Federal legislation and regulations addressing educational practices have provided clear mandates that educators when designing educational intervention use systematic decision-making processes to identify instructional strategies and methods that are evidence based. This study employed a survey to examine how familiar early interventionist/early…

Scientific research is becoming increasingly important in higher education, as it helps students to understand scientific knowledge and provides tools to construct and interpret the meaning of what science provides. This descriptive study compares the use of scientific knowledge by university according to age, entrance route and type of…

Little attention has been given to identifying the professional bodies of knowledge or expertise that should be possessed by entering, early career, or senior SEM staff members. Using a multi-method research approach that included both a national survey and a modified Delphi Technique involving senior enrollment and admissions professionals, we…

Although science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) study paths and STEM work fields may be relatively difficult and therefore not appropriate for everyone, too many children prematurely exclude STEM-related study and work options, based on negative images of the field or negative ability beliefs. In the present article, we provide an…

Currently, in order to reform the Malaysian education system, there have been a number of education policy initiatives launched by the Malaysian Ministry of Education (MOE). All these initiatives have encouraged and inculcated teaching and learning for creativity, critical, innovative and higher-order thinking skills rather than conceptual…

To encourage the use of research-based information (RBI) in education in Quebec, the "Centre de transfert pour la réussite educative du Québec" CTREQ and the RENARD team, a knowledge transfer research team, developed the Competency Model for Knowledge Translation to Support Educational Achievement among Quebec Youth. They then developed…

The article "Getting lost in translation" by Harris, Chapman, Muijs and Reynolds addresses the engagement of policy-makers and educational practitioners with (the results of) educational effectiveness and improvement research. In this commentary the article is discussed from the perspectives of research utilisation, the solidity of the…

This paper reports results from a survey of academic social scientists in Australian universities on their research engagement experience with industry and government partners and end-users of research. The results highlight that while academics report a range of benefits arising from research collaborations, there are also significant impediments…

A Web-based survey of 388 off-campus Cornell Extension educators in New York State examined their attitudes toward research, sources of research-based information, knowledge and beliefs about evidence-based programs, and involvement in research activities. Strong consensus emerged that research is central and that educators are capable of reading…

Research can and should inform teaching and learning. The importance of solid research evidence can, therefore, not be underestimated. Unfortunately, significant gaps still exist between research evidence, policy, and practice. The literature suggests there are many reasons for this, including a lack of awareness about the benefits of research, a…

This study describes certified rehabilitation counselors' attitudes (n=163) about evidence based practice, knowledge and skills related to obtaining and evaluating evidence, use of literature in practice, availability of information, and perceived barriers to evidence-based practice. Responses related to knowledge and skills were mixed with strong…

Twenty-three special education teachers were asked to differentiate between practices for spelling instruction which do and do not have adqequate empirical support and to report on the extent to which they employed various instructional practices in teaching spelling. Outcomes suggest that special educators may have several misconceptions…

The authors examine barriers to disseminating research knowledge to parents of handicapped children, stress the importance of researchers communicating to parents, and suggest ways to improve dissemination efforts.

Suggests that as the social science knowledge requirements of real situations are met, the theoretical knowledge has been found to be less useful for such purposes than most social scientists believed it would be. (Author/AM)

Research has generally found instruction effective in raising student cognitive levels, but only inconsistently effective in producing behavior change. The authors urge that health education programs be developed in a manner reflective of the supportive behavior change research. (MJB)