizado do aluno.

Base is only research on any topic related academic . Research is only a way to build strong professional group for teaching into practice.

Most teachers I have worked with are open to using research IF it matches their intuition, common sense, and experience level with the students they teach. They often need help from peers or other trusted people in or outside the system in identifying quality research or lesson plans they can use developed by other teachers with similar students. A big issue is finding those quality instructional materials as much of what is out there is not sufficiently evaluated and may be expensive. I recommend the online modules being implemented by the American Psychological Association's Education Directorate. One I recently updated can be found at: http://www.apa.org/education/k12/learners.aspx

I appreciate the question, because as an educational researcher in science (teacher) education, primarily, engaging in systematic investigations to more fully understand science education (both within and outside of classrooms( is my passion and work. Evidence for the impact of research needs to be examined in multiple facets, including national and local policy documents on teaching and learning, curricula, and instruction (including assessment and longterm outcomes of education such as career decisions by learners). Policy documents on the whole typically show ample evidence of reference to research findings (although they sometimes are also influenced by a tendency to an over emphasis on relying on some research over other due to writers' preference--such is the condition we now face when there literally an "ocean" of research from which to select), curricula documents similarly show such evidence by citing and drawing on findings in research references, and instruction (teacher education and pre-collegiate classroom practices) may show evidence of impact of research depending on the knowledge (current or dated or type of research) of the instructor/teacher resulting from personal education or enculturation in a local community of practice that developed in a context of exposure to research. So, to me, since the impact of education research in impacting teacher practice is present in some form or fashion throughout the educational system, some interesting questions are: Who are producing such research and how are they doing it? What such research is impacting education? What is the process of impact of such research on teacher practices and their students/communities? Thanks for the opportunity to engage in such an important conversation prompted your question, William.

Research and education?

The most immediate is in your classroom over a good number of years. Secondo to this is evidence so you need to step outside the classroom and read about other experiences in a differentiated context.

What kind of research are we looking at?

For what purpose?

In what contexts?

Who is looking for research and who should it impact?

Just a few questions.

Thanks for asking an interesting question.

Holly

I am currently writing an invited article to address many of the questions raised here. It is for the online Frontiers in Psychology and Education journal and I will share it when it is completed in a couple of weeks. The problem continues to be a motivational one in my view as well as individual and political will.

Our challenge is time (hospital based Clinical Educator.) We use best practices based on EBP (Evidence Based Practices); or imperical evidence - however that takes time. Healthcare changes rapidly, resources are tight, and time for anything other than addressing immediate needs is a luxury. Your question however is a good one! Especially given the statistics predicting that approximately 75% of our work force will be occupied by Generation Y's by the year 2025, my teaching has changed immensely in the past several years.

I have benefitted from research illustrating how to teach learners with a divergent learning history as opposed to sequential or linear one. This has by far helped me the most to address Generation Y's learning needs. Literature on attention spans, needs for multimodal learning, and understanding that communicating new information needs to come to them in forms they want most.

I attach a recent presentation including sources used for your consideration. Best wishes!

I would add that there' s also disconnection between researchers and practitioners.¿ What if, for example, more effort was placed to reach the practitioner local community than to publish in Journals, from the researcher point of view?. ¿Could maybe more social media research diffusion help to gain visibility?. ¿Do schools need a sort of research advisor?. So, in my point of view, one of the solutions would be to strenghten the researcher-practitioner partnership( with a focus of communities of practitioners), in addition to embed more consistently evidence based education training across all levels, within a given educational system.

I think, From last centuries, research has improved teaching practice directly or indirectly. Research directly effect on the university teacher's practices and this university knowledge or change which flow through novice teacher's in the market or classroom practice.

Good research has really helped in monitoring teaching practice as evidenced by various researchers. The only problem we have is the application of the practicability of the outcome of these studies.

I agree most with point of McCombs and Pons (above). I see this as an organizational development problem. Only some--not a majority--of pre-service teachers are exposed to robust engagement with research, and a few with action research (which is within the reach of possibility for many teachers). For those who aren''t deeply drawn in during training, and even for those who are, they are all hit by the Mack truck of reality as they arrive into their first assignments in their new schools. They (we) discover an impossible workload, and a schedule that ignores all of the highest aspirations of their training: no scheduled time to collaborate with colleagues, no co-teaching models, little guidance, no culture of dialogue of practice, much less any culture of discussion of research. Literally, they have no access to research through their employers. The teacher's lounge is largely gone now, and when it did exist, it wasn't strewn with professional publications, much less those with research. In many, many schools, a teacher who tries to inject research into discussions takes on a significant risk of being ostracized or thought odd. My apologies to those who teach in wonderful schools that actually are not like this, but I have spent time in these types of schools for over 35 years, and the deficit is real, as is the disconnect between the university and the schools/teachers. Why do so many teachers leave in the first 5 years now? Because they're just on their own in a poorly designed environment and feel they cannot truly do their jobs well.

In Singapore, many teachers are involved in conducting their own classroom-based action research as a means to solving instructional problems they encountered. Some of such studies lead to publication but most of the results are shared among teachers through zonal sharing sessions. Usually, the action research projects are conducted by the classroom teacher in consultation with professional researchers in the teacher education institutions and relevant subject specialists. To prepare teachers for this role of problem-solving-for-themselves, they attend workshops specially designed for them which equip them with the necessary basic skills in planning, instrumentation, and data analysis. This is done with the conviction that problems arising from the classroom is best solved in situ by teachers who know their problems and students and situation better.

I love Kay Soh's information, such a good model! Kay, can you share what a classroom teacher's daily schedule looks like? Teaching periods, preparation or conferencing, length of these, etc.? American educators are usually surprised by the differences in European and Asian teaching schedules, they are often very different than ours, so I'm curious if that's true in Singapore.

I agree. This approach is in line with the Japanese Kaizen philosophy and principles of improvement (in education and other spheres).

• Ellis, C., & Castle, K. (2010). Teacher research as continuous process improvement. Quality Assurance in Education, 18(4), 271-285. doi:10.1108/09684881011079134

In Singapore, a typical school session begins around 7.45am and continues until 1.45am. During these hours, the teacher may have one or two periods (usually 40 minutes) free -- not teaching in the classroom but doing some professional or administrative work. Teachers normally stay in school until 3.00pm but mostly later for lesson planning and other related work.

The problem of academic research (research done by researchers at the university) is that the findings need be translated into classroom practice to be useful to teachers. Classroom-based action research (CBAR)may not have methodological and theoretical rigor to a high degree, however it approximates academic research as much as possible, depending on the nature of the research/instructional problem, the training of the teacher-researcher, and the situational context. CBAR should become part of a teacher's professional competence which she will use to solve problems encountered during normal teaching. The purpose is to solve the problems in the place where they arise. Problems found in classroom may be so common that they deserve large-scale rigorous research of an academic nature; but, then, the answer may take a long time to come and often less relevant (as a results of satisfying many methodological constraints). When many teachers conduct CBAR in their classrooms dealing with the same or similar problems, the findings can be meta-analyzed for wider applicability.

I am wondering, Kay, whether teachers can collaborate with academic researchers and research what needs to be studied in Singapore schools?

The development of the educational process depends mainly on two types of research:

Intermediate research and research work, the first calls for change of content, methods and techniques, but the proposed changes must be adopted by teachers and supported by other means of change (laws, courses, programs).

The second is the research of work, and this does not affect the educational process unless it is adopted as a means to create teachers, so its role in modernization is to bridge the gap between the researcher and specialist practitioner, and make the objectives of educational training is limited to make the student / teacher develops specialization, which deepened in the college, In a particular task is a teaching function

Dear Mr. Kay Cheng Soh,

Really, good practice. Classroom-based action research (CBAR) - a new concept. I appreciate the idea.

Regards

Kay Cheng Soh, in my local area in the USA (Maryland), my university' s dept of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership collaborates with local school systems to provide the type of classroom based action research you helpfully shared exists in Singapore. Also, we prepare our teacher education graduate school students to conduct action research (of their choice and not necessarily dictated by the school systems) in their classrooms. In both cases, the CBAR studies are informed by the teachers conducting a literature review of existing peer-reviewed and published studies on the topic of choice, which assists them to conduct meaningful personal classroom research in their classrooms. In some cases, interestingly, the findings in the published research literature may prompt questions in teachers as to why their school districts are promoting certain classroom practices (especially these days those related to student assessment) when the research findings do not support it, but the school district would like them to implement as a school district recommended practice (for whatever reason). As a result, some of the teachers decide to use CBAR to test out in a systemic manner the school district's recommended practices in their classrooms. The best outcomes for CBAR as to how it may impact teachers' classroom practices (in my opinion) are when the teachers are guided by their personal choices as to what to study (either to test a recommended school district practice or some personal topic) and they then deal honestly with the findings from their action research studies on how such findings ethically may impact their teaching practices to promote student learning for all. CBAR therefore is influential in promoting teacher professionalism as well as in promoting research supported practices in classroom teaching.

Kay Son, to get a better picture of the Singapore teacher's workload, how many classes per day? How much total prep time per day? How many separate students will the teacher see in a week? American high school teachers often have 5-6 classes a day and some see 150 separate students during the week or even each day. In my experience, many teachers would love to work with the university, and participate in other training, writing and collaboration, however the amount of paper grading and lack of time in the schedule is a serious deterrent to this.

Virginia: A typical day for a Singapore teacher is to teach 6-7 classes of 40 minutes five days a week for 10 weeks. There are 40 weeks in a school year. Usually, a teacher has 2-3 subject to teach, so the number of students vary; a teacher of Chinese Language will meet more students in a day because she teaches only one subject across several levels. Like your teachers, ours also like to work with university/centre staff on projects relevant to the schools' specific problems/interests to solve problems or try out new approaches. As for preparation time, it depends on the individual teacher's experience and work style; however, proper record of lesson planning is expected. We share the same problem of time constraint, it is not uncommon for some teachers to leave school around 5pm or even later.

Randy, Our teachers normally have their CBAR initiated or approved y the school administration as the research involved resources of time, material, and, above all, students. Some teacher-researchers also do extensive literature review as if it is an academic research. The discrepancy between the findings of academic research and CBAR seems inevitable, due main to methodological differences between the two approaches. Academic research presumably involves large and representative sample whereas the sample of CBAR is the teacher's own classes which may happen to come from a certain point of the ability continuum of the sample used in academic research. However, such discrepancy need not render CBAR invalid or less valuable as it is conducted for a purpose different from academic research, trying to illuminate on classroom problem of a more immediate purpose and the teacher-researcher's professional needs.

Babara, Our experience is that teachers have been able to work together with university/centre staff to solve or investigate problems relevant to classroom instruction. In the conventional approach of academic research, teachers almost exclusively play the role of data providers -- they only help to collect data for the researchers and never see the researchers again, although feedback (on the student performance) may be provided. In CBAR, the teacher is the problem-solver with the help or collaboration of university/centre staff. In other words, the teacher-researcher owns the project. I believe there is a need for both kind of research for different purposes and to solve instructional problems at different levels. Again, I believe CBAR should become part of teacher's professional repertoire and therefore they need be trained in conducting CBAR. so that she can try to solve problems in the classroom where problems arise, instead of waiting to be informed by large-scale academic research which may come too late to be useful. When many teachers conduct CBAR in specific contexts of their own schools and make the findings available, meta-analysis will enhance the value of such small-scale less rigorous studies.

The What Works Network in the UK is aimed at bringing evidence based practice / research to a range of organisations ranging from policing, education, health and crime (and more). The education endowment foundation and Sutton trust are the only two organisations identified with oversight for the sharing of best practice in education. See: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/

This work presents a range of evidence based interventions used in schools with scores relating to their efficacy in pupil progress measures. A range of interventions are assessed such as in the impact of giving primary phase pupils homework, collaborative learning, feedback, teaching assistants etc. From this, schools can make choices about which interventions may be useful to adopt in their schools. These assessment are based on varying degrees and depths of research into each area and a security warning comes with each intervention based upon the extent and validity of the range of research schools/instances that contribute to the overall score. Schools are also able to access frameworks for approaching school development from a research basis, and guidance given on how to more robustly evaluate the impact of the interventions they use. There are many caveats that go with these scores, including not taking the 'padlock' or security scores at face value but evaluating them in the context of the quality of the research that underpins them. There are also a growing number of 'Research Schools' in the UK, particularly in areas of significant disadvantage or where social mobility is being adversely affected. Check out the link I inserted and tell me what you think.

I checked out your UK link and am wondering -- do you know Dr. Ruth Deakin-Crick or Guy Claxton? Ruth is at the University of Bristol and we worked on a tool-kit that included assessments of learning dispositions in the early 2000's and are still connected in some of our collaborative work.

I worry that by responding I may suggest the discussion has ended, but I hope that all of you know better than that.

It intrigues me that most of the early responses seemed to take for granted that the assertion in the question is in fact true--that educational research does not impact classroom practice. One consequence of that acceptance is to emphasise the need for better communication of research and/or a need for research to be more directly aimed at questions directly related to issues in practice.

Another focus of the early responses was the need for action research as a way of both encouraging teachers to become acquainted with the research literature and to engage them in local trials that test that research.

Later posts began to identify some specific examples of research that did have an impact. Among these, I thought Ulana's mention of Hattie's work was particularly interesting (to wit: most educational innovations have impact but not for all teachers). This brought to mind work on the U.S Follow through program in the 1960's and 70's. If memory serves, it was Barak Rosenshine who observed that educational innovations worked IF the teachers believed them.

I am grateful to Kay Soh for her description of Singapore education and for her engagement with others in the discussion. Her posts reminded me of Japanese Lesson Study (see https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ960950.pdf and/or Article Exploring the Use of Lesson Study to Develop Elementary Pres...

So, I think a partial answer to my original question might emphasize the value of action research and the hopeful examples cited by some respondents. A more complete response might provide a catalog of examples in which research has had demonstrable impact. I hope to see further posts along that line.

Thanks to all who have taken time to contribute thoughts and to respond to colleagues.

Bill

Asian names are troublesome; there is no clues to indicate gender, at least to our Western colleagues.

Lesson study is also popular with teachers in Singapore. However, if I understand correctly, it focuses mainly on changing teaching behaviors and not students' behaviors. It should be possible to combine LS and CBAR as an approach to solve instructional problems in the classroom context.

A propos, my reference to Kaizen in a separate response. It appears, Bill, you are well underway to assembling an experientially based review of the literature after all, thanks to the many who have been sharing their thoughts. Enriching for all of us.

I have personal experience of research based on two thousand questionnaires completed by students from various colleges in Poland in order to receive an answer to the question how the work of academic teachers is assessed by students who – in the light of their own experience – present desirable and undesirable aspects of academics’ activity. The results of my research and analysis based on this influenced strongly my attitude towards students and my work as academic teacher. You may see example of this research here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277222154_Trabajo_del_profesorado_universitario_segun_lo_evaluan_los_estudiantes, and here some theoretical frames of my work: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322065541_Criteria_for_assessment_of_ethical_conduct_of_academics.

Conducting research studies make a difference in teaching practices through the research findings on the research studies they are conducting. Teachers are mandated to conduct classroom based action research to find solutions on the problems they are encountering. By doing so, teachers themselves change their own practices to support their findings thus making a difference in their own teaching learning practices. Research practitioners are fully aware that it is only through research that they generate new knowledge... researchers are also innovators..

Perhaps this should be a leading education? At the center of which is the ability to understand problems tomorrow (2020-2050)?

While undertaking classroom-based action research could certainly be a valuable practice for teachers to learn more specifically about what initiatives, strategies, subjects, etc. affect their own students, conversations with my colleagues thus far in my Masters program often suggest a lack of time and sufficient knowledge of research strategies to conduct such a project. While teacher preparation programs may be changing to encourage this type of practice, very little attention was paid to the notion of conducting or even effective utilization of educational research in my “teacher’s college” year. Luckily, my BA program (Child and Youth Studies) featured courses on qualitative and quantitative research methods, providing a basic understanding of research involving children, but didn’t touch on conducting or utilizing research in teaching professions.

Several articles I read in advance of responding to this discussion described the reasons why teacher scholarship is important, such as for improving the quality of student learning, providing insight into relevant and trending literature in the field, promoting discipline-based teaching practice, etc. (Healey, 2000), but also suggested that there is a “lack of research evidence on the relationship between pedagogic scholarship and better teaching” (Healey, 2000, p.174). Hattie and Marsh (as cited in Healey, 2005) also suggested that no significant relationship exists between effective teaching and research. However, Paris and Paris (2001) write compellingly on the foundation of research supporting classroom implementations of self-regulated learning. They also suggest that the evolution of educational research from studying learning in a fragmented, isolated environment to classroom program interventions provides an opportunity for teachers to access the more practical applications of research, rather than being ‘bogged down’ by the theoretical basis of those studies (Paris & Paris, 2001).

Healey, M. (2000). Developing the scholarship of teaching in higher education: A discipline-based approach. Higher Education Research & Development, 19(2), 169-189.

Healey, M. (2005). Linking research and teaching to benefit student learning. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 29(2), 183-201.

Paris, S. G., & Paris, A. H. (2001). Classroom applications of research on self-regulated learning. Educational Psychologist, 36(2), 89-101.

Hi Bill,

In reflecting on this question, I came across an article entitled “The recursive practice of research and teaching: Reframing teacher education” (Miles, Lemon, Mathewson, & Reid, 2016). The article discusses the continued criticism that teacher education receives in the areas of the quality of personal preparation and the lack of a strong research base. Reflecting on what they describe as a theory-practice divide, the researchers then explore how links between education research and teaching practice can be strengthened. They suggest that educational research can help to access current trends, strategies and theory, and support for innovative practices. While I myself have not gone through a bachelor of education program, and cannot speak from experience as to whether or not teachers-in-preparation programs expose students to educational research, from my involvement in a master of education program, I have come to understand the importance incorporating evidence based practice into our teaching.

Miles, R., Lemon, N., Mathewson Mitchell, D., & Reid, J. (2016). The recursive practice of research and teaching: Reframing teacher education. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 44(4), 401-414. doi:10.1080/1359866X.2016.1169502

Available: https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2016.1169502

I appreciate the continued thoughtful responses to this question and especially the citations and links that many of you are providing.

I think I owe an apology to Kay Cheng Soh for presuming a gender--your response was generous. Actually, what confused me is that the name "Kay" is a common female name in English and I had assumed that had adopted that name for communication with westerners. In any event, the important point is that I am grateful that you shared your knowledge and experience through this discussion.---Bill

Bill，Asian names are really confusing to Westerners; not your fault.

I have been addressed as Mr. Soh, Mr. Kay, and Mr. Cheng. I have been cited as Cheng, S. K. very often. Asian authors follow Western tradition by putting the family name last, this is the cause of the confusion. Perhaps Chinese authors, especially those in the States, the world over should retain the Eastern tradition of putting the family name first as an heritage; when this is done consistently, Western readers and editors will soon follow, thereby avoiding confusion. This may sound trivial, but when it comes to citation in Indices, a misplaced citation is a lost to the author.

Just like Western names, some Chinese personal names are gender-specific, but other are not. Perhaps, some one will compiled a list of Chinese names with gender-indication. The same may be needed for other Asian authors.

There is a strong evidence that is related to the period of time for the development of both methods of educational research and the development of methods of teaching

Application of research results into practice.

Action research, CBAR, and Evidence Based Practice (EBP) are all useful here.

Likewise the statement someone made regarding teachers' attitude to research And its application in practice or lack of it for whatever reason; a finding in many professions. Reasons could be work and administrative demands, personal indifference, among others; and being left in the dark as to the findings of any research conducted in an educational setting where teachers were involved as research participants.

So how to surmount this problem? There are various theorists about learning from Vygotsky, Bronfrennbenner, to Pavlov, for example. Theories on teaching are a scarcer commodity it seems, although they are starting to emerge.

And yet teaching and learning are intertwined. So any conducted research on teaching must be linked to learning if the field workers (as opposed to 'pure researchers') interest is to be engaged.

One thing this discussion seems to have demonstrated consistently, is that the issue of research impact in education is complex and involves a variety of different perspectives. I also work in the higher education field, and have done a lot of research and/or project-based work with schools and teachers during the last 20 or so years, both within Australia (where I live and work) and internationally. From my own experience, it has seemed that a majority of teachers simply want someone to tell them what "best practice" strategies they need to implement to improve their teaching and the achievement outcomes of their children and students. This is perhaps the result of feeling time-poor and having been conditioned by years of professional development programs that tend to emphasise this approach to school improvement. It may also be because most teachers feel considerable pressure to provide evidence concerning the quality of their teaching, and because of this seek "quick-fix" solutions to the issues they face at the immediate, classroom level of practice. The bottom-line, however, is that a lot of teachers are simply not prepared to put in the time and effort it takes to learn about - and then conduct - rigorous, well-informed research, and this is often exacerbated by school principals who display an interest only in learning about "what works" in relation to school improvement programs.

Action research readily works within such situations, because it is a-theoretical and highly flexible, and thus allows for very practical research to occur. These attributes can also place limitations on the research that teachers do, however, because action research places only broad demands on research, due to the very nature of its open-ended flexibility. Because of this, I don't view action research as any sort of panacea for educational research, but rather as an intermediary "can-do" research approach capable of producing only local solutions to local issues, and as these issues are perceived by individuals, not by the wider education community as a whole.

I would further suggest that a crucial, underlying factor concerning educational research impact involves the nature of the partnership that takes place between schools and higher education providers (universities, teacher colleges, etc.) during initial teacher education (ITE). In this respect many education researchers have noted that a "knowing/doing" gap exists in most ITE programs, which serves to separate the more theoretical nature of teaching (the "knowing" - including research) from the more practical application of this knowledge (the "doing"). I believe this lays a poor foundation for teacher-led research, and would propose that if we want to see more impact from the research that teachers do, we need to begin by making sure that ITE programs provide more rigorous research training, beginning at the undergraduate level of educational learning, and focusing on what form of evidence the school/higher education partnership needs to produce in order to best prepare ITE graduates to enter a professional teaching career.

This would essentially involve the creation of a more intentional research culture at the undergraduate level of ITE, but most current ITE programs are ill-equipped to create this sort of culture, at least at the level needed to make a difference. Importantly, at the heart of this culture there would need to be a focus on the nature and quality of research evidence as required for the partnership, that is, what sort of research evidence is needed by the partnership, to deal with the knowing/doing gap in a manner authentic to the research/practice nexus that binds the partnership together? I believe this sort of research-grounded, evidence-focused approach would go a long way toward increasing the impact that ITE graduates would be capable of producing as professional teachers, because it would create more focus and relevance for the research being performed in schools. In Australia, some programs are already trying to deal with these types of partnership issues, such as the University of Melbourne’s “Clinical Practice Exam” and Deakin University’s “Authentic Teacher Assessment”, but I think we still have a long way to go before the sorts of research training that is required is occurring at a sufficiently broad level to make an overall difference for educational research. Perhaps something to think about however?

Unfortunately, many professors and teachers feel that once they finish school, their learning is over and it is time to teach. In my field of Nursing Education, that is obviously not an acceptable position as nursing practice is constantly changing as my colleagues should be aware, but so is Pedagogy and the types of students we are now teaching. Too many of my colleagues insist on teaching they way they were taught, however we are not teaching the same students with whom we went to school. These students have an infinite amount of information available to them in their pockets and know how to access it quickly and efficiently. They do not need us to give them information, they need us to tell them what to do with it, how to apply it, and how to think critically about it.; The days of standing in front of a classroom spilling forth thousands of bits of information are gone, however too many of my colleagues insist on doing just that, and then wonder why so many students are unsuccessful on the licensing exam that tests critical thinking skills. It is time for teachers to go back to school, or to read the literature that informs their practice.

Well said Cathleen. Too many uni teachers adopt the sage attitude. If students become conditioned to taking a passive role, it would be difficult for them to take an active role.

My case study research (representative of global) was about technology enhanced education across different faculties. The participants used the technology enhanced VLE /LMS teaching and learning purely as optional additional teaching in a HEI. The findings indicated that they were pretty much unanimous in spending time vetting student found eresources. The problem nowadays is learning to sift through the infirmation, not finding the information.

Tony, unless HEI professionals get to grips with reality of day to day problems with teaching, the students knowing doing gap will persist if not widen. Theories of learning can help here. No theory on its own is 'right' or 'wrong'. Rather one can take a piece from each to solve the puzzle of formal education. That was how I used to explain the intricate aspects of child education to students. For example a prime motivator for children to learn is the very environment in which they grow.

One problem I also encounter is when politics, macro or micro, intervene and make a hash of it. The curriculum can be a guide. But we learn throughout life all the time and not only in the classroom! So any teacher who goes beyond classroom teaching should be encouraged and acknowledged for doing so.

Which is where I think Evidence Based Practice (EBP) as a method of teaching comes in. Helping students to sift through the accessible resources/material and consider its implications in real life practices and in specific contexts, should help narrow the theory practice divide. Humboldtian practices in real life in short.

However for academics to help students attain this they need to be expert in their field; And they need to liase with clinicians/field workers for this to be productive. It is no coincidence that EBP emerged from the mefical field where action research through RCTs has started this trend.

Although I have 25 years experience of nursing; and teaching, as welll as theoretical knowledge of both; I still make it a point that students liase with the specialist of the era, so to say. Technology and knowledge are both constantly expanding and it would be presumptious of me to assume that I know everything.

As I used to tell students. The day that I know everything would be the day that I am in a better place; hopefully.

The clearest evidence is teacher apprehension for theory and when it becomes aware that theory and practice are inseparable.

The biggest myth I believe keeps things in chaos is believing that nearly everyone can be trained to be an expert teacher. That is simply not true as many are not truly interested, have other ventures that are of a higher priority, not really enjoying the role or having to deal with 'difficult' children/adolescents/young adults/old adults, not being qualified to teach various content areas, or do not want to out in the effort needed to be truly expert (preferring to do what they do and not be bothered with change).

Teachers can appreciate theory, research-based/evidence-based practices but still not really want to implement them for any number of reasons. In my 40 years of working with all kinds of teachers, teacher education approaches and policies, it remains that only a few have the calling and passion needed. This reality is not all bad but it does remind us that many are called but few answer. Politics does play a huge role and so does political will; however, the pendulum seems to continually swing and only those with the courage to stand firm in their convictions of a whole-child/person educational model will eventually win the day -- or that is my deepest hope.

Hi Pauline! I certainly agree that coming to grips with the reality of day to day instructional problems and issues is essential for reducing the knowing/doing gap, and that theories of learning can help here. My point was that it takes education providers and schools working together in an agreed partnership to fully address this matter, and that a key focus for bringing theories of learning into line with the reality of day to day teaching need to be on the nature of the evidence required to support the partnership. This sort of focus is actually what will allow for a more "neutral" understanding of theoretical knowledge in relation to the partnership, and thereby promote research that is more relevant and authentic within the partnership context, thus providing for unity within diversity (as it were) in terms of research motivation and engagement...Tony :)

Sorry Sandra, but read your statement three times and am still dubious as to what it implies

So many answers/experiences/visions.

Maybe what we have not looked at deeper is the drive /passion/mission in deciding to become a teacher...inner research.

It is not for all, actually it is for a small elite.

Those that don't withhold knowledge but gracefully pass it on. Those that listen, observe, respect and evaluate.

Those that are happy to teach. ..that see the challenges as questions for the mind and spirit. ..those that want to know more... those that ...don't give up.

It is a tough job full of uncertainties. No wimps allowed. ....(Please see this as humour)

I work with young children and I look up to them in many ways. I work with teachers and see people that should be elsewhere but I also see how these teachers must have had similar teachers and I look at my students and try to help them build a strong sense of who they are, resilient in becoming themselves.

Academic research should also be a journey within not just quick fix solutions.

Pardon my humour.

Thanks Holly! Your post reminds me that the best reason for undertaking research in the first place is simply the desire to want to know what something is, how something works, etc., and this does need to include what you have called "inner research" - the drive, passion or a sense of mission about what we do as teachers. My own "passion" in this respect is to connect this sort of drive to the way we train teachers initially, precisely in order to encourage this type of mindset as widely as possible for the profession. Thanks for reminding us of this fundamentally important motivational factor!

In our universities, the results of research are required to produce improvements in educational processes.

Each thesis is one evidence of the way in which educational research makes a difference in practice.

http://eduniv.mes.edu.cu/

Agree with@Jennifer Robb

Regards

I continue to be impressed with the thinking that people have put into their responses to this question. It is tempting to respond to every post. I try to be guided by the research on asynchronous online discussions in courses--part of which says that the initiator of the discussion (ordinarily the instructor) is most effective when he or she posts enough to maintain the discussion without dominating it--so here I am.

As I looked through the posts this time, several things struck me. One is the presence of a couple of my students--thanks for joining and for your carefully thought out (and documented) contributions. Another was Holly Warren's apology for humour. For my money, Holly, humour is right up there with research as an important element of good teaching.

However, the items that prompted this post were Reza Biria's thoughts on action research and David Pons' question about teachers needing a research advisor. Regarding the former, I would like to encourage people to watch for the next issue of the Canadian Journal of Action Research (http://journals.nipissingu.ca/index.php/cjar ) in which several of my students write about their experience building a course wiki as a form of action research. Regarding "research advisors," the idea reminds me of the U.S. agricultural field agents who brought agricultural research findings to active farmers. Perhaps that role might reasonably be a part of the work of what are now school librarians, a profession already in the midst of redefinition.

Thanks to all for continuing to play.

Decades of nursing practice ( where teaching, patients peers and juniors was part of the job - for those with passion for the profession as some mentioned above) and education. It taught me that both are similar in many aspects; arguably for any profession.

Yes we model ourselves on the role models we encounter during our schooling days, even borrow from our exo environments according to one author (cited in my case study research) if I remenber right. Personal experience: a teacher of French in my secondary school years who put us back one academic year due to her lacklustre performance. She was followed by one who was appalled at our poor French, and promised to make up for her predecessor as well as the actual year curriculum. She said it, and by Jove she did it. I chose to emulate her in both careers I guess. As confucius said, I opted to imitate the good person I encountered in life.

Research is not and can never be the cure all for everything. But if any one person is motivated to change bad practices into good practices, it will be enough, because the legacy will pass on. Again as Confucius said "The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”

And I must admit that I was a tad too serious in my teaching strategy, emulating the role meodel mentioned above; but doing some work on the concept of humour in education, made me change my attitude. So humour in education can actually be useful😁

And spot on after my comment (and as frequently happens when I recommend something to students) this came up on the UoM webpage https://issuu.com/iblmaths/docs/teachers_lives_careers and is relevant to this discussion I think

Education involves phenomena which are largely situation-specific, unlike physical/medical phenomena. Research findings will have to be read in context; and, therefore, research findings of one country (even one location, e.g., a school) may not transfer to another. Very few such findings are generally applicable through the world.

In view of this, the ultimate aim is to train teachers as action-researchers and enable them to use research as a means to understand and solve problems they encounter. They can then share (publish or present at conferences) their experience with other teachers who may or may not want to replicate the research. When there are many similar studies, someone can take these and do a meta-analysis (e.g., what John Hattie has done) to inform others.

Educational research tries to be scientific by employing the scientific method, this enables teacher-researchers to be systematic and objective. This is better than relying merely on personal impression and preferences. However, due to the specificity of the sample (problems, students and locations), the external validity of educational research is also in doubt. Aiming to do educational research with findings that are generally applicable (like scientific discoveries) may be like asking for the moon.

I hope I do not sound too pessimistic. And, as is always said, Life has to go on.