Research Brokerage: How Research Enters and Moves Through Schools

• In Event: Research Use in Schools: The Big Picture

Abstract

Literature on schools’ use of research suggests that most access to research is mediated through other sources, often described as brokers, intermediaries, or linking agents (Malin et al., 2018; Neal, et al., 2015; Spencer & Louis, 1980). Therefore, understanding those organizations and individuals to which educators turn is critical in understanding the flow of research-based ideas into schools. This positions educators as brokers of external information and ideas within their school contexts. This notion of educators as brokers is well-documented in the study of teacher networks for a variety of educational processes and outcomes (Coburn & Russell, 2008; Daly & Finnegan, 2009; Spillane et. al., 2009; Yoon & Baker-Doyle, 2018; Moolenaar, 2012; Penuel, et. al.., 2012; Frank, et. al. 2011). These networks are powerful levers for social capital and organizational trust, but also for the flow of information and resources throughout the school community. This presentation explores two dimensions of knowledge brokerage - the external ties which facilitate access to research and the internal processes by which that information is shared within a school.

Methods and data sources. We utilize two sets of items from SEE-S: 1) three open-ended items about the individuals, organizations, and media sources that educators reported using to access research (networks), and 2) four items that capture how often educators share different resources with others in their school and what activities they engage in as part of sharing. (brokerage). We use network items to describe the types and distribution of resources, generating statistics for each educators’ network using ego network analysis. We conduct descriptive and factor analyses of brokerage items to identify which and how educators move research-based resources through schools.

Results. Network results reveal a) significant variability in the size, composition, and diversity of networks, b) predominance of ties to individuals within the education system, and c) limited ties to researchers or traditional research organizations and outlets. Most educators report little or no expectation to share (broker) research as part of their work, yet two-thirds report sharing some form of research in the past year. Of those that report high brokerage activity, they regularly share research products, their interpretation of research, and research-based strategies. Further, the most commonly reported activities they engage in when sharing research are evaluating quality and evaluating research needs. Across both sets of analyses, there was significant variability among schools, creating differences in their capacity to leverage external and internal brokerage for research use.

Significance.
This paper promotes an ecological perspective on the use of research evidence in schools, deepens our understanding of brokerage in school contexts, and highlights the value of educators as research brokers. We offer implications for professional learning, school staffing, and organizational routines are discussed, as well as opportunities for intermediary organizations and researchers to leverage this information in their efforts to promote evidence-based practice. 

Author

• Elizabeth N. Farley-Ripple, University of Delaware