Combining Development with Research

1. Combining Development with Research Andrew Morris Director National Educational Research Forum, England Becta conference 10th June 2005 Birmingham

2. The talk Discussion points What’s the problem? What’s the analysis? Problems and approaches What is NERF doing?

3. Education: • Regular problems persist • Initiatives are often not effective • Small-scale initiatives are not scaled up • Improvements do not sustain • Quality is patchy The problem

4. Research: • Very under-funded in education • Not sufficiently linked to needs of practice • Engages too little with potential beneficiaries • Not phased well with policy The problem • Development • Not often based on research evidence • Short-term • Learning doesn’t accumulate • Buries the questions it throws up

5. D needs to be connected with R • Development to be based on research • Problems thrown up by development to be researched • People in development and research to collaborate • Funding streams to be linked Analysis • But D and R cultures differ in • outlooks • incentives • purposes • objectives

6. D&R programmes Connect D with R • Start from an established problem in practice • Review what is already known • Engage with a programme of development • Bring high quality multi-disciplinary research to bear • Pursue joint goals: • Local improvement on the ground • Theory to enable generalisation

7. There are examples of: • Focusing on a relevant practical problem • Collaboration between teacher developers and researchers • Local improvement plus theory building NERF findings • Difficulties are reported in • Multidisciplinary working impeded by perceived prestige (RAE and journals) • Funding from R and from D not linked • Practice and research cultures differ markedly • Short term funding for long term issues

8. Workshops • Many people from D and from R recognise the problem • Some people working towards D&R programmes • Problems and solutions being identified Network • Interested parties exchanging problems and approaches • Linking to papers and individuals abroad ( eg USA) • Workshops planned to discuss case studies NERF action

9. Some problems and approaches • Engaging practitioners • HEI runs ongoing think tank with LEA officials, headteachers etc • HEI runs e-community with hundreds of schools, LEAs • Linking D with R • Researching maths cognition whilst developing tools for teachers • Developing teachers’ understanding of Disability Discrimination Act whilst researching implications

10. Some problems and approaches • Reviewing what is known • Build on an EPPI review • Review reports in the grey literature • Engage practitioners, managers, officials in review team • Multidisciplinary approaches • Difficult and uncommon • Often based on acquaintance • Problem of formulating issues broadly to include social, economic, cognitive, managerial, financial aspects

11. Discussion points • Is this relevant to me? • Is the problem as stated • Does the D&R analysis ring true? • Does it help me? • What could I do about it? • Are there D&R problems that I face routinely ? • What scope do I have for engaging with D&R? • What contribution would I make? • What do I need from others?

12. Two short working papers on D&R available from : NERF website www.nerf-uk.org Email : Andrew.Morris@dfes.gov.gsi.uk Contact us