Mediation, Values, and Authority: A Conceptual Review of Teachers' Use of Education Research Knowledge

• In Event: 25.083 - MTCC Roundtable Session Eight
  In Roundtable Session: 25.083-1 - Historicizing and Problematizing Research on Teacher Learning

Abstract

Surveys show that across national school systems research engagement has limited impact on teaching practices. This paper reviews our understanding of the processes through which teachers use education research knowledge. The review draws upon two elements: sociocultural perspectives on teacher change; and, relating to policy studies literature, the role of values and authority in teachers’ work. This analysis results in a framework for understanding teachers’ use of education research knowledge as a negotiation of interacting factors comprising an ‘ecosystem’. The framework is used to identify gaps in current research, drawing on four recent literature reviews. This highlights the need for more consideration of the role of research mediation, multiple values, and differential authority in teachers’ use of education research knowledge.

Author

• Jim Ryder, University of Leeds