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Conference Agenda

Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).

Please note that all times are shown in the time zone of the conference. The current conference time is: 17th May 2024, 03:04:15am GMT

Session Overview

Session

02 SES 17 C: Use Your knowledge

Time:

Friday, 25/Aug/2023:

3:30pm - 5:00pm

Session Chair: Carlos van Kan

Location: Boyd Orr, Lecture Theatre 2 [Floor 2]

Capacity: 250 persons

Research Workshop

Presentations

02. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)
Research Workshop

Stimulating Educational Renewal by Identifying Knowledge Utilization Strategies

Carlos van Kan¹, Patricia Brouwer², Merel Wolf³, Marloes de Lange¹

¹HAN University of Applied Sciences; ²Utrecht University of Applied Sciences; ³Centre for Expertise in Vocational Education and Training

Presenting Author: van Kan, Carlos; Brouwer, Patricia; Wolf, Merel; de Lange, Marloes

Summary

Practitioner research has the potential to contribute to educational renewal. However, in order to successfully contribute to sustainable educational renewal, it is crucial that knowledge, insights and products delivered through practitioner research is utilized by teacher teams. In what way can a researcher stimulate knowledge utilization? In this workshop knowledge utilization is viewed as a dynamic process, where researchers, research products and end-users continuously interact. Both researcher and end user use knowledge utilization strategies (Castelijns & Vermeulen, 2017). Based on a recent NRO study, this workshop will present a practical coding scheme that will help participants to gain insights into knowledge utilization strategies. The coding scheme is illustrated with practical examples. Participants will actively engage with the coding scheme to identify and analyse the knowledge utilization strategies used by themselves and their end-users. In the end, participants create a personal knowledge utilization plan that will enable them to increase the impact of their research on educational renewal.

Theoretical background

Contributing to educational renewal through knowledge utilization is one of the most important goals of practitioner research. However, achieving this goal is characterized by challenges and difficulties (Van Schaik, 2018). In order to successfully contribute to educational renewal, knowledge obtained through practitioner research must be utilized by teacher teams. Following Castelijns and Vermeulen (2017), we consider knowledge utilization as a dynamic interaction between the researcher, the research product (which can have many shapes or forms), and the end-user (teacher teams). Castelijns and Vermeulen (2017) distinguish between knowledge-utilization strategies of end users and researchers. End-user strategies are (Cain, 2015, Landry et al., 2001):

1) Receiving and retrieving knowledge

2) Accepting and adopting knowledge

3) Applying and using knowledge

4) Using knowledge in collaboration with researchers for educational renewal through co-creation/transformation

In addition, Castelijns and Vermeulen (2017) describe researcher strategies for knowledge utilization. These four strategies can be viewed as the supply-oriented counterparts of strategies used by the end-users:

1) Sharing and transferring knowledge

2) Influencing and convincing end users to use the knowledge

3) Developing applications and procedures to promote knowledge utilization

4) Utilize knowledge in collaboration with end users to renew education through co-creation

These strategies were specified and operationalized in the study ‘Working on sustainable educational renewal in the context of Practoraten’, financed by the The Netherlands Initiative for Education Research (NRO).

Practoraten are centres of expertise in senior secondary vocational education (SSVE) that are installed to foster educational renewal by means of practice-based research.

For six Practoraten, current practices aimed to promote knowledge utilization were compared to desired practices using the Context-Intervention-Mechanisms-Outcome-logic (CIMO). Interviews with project leaders and members of the Practoraten uncovered which knowledge utilization strategies they used. End-users filled in questionnaires to investigate their interaction with the research products as provided by the Practoraten. Based on the knowledge utilization strategies by Castelijns and Vermeulen (2017), a coding scheme was formulated. This coding scheme was enriched with practical examples.

This study provided insights into the interaction between knowledge utilization strategies of the Practoraten, the research products and their end users. The insights showed the extent to which Practoraten succeed in stimulating the use of knowledge, products, and insights among their targeted end users, or in other words, the extent to which they succeed in stimulating educational renewal.

Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used
Workshop description and goal

In this workshop the researchers present a practical coding scheme that will help participants to gain insights into knowledge utilization strategies. Interesting practical examples of knowledge utilization strategies used in Practoraten will be discussed, as well as conditions and barriers related to knowledge utilization perceived by members of the Practoraten.
Next, participants will actively engage with the coding scheme by relating it to their own experience and practice. In pairs, participants will formulate a personal knowledge utilization plan. Within a pair, participants will be each other’s critical peer. Guiding questions are:
• Who is/are your targeted end-user(s)?
• What research product would you like your end users to know or use?
• How should your end user engage with your research product? Which knowledge utilization strategy do you want to elicit from the end user?
• Which supply-oriented knowledge utilization strategy is suitable to achieve this type of desired engagement?
• Through what types of activities can you stimulate this type of engagement? What are concrete examples of activities that incorporate the strategy?
• What adjustments or additions do you have to the coding scheme based on your experience?

The goal of the workshop is to make participants aware of knowledge utilization as a dynamic interaction between researcher, research product and end-user. In addition, we aim to inspire participants with our findings to help them stimulate knowledge utilization of their research products. Participants will be provided with ideas and concepts to promote knowledge utilization in their own research practice. After the workshop, they will be able to further develop a knowledge utilization plan aimed at improving their research’ contribution to sustainable educational renewal.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings
In this workshop, participants work with a practical coding scheme and apply the scheme and insights from our study to their own practice. The topic of knowledge utilization in practice-based research is the central point of focus. Knowledge utilization is a condition for research to contribute to educational renewal.

Research on the topic of knowledge utilization strategies in the educational domain is relatively limited. Also, research often focuses one-sidedly on strategies of either researcher or end-user. The present research is one of the very first empirical studies to frame knowledge utilization as a dynamic interaction in the educational domain. The workshop contributes to the improvement of educational practice by providing a tool that helps researchers to identify and analyse their knowledge utilization strategies in order to ultimately increase the impact of their research on educational renewal.
References
Cain, T. (2015). Teachers’ engagement with research texts: Beyond instrumental, conceptual or strategic use. Journal of Education for Teaching, 41(5), 478–492.

Castelijns, J., & Vermeulen, M. (2017). Benutting van kennis uit onderzoek. Een pleidooi voor samenwerking tussen onderzoeker en eindgebruiker. Tijdschrift voor Lerarenopleiders, 38(2), 19–30.

Landry, R., Amara, N., & Lamari, M. (2001). Climbing the ladder of research utilization: Evidence from social science research. Science Communication, 22(4), 396–422.

Van Schaik, P., Volman, M., Admiraal, W., & Schenke, W. (2018). Barriers and conditions for teachers’ utilisation of academic knowledge. International Journal of Educational Research, 90, 50–63.