Bridging the Gap: Simplifying Research for K-12 Educators
Abstract
Educational research has immense potential to enhance K-12 instruction, yet barriers like time constraints, limited access, and difficulty applying findings hinder its use. This study, surveying 263 educators, reveals only 8% engage with research daily, with many favoring informal sources over academic journals. Key priorities for educators include social-emotional learning, differentiated instruction, and behavior management, with needs varying across urban, suburban, and rural settings. Participants stressed the importance of concise, practical dissemination methods like infographics and videos, along with targeted professional development and peer discussions. Only 21% of administrators reported formal partnerships with universities, highlighting a need for stronger collaboration. Recommendations include fostering research-practice partnerships, improving research accessibility, and addressing systemic barriers to empower educators and enhance student outcomes.
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Research Issues in Contemporary Education (RICE) is a nationally indexed, double-blind, peer-reviewed online journal that publishes educational research studies, literature reviews, theoretical manuscripts, and practitioner-oriented articles regarding issues in education. Views expressed in all published articles are the views of the author(s), and publication in RICE does not constitute endorsement. Submission of an article implies that it has not been published and is not currently under review for publication elsewhere.
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