Constructing a New Vision for Impactful Research Communication between Academics and Elementary Teachers

• In Event: Positionality and Research Use in Educational Policy and Practice: Toward Evidence-Informed Decisions

Abstract

1. Presentation Objectives:
Attendees will:
a. Describe the value of positionality for the design of research communication resources (in particular, key abstracts) for sharing research between academics and practicing elementary educators.
b. Identify different resource types and their potential roles in supporting teacher engagement with research.
c. Explain the importance of accessible research summaries in promoting evidence-backed, inclusive classroom practices.
d. Engage in conversations about effective strategies for bridging research and practice in support of student success.
2. Theoretical Framework
The Heath and Heath (2008) SUCCESs framework—a framework that has been suggested for reducing the research-practice gap in education (Cook et al., 2013)—informs the design of innovative key abstracts: infographic-like summaries of key research messages that are visually appealing, concise (i.e., less than one page), and clear (i.e., written for broad audiences) for engaging practitioners with research findings.
3. Method and Data Sources:
The current study is a qualitative investigation exploring grades 4 and 5 teachers’ perspectives of three abstract types that summarize practitioner journal articles focused on supporting elementary students’ mathematics learning. First, the zoomed-in key abstract focuses on one specific, actionable, evidence-backed recommendation. Second, the broad picture key abstract summarizes the full contents of the article. Both key abstract types use color, visuals, and minimal text. Third, the text-only abstract presents the article summary in plain text without visual supports. Pilot interviews have been completed, which informed revisions to the interview questions and format. By April 2026, eight elementary teachers will have engaged in interviews, and data analysis will be completed.
4. Evidence and Results
Prior research supports the idea that key abstracts may be effective vehicles for sharing research with teachers: teachers’ awareness of research via dissemination of explicit recommendations positively impacts their research use (Lysenko et al., 2014) and supports how teachers perceive the relevance of information for their classroom practice (Joram et al., 2020).
The presentation will share results of the interview coding and themes of teachers' preferences regarding abstract design, structure, layout, content, and accessibility. Findings will inform new iterations of key abstract designs. Moreover, the presentation will share all the abstracts, introducing participants to these innovative research communication resources that were designed with positionality at their core.
5. Scholarly Significance
Research is often communicated in ways that are inaccessible for teachers, relying on technical language, jargon, and time-consuming, lengthy manuscripts (Rycroft-Smith & Stylianides, 2022). Scholars have urged researchers to consider innovative methods for sharing research with teachers (Cook et al., 2013). As stated by Lastrapes and Mooney (2021), “the idea that dissemination vehicles that include SUCCESs elements might reduce the research-to-practice gap is an educational stakeholder hypothesis in need of testing” (p. 375). The present study begins to address this critical need.

Authors

• Jessica Rodrigues, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Emily Singell, University of Missouri

• Lindsey Mirielli, University of Kansas