Dissemination Patterns of NIDRR Grantees

NIDRR grantees were asked to report products of their grant-related work in fiscal years (FYs) 1993 and 1994. Information reported was gathered by the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC) and documented in the Compendium of Products by NIDRR Grantees & Contractors (NARIC, 1994, 1995). Analyses of these reported data suggest patterns of dissemination that are important "markers" in noting changes in dissemination strategies and in describing the most common formats and modes used for dissemination by NIDRR projects.

It should be noted that the data used in these analyses were gathered from NIDRR grantees beginning in FY 1993. This initial effort may have caused some confusion among grantees regarding what to report and when to report. This could have caused irregularities in the patterns established by these data. It seems reasonable, however, that the data from these analyses can be viewed as a beginning point in describing NIDRR grantee dissemination patterns. These data will be updated as new information is gathered and reported.

Reporting Data

Of the 294 NIDRR projects funded in FY 1993, 130 (44%) reported one or more products. In FY 1994, 114 (38%) of the 300 NIDRR-funded projects reported a product. Only 13% of the FY 1993 respondents also reported a product in the FY 1994 period.

Differences in reporting by NIDRR program areas were also analyzed. Figure 1 shows the percentage of total grantees per program area reporting one or more products during FY 1993 or FY 1994.

Text Description of Figure 1

Figure 1: Percentage of Grantees Reporting By Program Area

Program Area	FY93%	FY94%
Research & Demonstration Projects	20	26
Rehabilitation Research & Training Centers	57	71
Innovative Research Projects	100	100
Utilization Projects Rehabilitation Engineering	53	46
Research Centers	60	75
Fellowships	50	11
Field-Initiated Research Projects	29	30
Model Spinal Cord Injury Projects	46	83
Research Training Grants	7	42
State Technology Assistance Projects	32	20
Technology-Related Projects of National Significance	10	75
ADA Technical Assistance Programs	33	17

 

Reported data indicate that for the two year period, only three program areas had a 50% or greater response-rate for both years. These program areas were Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers, Innovative Research Projects, and Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers. Eight program areas showed an increase in the number of projects reporting in FY 1994, while four showed a decrease. One program area, Innovative Research Projects, reported 100% for both years.

In considering whether this pattern of response-rates affected the overall number of products reported, the NCDDR analyzed the number of products reported by each program area for FYs 1993 and 1994. This information is presented in Figure 2.

Text Description of Figure 2

Figure 2: Number of Products by Program Area

Program Area	FY93	FY94
Research & Demonstration Projects	23	32
Rehabilitation Research & Training Centers	327	411
Innovative Research Projects	13	5
Utilization Projects	50	33
Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers	54	170
Fellowships	4	1
Field-Initiated Research Projects	43	91
Model Spinal Cord Injury Projects	49	90
Research Training Grants	1	12
State Technology Assistance Projects	101	115
Technology-Related Projects of National Significance	2	13
ADA Technical Assistance Programs	46	37
Total Products Reported	745	1010

The number of products reported in FY 1994 was greater than the number reported in FY 1993. This is true despite the fact that fewer projects actually reported a product for FY 1994 than for FY 1993. Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers had by far the greatest total number of products reported with 411 in FY 1994 and 327 for FY 1993.

Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers reported the second highest number (170 for FY 1994, 54 for FY 1993) followed by State Technology Assistance Projects (115 for FY 1994, 101 for FY 1993).

Because the number of projects for each program area varies considerably, a more telling statistic may be the number of products per reporting project. The average number of products per reporting project is reported by year in Figure 3.

Text Description of Figure 3

Figure 3: Average Number of Products per Reporting Project, by Program Area

Program Area	FY93	FY94
Research & Demonstration Projects	4.6	4.6
Rehabilitation Research & Training Centers	8.4	11.7
Innovative Research Projects	6.5	5.0
Utilization Projects	6.3	6.6
Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers	6.0	14.2
Fellowships	2.0	1.0
Field-Initiated Research Projects	2.4	4.3
Model Spinal Cord Injury Projects	8.2	9.0
Research Training Grants	1.0	2.4
State Technology Assistance Projects	5.9	10.5
Technology-Related Projects of National Significance	1.0	4.3
ADA Technical Assistance Programs	9.2	18.5

ADA Technical Assistance Programs submitted the most products per reporting project for FY 1993 and FY 1994. Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers followed with 14.2 products in FY 1994 and Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers were next with 11.7 for FY 1994. In addition, nine program areas increased their number of products per reporting project from FY 1993 to FY 1994, while two areas showed a decrease, and one remained the same. There were sharp increases in the average product per project between FY 1993 and FY 1994 for the Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers, the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers, the State Technology Assistance projects, the Technology-Related Projects of National Significance, and the ADA Technical Assistance Programs.

Nature of Products

In addition to evaluating data on the reporting of products, the NCDDR analyzed the variety of products reported by grantees. A classification system of eight broad categories was developed to sort the products.

• Journals - journal articles and special issues of journals
• General Awareness Materials - abstracts, book reviews, brochures, fact sheets, newsletters, and others
• Books, Chapters, Papers - books, chapters in books, concept papers, paper presentations, conference proceedings, working papers, and others
• Training Materials - curricula, handbooks, guidelines, training modules, workbooks, design booklets, and others
• Aids/Devices - technological aids, assistive/adaptive devices, and others
• Mediated Materials - audiotape, CD-ROM, database, online Internet pages, software, videotape, electronic library, and others
• Reports - annual reports, final reports, and others
• Miscellaneous or Unclassified Material - radio interview, test materials, survey, discussion groups, and others

The number of products reported by grantees for FY 1993 and FY 1994 are presented by category in Figure 4. In addition, the percentage of product type compared to the total number of products is reported for each fiscal year. Finally, the change in number of products between years and the magnitude of that change (displayed as a multiplier) are also shown.

Text Description of Figure 4

Figure 4: Amounts and Percentages of Product Types for FY 1993 and FY 1994 and the Change Between Both Years

Product	1993	%	1994	%	Change	Magnitude of Change
Journals	149	20.0	311	30.8	+162	2.09
General Awareness	189	25.4	265	26.2	+ 76	1.40
Books, Chapters, Papers	156	20.9	219	21.7	+ 63	1.40
Training Materials	35	4.7	64	6.3	+ 29	1.83
Aids/Devices	0	0.0	4	0.4	+ 4	-
Mediated Materials	63	8.5	51	5.0	- 12	0.81
Reports	54	7.2	37	3.7	- 17	0.69
Miscellaneous	99	13.3	59	5.8	- 40	0.60
Total	745		1010		265	1.36

In FY 1993 the three most reported categories (General Awareness Materials; Books, Chapters, Papers; and Journals) accounted for approximately 66% of all product types reported. In FY 1994, these same three categories comprised approximately 79% of all product types reported.

Overall, the number of products reported increased by a factor of 1.36 across the two-year period. Comparing the number of products reported by product type for FY 1993 to the number reported in FY 1994 reveals increases and decreases. The greatest increase between FY 1993 and FY 1994 was in the category of Journals, which more than doubled across the two years. Three other areas increased in magnitude: Training Materials , General Awareness Materials, and Books, Chapters, and Papers. Three products-- Mediated Materials, Reports, and Miscellaneous--decreased in magnitude.

Observations

The data from FY 1993 and FY 1994 establish a beginning point in describing NIDRR grantees' patterns of dissemination. Data from subsequent years will provide a broader picture of how NIDRR grantees disseminate the outcomes of their research. From the FY 1993 and FY 1994 data several observations can be made.

• Less than half of all grantees reported a product. The majority of reporting grantees provided information for only one of the two years studied, with 13% reporting products in both years. This could be due to a wide variety of reasons ranging from the timing of the original request for information to the lack of reportable products.
• The majority of reported products were produced by projects in the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center and Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center program areas.
• Variations in the rate of reporting existed across program areas, with the rates of participation ranging from highs of 100% for Innovative Research Projects and 83% for Model Spinal Cord Injury Projects to lows of 17% for ADA Technical Assistance Programs and 11% for Fellowships.
• Overall, of the 12 program areas, 67% reported more products in FY 1994.
• Journal publications was the fastest growing product type and in FY 1994 was most frequently reported as a product of NIDRR grantees. Increases in this area mark the increase in scientific effort across all NIDRR projects.

Conclusion

This analysis of products reported by NIDRR-funded grantees suggests tentative patterns that will be monitored over time. Shifts in these patterns are expected to occur, reflecting the use of new approaches and technologies to support and enhance the process of dissemination.

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NIDRR Project Number: H133A990008
Last Updated: Tuesday, 29 January 2008 at 04:13 PM,
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