Knowledge Mobilization: Building Two Way Roads

Building Two-Way Roads Knowledge Mobilization in and beyond Arizona’s Systems of Education

Steven Zuiker, Adai Tefera, Niels Piepgrass, Kevin Winn, Katherine Anderson, & Gustavo Fischman

research conducted with support from Spencer Foundation (Organizational Learning Small Grant 10003022)

1 ZuikerTeferaPiepgrassWinn_AERO15 - December 4, 2015

#KMSE #AERO15


overview

1synthesis

2 3profiles

#KMSE #AERO15


youtu.be/FLCQmSs3Gfc

HOW DO WE MOBILIZE KNOWLEDGE?



youtu.be/FLCQmSs3Gfc


RESEARCH

PRACTICE



articulating study aims

• characterize the multidirectional flow of knowledge and experience among stakeholders in education “ecologies”

• understand whether/how this flow of knowledge and experience also organizes processes that influence the production of more accessible and usable educational scholarship


what would an“ecology”

look like?


university sports

ecologies

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/03/upshot/ncaa-football-fan-map.html


university educational research

ecologies


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educational research ecologies


defining Knowledge Mobilization for Scholarship in Education


defining Knowledge

knowledge includes research findings from disciplinary and/or interdisciplinary perspectives as well as the ways these findings combine with the accumulated experiences of: • scholars and scholarly communities • users of these findings, independent of any user’s

technical training


defining Knowledge Mobilization for Scholarship in Education

• multi-dimensional, interactive processes that increase the accessibility and usability of educational research

• deliberate and systematic coordination of these processes in order to reach a wide range of education stakeholders (e.g., scholars, professionals, practitioners, policymakers, and citizens)


participants

3 research-intensive colleges of education with “KMSE momentum” & neighboring practitioners (or policymakers)

College Neighbor Schools

Researchers Practitioners/Policymakers

Survey Interview Survey Interview

COE1 2 17 (52%) 7 7 (~18%) 3

COE2 7 30 (41%) 9 53 (~30%) 7

COE3 0* 19 (20%) 6 0 3*

* district research review processes precluded data collection in schools neighboring COE3, therefore we conducted interviews with policymakers instead.


researcher data collection

survey: 68 likert-scale items; 9 checkbox items; 5 constructed-response items considered 6 topics:

1. scholarly actions & products 2. institutional incentive structures 3. perceived audience recognition 4. professional tools & technologies 5. engagement with local communities 6. personal, professional, & policy influences on

research, teaching, & service

interview: semi-structured protocol with 15 questions considering the same 6 topics

23


practitioner data collection

survey: 46 likert-scale items and 5 checkbox items considers topics:

1. research literacy 2. research capacity & engagement 3. engagement with research events, products, &

networks

interview: semi-structured protocol with 23 questions considering the same 3 topics

24


data analysis

surveys • descriptive statistics generated via SPSS researcher interviews • multi-level coding process (Onwuegbuzie, Leech, &

Collins, 2012) generated tentative open codes and interrelations across open codes then 14 axial codes

• descriptive narratives for interviewee and for each code across interviewees-by-institution developed holistic analysis of each individual and a cross-sectional analysis for each code across individuals (Mason, 2002; Saldaña, 2012)


1 2 3profiles

findings: 3 KMSE profiles

common format for meaningfully comparison


1 2 3profiles

findings: 3 KMSE profiles

1. Educational Research Organization Overview and Strategies characterizes COE and an emerging organizational KMSE strategy in terms of formal & informal tactics

2. Educational Researcher Practices characterizes individual educational researcher repertoires of KMSE practices and situates them in relation to organizational & extra-organizational lines of inquiry

3. Education Practitioner/Policymaker Engagement characterizes research engagement among neighboring practitioners

4. Opportunities and Challenges of Bounded KMSE Ecology synthesizes characterizations of organization, researchers, & practitioners


overview

1synthesis

2 3profiles

#KMSE #AERO15


1 COE1 Profile Mr. Kevin Winn

#KMSE #AERO15


Educational Research Organization Overview and Strategies


COE 1

Medium-sized US research university


Current Organizational Context

• Separate policies

• No consistent strategy leads to confusion but also opportunities

• Future streamlined approach to KMSE


No Consistent Social Media Policy


Educational Researcher Practices


COE 1 Priorities

• Based on interviews with faculty and assistant dean of research, college incentivizes traditional scholarly actions and products

• Top three priorities based on survey:

1. Peer-reviewed articles

2. Mentoring students

3. Teaching


Perceptions

• Based on rankings in the survey, researchers perceive their institution as valuing: grant proposals and MOOCs

• (generating textbooks; artistic activities)

• What researchers personally perceive as important: attending conferences and conducting fieldwork

• (blogs)


Social Networks at COE 1 vs. COE 2 and COE 3

COE1 COE2 COE3

UseofSocialNetworks

73.3 55.6 41.2


Social Media

• Maintain personal accounts

• College is listening but not integrating new strategies

• Tension remains as researchers unaware of overall strategy of universities and liability related to personal accounts

• Interviews: Saw potential of social media but skeptical and unsure how to use them


Educational Practitioner Engagement


Uptake of Research

• Results complement other institutions

• Practitioners lack time

• Easy-to-understand research

• Work with “team”


Interactions with COE 1

• Science project

• Teacher training programs

• Low amount of interactions

• Surveys suggest practitioners turn to their own colleagues rather than institutions


Opportunities and Challenges of COE1 Bounded KMSE Ecology


Continuing Demands

• Efficiency

• External funding

• More education services

• Increase institutional visibility

• Wider outreach and engagement


Managing the tensions

• Personal values: “I personally really value classroom-based research, which takes an exorbitant effort that doesn’t necessarily get recognized in any part of the system.” (Assistant Professor)

• “Play the game” and do “what you have to”

• Potential for multidirectional exchange

• Not unique to COE 1


overview

1synthesis

2 3profiles

#KMSE #AERO15


COE2 Profile Dr. Adai Tefera

2

#KMSE #AERO15


COE 2

• large US research university

• faculty from diverse disciplinary backgrounds

• strong emphasis on university-district partnerships

• significant structural and organizational changes


organizational & individual strategies

• Technological tools

• 3 institutional centers

• KMSE initiative

• Consulting

• Professional Development

• Webinars

• Methods of research


Educational Practitioner Engagement


what have we learned from practitioners?


Opportunities and Challenges of COE 2 Bounded KMSE Ecology


opportunities & challenges

• COE 2 located in an institution that formally emphasizes impact and engagement locally and globally

• COE 2 is struggling to assess faculty based on a more expanded definition of impact

• COE 2 continues to rely on traditional forms of assessing faculty’s impact

• COE 2 in the process of learning how to engage in two-way collaborations between practitioners and researchers


overview

1synthesis

2 3profiles

#KMSE #AERO15


COE3 Profile Niels Piepgrass

3

#KMSE #AERO15


COE 3

A large Canadian research university

College Mission:

• Shaping public conversation and policy

• Partnering with community organizations to serve community goals


Institutional Standing

• Positive reputation for quality and accessibility of scholarship

• Strong relationships with communities and government

• Established history of supporting KM initiatives

• “Knowledge Mobilization” originated in Canada


Institutional Movement

• Formalized structures to recognize KM activities

• Formalized relationships with government

• Programs and initiatives to promote KM

• Lacking strategic or integrated approach to KM


Researcher Practices: Relationships

• Government and Policy Makers

• Community Members & Organizations

• School Boards and Districts


Researcher Practices: Public Engagement

• Sharing findings through traditional media

• Providing expert testimony in court

• Translating research for broader audiences

• Serving on advisory boards


Researcher Practices: Social Media

• Researchers recognize its potential for sharing knowledge

• Tentative about its use

• Comfort level

• Initiative

• Less use of social media at COE 3 compared to other institutions


Researcher Practices: Service

• Consultation, workshops and professional development for schools and school boards

• Briefs, reports and other research products


Educational Policymaker Engagement


Government practices: University relationships

Formal relationships:

• Advisory panel of practitioners and academics

• Contracts for external research

Informal relationships:

• Personal and professional networks


Government practices: Programs & development

• Funding for collaborative projects between school boards, COE 3 and other stakeholders

• Funding for self-directed professional development for personnel, including conference attendance


Opportunities and Challenges of COE 3 Bounded KMSE Ecology


Opportunities and Challenges

• COE 3 and its faculty have formal and long-standing relationships with government, school districts, communities and traditional media

• COE 3 formally recognizes and values KM-related activities

• COE 3 nonetheless prioritizes scholarly publications over KM activities


overview

1synthesis

2 3profiles

#KMSE #AERO15


revisiting study aims

• characterize the multidirectional flow of knowledge and experience among stakeholders in education “ecologies”

• understand whether/how this flow of knowledge and experience also organizes processes that influence the production of more accessible and usable educational scholarship


synthesizing three KMSE profiles

KMSE profiles offer twin insights:

1. illuminate emerging KMSE strategies and practices in order to understand and improve it

2. enable researchers and research organizations to navigate tensions and challenges at multiple levels in order enact KMSE strategies and practices more productively


Basic Applied Translated Utilized

Research Practice


Research Practice

(McLaughlin, 1976)

mutual adaptation


Research Practice

Partnerships Alliances

(adapted from Stein & Coburn, 2010)77 ZuikerTeferaPiepgrassWinn_AERO15 - December 4, 2015

• Understanding and enabling diverse pathways to and from educational research can develop meaningful educational impact and enduring educational partnerships

• The ways that diverse forms of expertise among education stakeholders currently do, and possibly can, mobilize knowledge must reflect the diversity and complexity of education systems

synthesizing three KMSE profiles


questions comments

[email protected] [email protected] @szuiker

comment on paper draft at Google Docs bit.ly/KMSE@AERO15 presentation available at slideshare.net/szuiker#KMSE

#AERO1579 ZuikerTeferaPiepgrassWinn_AERO15 - December 4, 2015

Knowledge Mobilization: Building Two Way Roads

Education

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