Rational Evidence Use? Accounting for Discrepancies Between Attitudes Toward Evidence Use and Actual Evidence Use in Schools

• In Event: Quantifying Research Use

Abstract

Whilst beneficial, the regular use of evidence to inform teaching practice (evidence informed practice – EIP) has proven difficult to achieve. To shed new light, we pose the question: ‘if EIP is rational behavior, why aren’t all teachers engaged in it?’ Correspondingly, we examine whether the EIP beliefs and perspectives of teachers, align with their evidence-use behaviours. We then assess what factors prevent teachers/schools who wish to engage in EIP from doing so. Employing a Gradient Boosted Tree predictive model to analyse data from 696 practitioners in 79 schools, our findings suggest that, to increase EIP within schools, school-leaders need to: 1) promote the vision for evidence-use; 2) illustrate how EIP can be used effectively; and 3) establish effective learning environments.

Authors

• Chris Brown, Institute of Education University of London

• Dell Zhang, University of London