Brokerage and the Research-Practice Gap: A Theoretical and Empirical Examination

• In Event: 44.063 - Organizational Theory: Changes and Challenges

Abstract

A potentially powerful lever for connecting research and practice is brokerage, a concept rooted in organizational theory. However, there has been little theoretical attention to the concept of brokerage in the context of research use in education and therefore limited contribution on this issue to organizational theory. Further, there has been little discussion of what differentiates types of brokers or brokerage activities. In this paper we unpack the concept of brokerage, using preliminary qualitative data collected from researchers, practitioners, and intermediary organizations to unpack empirical dimensions of brokerage, then and compare and contrast emergent dimensions against theoretical frameworks to evaluate and improve models generally as well as within the context of the research-practice gap in education.

Authors

• Elizabeth N. Farley-Ripple, University of Delaware

• Katherine Tilley, University of Delaware

• Joseph Tise, Pennsylvania State University