Introduction to educational research suter

Question And Outline

EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH 2

Translating Educational Research into Practice

Problem

For a long time, education research has not been able to impact classroom instructional practices and educational policies. Educational based researchers argue that their primary work is to research the various aspects of learning and teaching to then present their findings at various conferences and publishing them in different educational journals. Their busy schedule does not allow them to train practitioners (Powney & Watts, 2018). On the other hand, practitioners are busy concentrating on there, and they do not have time to review new literature. This brings up the question as to who is responsible for this gap. In the real sense, there should be a connection between the two, and both parties should play a role in bridging this gap.

Practices, Policies, and Procedures That Have Led to the Problem

There are various reasons for this persistent gap between the teaching practices that teachers use and the guidance that educational research provides. However, three of them stand out. They include the trustworthiness issue, teacher preparation issues, and the research practice issue. The trustworthiness issue comes in because much of the published educational research and disseminated to teachers, policymakers and researchers are often not good and of uneven quality. Research is incredibly demanding, and it is not always possible to choose the most appropriate methodological approach. It is essential that the methodology is applied rigorously whether it is for qualitative or quantitative research (Suter, 2012).

Teachers, on the other hand, want to provide quality education to their children. When they turn into research to aid in teaching, their main expectation is that the information they get is trustworthy. If the information is not trustworthy both the teacher and the student will fail terribly. The teachers also have to be prepared. The applicability and relevance of a research finding will be minimal if the administrators and teachers are unable to access the data, unable to develop strategies for implementing the research findings and do not understand or are unable to interpret the research findings in a meaningful and accurate manner (Fenwick, Edwards, & Sawchuk, 2012).

While teacher preparation and research trustworthiness play significant roles in determining the extent to which research informs instructional practices and educational policies, a fundamental problem is our inability to understand and identify an environment where the research findings can be applied in complex school systems as well as classrooms. While specific strategies, instructional models and approaches may be useful in a setting that is controlled, there is scanty information about the factors that impede or foster application of these modalities under varying contexts and among diverse teachers and students' populations (McKenney & Reeves, 2012). We still don't understand how to deal with educational innovations, including content instructional practices, school classroom management, and school reform models because we do not have a solid grasp of administrative, cultural and training conditions which influence this level of learning.

Importance of the Problem

This problem has helped us to understand and appreciate the importance of education research translation. Ideally, translation involves taking something from one interpretation, perspective or area and determines how it can be germane in another perspective (Bradshaw, n.d.). For instance in language, translation is not only substituting word to word to mean the same thing but require a subtle difference in way meanings of words are taken into account and how the translated versions convey the copy of what was said. The same applies in translating research findings to the classroom. This problem also brings attention to the importance of continuously updating the existing knowledge to improve teaching and learning.

Steps Taken to Address Problem

Over the years significant steps have been taken to address this problem. Some researchers develop strategies for teaching their research findings and implement them in their classes. These strategies have informed teaching practices, and the students learning outcomes demonstrate that. Practical trials have also been developed to make educational research more specific and relevant to aid in the teaching and learning process. Practical trials are easy and efficient since researchers themselves directly administer them. This helps the researcher to relate the new research findings and the existing knowledge to find a consensus between the two.

Teacher unpreparedness is one of the biggest concerns which amplify this problem. However, schools have started addressing the issue of teacher preparation by building libraries which have a specific section for research materials making it easy for the teachers to access data (Cahnmann-Taylor, & Siegesmund, 2008). They have also created online portals where both the teachers and learners can easily assess research materials. As a result, teachers have started using research materials for teaching hence bridging the gap. Governments have also developed regulations for researchers so that they only publish articles which do not conflict the existing literature. This has allowed the teacher to build trust in the research materials hence use them in teaching. Researchers have also developed new methodologies which help them to conduct accurate researches.

Biblical Worldview

In Colossians 3:9-10 the bible warns us against lying to each other. The Bible in this verse says that the image of the creator is seeing us put new selves and putting off our old self. If you keep on lying, eventually people will stop trusting in anything you say. However, if you agree to change and tell the truth, then you will win back peoples' trust. That is what precisely educational researchers should do. They should make sure that the research is finding that they publish bear the real truth, are even and consistent with the existing literature. Teachers will trust their findings and begin using them in class, therefore, bridging the existing gap.

References

Bradshaw, C. (n.d.). Translating research to practice in bullying prevention. American Psychologist., 70(4), 322–332. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039114.

Cahnmann-Taylor, M. (Ed.), Siegesmund, R. (Ed.). (2008). Arts-based research in education. New York: Routledge. Retrieved from https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.4324/9781315796147.

Fenwick, T., Edwards, R., Sawchuk, P. (2012). Emerging approaches to educational research. London: Routledge. Retrieved from https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.4324/9780203817582.

McKenney, S., & Reeves, T. C. (2012). Conducting educational design research. London: Routledge. Retrieved from https://liberty.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/openurl?institution=01LIBU_INST&rfr_id=info:sid%2Fsummon&rft_dat=ie%3D51154782950004916,ie%3D51122220460004916,language%3DEN&svc_dat=CTO&u.ignore_date_coverage=true&vid=01LIBU_INST:Services.

Powney, J., & Watts, M. (2018). Interviewing in educational research. London: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780429503740.

Suter, W. N. (2012). Introduction to educational research: A critical thinking approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi: 10.4135/9781483384443.