Conference Agenda

A diverse body of conceptual and research work exists to understand how we can increase the use of research evidence in policy and practice, a process often known as knowledge mobilisation. But to what extent has knowledge mobilisation research itself actually been mobilised? In what ways should we (as researchers) engage with diverse actors and initiatives to mobilise knowledge mobilisation research? The panel addresses this question through the perspectives of researchers, policy makers and intermediaries who span boundaries across various communities.

Knowledge mobilisation research has provided at least three key insights over the past two decades. Firstly, conceptualisations of knowledge mobilisation have evolved. Early conceptualisations of knowledge transfer saw research use a linear process, in which evidence can simply be pushed onto perceived users. While linear activities such as dissemination and communication are relevant, research has revealed that these one-way approaches are not successful by themselves.

Research has given us a more nuanced understanding of the diversity of actors in an education system. Gone are the days of the simplistic researcher, policy maker, practitioner distinction. A diverse set of actors interact with each other across different levels of a system. Recognising this complexity means understanding the value of good relationships between actors. These relationships can result in the more effective formulation of knowledge needs, and support both pull and push mechanisms. However, creating and maintaining relationships is still not enough to drive such a complex knowledge system. Developing a culture of using research well across the whole education system necessitates a systems approach with appropriate infrastructure, incentives and co-ordination mechanisms. Yet, recent OECD data shows that most countries do not have such system-wide strategies to increase research use.

Secondly, knowledge mobilisation research has developed different conceptual models, giving a visual interpretation of various aspects of research use (e.g., by showing the whole evidence “eco”-system, connections between research production and use or different roles and processes involved in using knowledge). These come from a range of sectors and disciplines. However, it appears that many actors, such as policy makers and school leaders, do not know them or find it difficult to understand how they might be used to strengthen research engagement in education systems.

Thirdly, data (or lack thereof) shows that we need to better understand what works in research mobilisation for initiatives to become evidence-based themselves. Evaluations of initiatives to date have been scarce and we also lack detailed research on many promising avenues, such as mechanisms to support the co-production of education research.

The OECD Strengthening the Impact of Education Research project has been working over the past year to take stock of the knowledge mobilisation landscape, bring together a network of experts and explore innovative concepts such as evidence use journeys to highlight the implications of research on knowledge mobilisation for education systems. The panel will reflect on how we can better mobilise research on knowledge mobilisation. In order to talk the talk and walk the walk, it poses the following questions not just to researchers but to policy makers and actors who work across policy, research, practice and different sectors:

• What are the lessons learnt from the research mobilisation literature over the past two decades and what key barriers do actors (including researchers) face when implementing them?
• What can education learn from the research and experiences of knowledge mobilisation taking place in diverse sectors, such as healthcare?
• What mechanisms and incentives can we put in place to facilitate the engagement of different actors with knowledge mobilisation research?
• Do we need more diverse research production and how can we ensure both rigour and relevance of different methods?