What's the Problem (and Does It Matter)? Exploring the Relationship Between Problem-Framing and Research Use

• In Event: Looking Through a Variety of Lenses at Research Use

Abstract

This paper documents an investigation into the nature of the relationship between problem-framing and engagement with research evidence in school-based decision-making. This study serves as an important first attempt to explore and describe this potential relationship and its implications for the use of research in schools. Situated within the context of a larger knowledge utilization research center, the current study uses qualitative and quantitative data from a large-scale survey administration. Specifically, this study asks the following research questions: What are the problems schools addressed in recent decisions and how are those problems understood by individuals working within those schools? What is the relationship between problem-frame and the likelihood of the respondent indicating that research was used in the decision-making process?

Author

• Katherine Tilley, University of Delaware