The evaluation of research to allocate government funding to universities is now common across the globe. "The Research Excellence Framework," introduced in the UK in 2014, marked a major change by extending assessment beyond the 'quality' of published research to include its real-world 'impact'. Impact submissions were a key determinant…

Education policy continues to press for increased use of research evidence in decision-making, yet decades of research point to weak links between research and practice. We see evidence-informed improvement not as a problem with schools, but with a larger evidence-use ecosystem. As a step toward building and strengthening multidirectional paths…

The nexus between research and policy in higher education as in other sectors of society is multimodal and not adequately captured by the notion of a cultural gap between the world of practice and the world of research. Neither can the relationship be seen as unidirectional. This paper sketches out the range of uses of research in policy-making,…

One of the important goals of the universities and other higher education institutions (HEIs) in India must be the improvement of the teaching-research (T&R) nexus, which relates to the ways in which research supports teaching and teaching supports research. "Teaching-research nexus" can be used to describe the multiple links that…

Examines the attitudes toward, and uses of, published research of a large random sample of technical communication practitioners. Shows that they value and use research but do not read academic research studies. Analyzes differences among various subgroups of practitioners. (SR)

Current adult education research does not meet the field's needs because of constraints of university status, prevalence of the humanistic model, fragmentation, and other issues. Solutions include broadening inquiry, developing multiple perspectives, and changing how research is taught. (SK)

This keynote address argues that in order for baccalaureate and masters degree students to apply research to make better judgments and decisions in their life-affecting practice and in response to the information revolution, the helping professions need to redesign (from the bottom up) not overhaul (make a few changes in) the way research methods…

Advocates an increase in contextually based business communication research that integrates knowledge and practice to better connect research with practitioners' needs. (SR)

A research course introduced nursing students to reading and critiquing research, learning by doing research, research utilization, and qualitative and quantitative methods. A six-month evaluation showed lasting effects on practice. (SK)

Deconstruction of three British nursing research projects found that, due to a "Utopian" perspective, they reintroduce theory-practice gaps they sought to close. Future nursing research should avoid idealistic prescriptions and promote more skeptical and realistic approaches. (SK)

Argues that there should be room for both basic research and applied research in the field of business communication. Suggests asking whether such research is significant and adds value, rather than whether it is relevant. Explains what makes theoretical or basic research significant. (SR)

Points out that good research must be applied, theoretical, rigorous, and relevant all at the same time. Argues for relevant research that develops and tests theoretical constructs that provide useful business knowledge. (SR)

Explores the "field" as the critical initiator of all aspects of the research agenda in anthropology and education, focusing on the site of the work instead of the academy as the center point of power in anthropological investigation. (SLD)

This paper rebuts four common assumptions underlying criticisms of higher education policy scholarship and policy making. The first assumption, policymakers agree on the nature of policy problems and therefore on the kinds of research needed, is rebutted by noting that actually, there is no way to identify and research all possible future policy…

In this paper, action research is examined as a quintessential example of the relocation of the study of teaching from laboratory to classroom. Selected problematics in its practice, including the aims of inquiry, the nature of collaboration, and the anticipated audience for its outcomes are defined as inevitable challenges to be confronted.…