This paper, written from an organizational perspective, begins with an examination of the deficiencies of knowledge utilization and educational change literature. It suggests the explication of descriptive and heuristic conceptual dimensions as one approach for facilitating a descriptive perspective of knowldge utilization. The efficacy of three…

This study is based on a comparison of data from two independent studies of technology utilization and dissemination methodology that sought to identify the behavior characteristics of "linkers" and "stabilizers" and their relative existence within different groups of technical personnel. Hypothesis for this study is that the…

This paper is mainly devoted to the analysis of four planning reports that were produced by the Planning Unit of the National Institute of Education (NIE) to guide NIE's activities for 1972-73. Each report presented recommendations for new programs and management activities intended to lead to better achievement of American educational goals. In…

This study investigated the hypothesis that there is a relationship between the output efficiency of research and development and the behavioral characteristics of individuals in the user organization. Through a review of the literature, a number of concepts and models that tend to support the hypothesis are discussed. The authors then present a…

This paper discusses the conceptual framework and methodology of the technology transfer process and develops a model of the transfer mechanism. This model is then transformed into a predictive model of technology transfer incorporating nine factors that contribute to the movement of knowledge from source to user. Each of these factors is examined…

This document is the second in a series of evaluation reports by the Research and Development Center for Teacher Education at the University of Texas at Austin, assessing the state of teacher centering in Texas and the effects of the University of Houston's Project on School-Based Teacher Educators (SBTE), initiated to create a network of teacher…

The effective utilization of research and development products ranks as one of the top priorities in American public education. The document contains two concept papers by recognized authorities on knowledge utilization activities: A Diffusion Mechanism for the Center for Vocational and Technical Education, Egon G. Guba; and Alternative Diffusion…

To alleviate the time lag between the conception and the implementation of educational innovation, the Unit for Dissemination has been formed by the Kentucky Department of Education. Within the goals of fostering awareness and interest in innovation and of spreading innovation from field test to ultimate user, the Unit has defined objectives which…

This paper describes and evaluates the effectiveness of a program designed to improve technology transfer and utilization that was implemented in 1971 by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command. The authors first describe the organization of the technology transfer program and then attempt to evaluate its effectiveness over the three-year period…

A study conducted by the School District of Philadelphia and that city's Federal Reserve Bank, entitled "What Works in Reading," was used as a case study to determine what factors influence the translation of research findings into educational policy. The Philadelphia study, which examined variables associated with achievement growth in…

A questionnaire survey of a random sample of 415 elementary and secondary teachers in the state of Victoria (Australia) sought to determine how research knowledge is disseminated to educators, what the most effective diffusion routes are, and what impact the knowledge has on educational practice. The researchers distinguished between written and…

As a solution to the problem of disseminating information from research and development projects into the field, this project examined a number of diffusion models, developed the Omnibus Model, and tested it. The Omnibus Model consists of eight different action blocks. First, information is acquired both selectively and non-selectively, and then…

Evaluations by school district research and evaluation units have minimal impact, because they do not meet the realities of school district decision making. School districts are loosely coupled systems that do not respond to centralized planning or evaluations, particularly if findings are unfavorable. To maximize utilization of their findings,…

In essence, the Policy Institute has explored the contributions that tested educational research (including reputedly viable educational innovations not based on formal research and development) might make to actual school and classroom practice within the context of the Experimental Schools Program's planning. The Policy Institute set itself…

The chief educational information unit in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and the focus for dissemination of information to various agencies is the Department of Educational Information of the Scientific Research Institute of General Sciences, Academy of Pedagogical Sciences (APS). The department services the whole of the USSR by…