Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 May;45(3):432-446.
doi: 10.1007/s10488-017-0834-x.

What Makes Research Useful for Public School Educators?

Jennifer Watling Neal  1 , Zachary P Neal  2 , Jennifer A Lawlor  2 , Kristen J Mills  2 , Kathryn McAlindon  2
Affiliations

What Makes Research Useful for Public School Educators?

Jennifer Watling Neal et al. Adm Policy Ment Health. 2018 May.

Abstract

In this study, we explored the extent to which educators discuss and prioritize Rogers' (Diffusion of innovations, The Free Press: New York, 1995) five attributes of innovations-relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, observability, and trialability-in the context of research use. Using a directed content analysis of 54 semi-structured interviews and exemplar quotes, we describe how educators mentioned compatibility most frequently, but also commonly invoked observability and complexity in their discussions of research use. Our results also revealed key differences between educators in executive and non-executive roles. We discuss the implications of our findings for closing the research-practice gap in school-based mental health services and psychosocial interventions.

Keywords: Diffusion; Directed content analysis; Districts; Innovation; Research use; Schools.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Atkins MS, Hoagwood KE, Kutash K, Seidman E. Toward the integration of education and mental health in schools. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research. 2010;37:40–47. doi: 10.1007/s10488-010-0299-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Atkins MS, Lakind D. Usual care for clinicians, unusual care for their clients: Rearranging priorities for children’s mental health services. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research. 2013;40:48–51. doi: 10.1007/s10488-012-0453-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bartels N. How teachers and researchers read academic articles. Teaching and Teacher Education. 2003;19:737–753.
    1. Barwick MA, Barac R, Akrong LM, Johnson S, Chaban P. Bringing evidence to the classroom: Exploring educator notions of evidence and preferences for practice change, International Education Research. 2014;2(4):1–15.
    1. Behrstock-Sherratt E, Drill K, Miller S. Is the supply in demand? Exploring how, when and why teachers use research (revised Ed) Washington DC: American Institutes for Research; 2011.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources