Guides to Improving Practice

The NCDDR has developed two guides to assist grantees interested in improving their dissemination practices. Each guide is brief and focused on specific aspects of the dissemination and utilization process. A brief description of material included in each of the two guides is provided below.

Improving the Links between Research and Practice
Improving the Usefulness of Disability Research

Improving the Links between Research and Practice: Approaches to the Effective Dissemination of Disability Research

The first guide in the NCDDR series bridges the gap between the disability research community and the world of practice. Frequently dissemination has fallen prey to the very dilemma it seeks to address. That is, research on dissemination, or knowledge utilization, has produced a wealth of information about what does and does not work. But those understandings, for the most part, have not moved from the research community--those who study the process of knowledge use--to the practice community--those actually responsible for disseminating research outcomes for use.

A number of experts have pointed out that research results require special attention if they are to be applied--they are, in short, not used like a can opener. Many research outcomes have implications for how programs are run, services are provided, money is allocated, information is interpreted, or materials are used. Application of research results frequently requires personal and/or organizational change. To be successful, the change process must be carefully planned and implemented.

A major focus of current research is to confirm practice or to change it. The outcome of such research is usually expressed as exemplary programs, best practices, or other types of effective models. The literature supports the view that change--needed for the application of such models--is difficult to bring about. People cling tenaciously to their beliefs and ideas. A classic experiment in constructivism involves learners (including adult learners) who observe two objects falling from some height to the ground. The laws of physics tell us that, no matter what an object weighs, it will fall at the same speed, so that a rock and a paper clip, for example, when dropped at the same time will land at the same time. But most non-physicists believe, based on extrapolations from other experience with heavy and light objects, that the rock will fall faster than the paper clip-and experiments show that, in observing the two objects fall, people often "see" the rock hit the ground before the paper clip. Our expectations can shape not only what we believe but what we actually experience. For change to take place, users must first recognize and be bothered by discrepancies. When old ways don't work, people are more open to change.

Some findings from the research on knowledge use suggest a few of the complexities of the dissemination process:

• The actual quality of research is less important, in terms of the likelihood of its getting adopted and used, than the extent to which it fits with users' established beliefs and experiences.
• The source of information about research outcomes is also more important than the quality of the research. People tend to trust sources with whom they have established relationships.
• When research does get used, the resulting practices, programs, or products are often quite different from the researcher's original conception.

Implications for researchers interested in analyzing/improving practice include the following principles:

• understand that dissemination is not synonymous with publication;
• know your audience and make sure your audience knows you;
• carefully plan in advance for dissemination;
• assess your knowledge about intended user groups and supplement your knowledge by soliciting information--perhaps through needs-sensing activities--about them;
• involve users in research and development activities, seeking input and feedback;
• build relationships with users and intermediaries; and
• be aware of the impact the size of a target audience has on your

Link to this document: Guides To Improving Practice, Number One. Improving the Links between Research and Practice: Approaches to the Effective Dissemination of Disability Research

Improving the Usefulness of Disability Research: A Toolbox of Dissemination Strategies

The second guide in the series focuses on the effectiveness of dissemination strategies by analyzing the components of: source, content, medium, and intended user. Although research results are often available to those who diligently seek them, they are usually not widely accessible to several critical audiences: persons with disabilities, their families, advocates, and/or direct service providers. There is a difference between availability-which may mean, for example, that a scholarly article may be found in a professional journal, or that a final report will be sent upon request-and accessibility, which implies ease of access and simplicity of comprehension and use.

There are several reasons for this gap between research and use. One is a lack of communication between researchers and their intended audiences. In addition, dissemination is often not a high-status activity among researchers; it must compete with more apparently rewarding activities for limited project resources. A third reason for a gap is that those involved in dissemination tend to underestimate the complexities of the dissemination process and rely on less-than-effective general strategies.

To be effective, dissemination efforts must address a range of factors related to basic components of dissemination mentioned previously. These include such things as:

Source

• Perceived Competence
• Credibility of Experience
• Credibility of Motive
• Relationship to Other Sources Trusted by User

Content

• Credibility of Research and Development Methodology
• Credibility of Outcomes
• Cost Effectiveness
• Relationship between Outcomes and Existing Knowledge or Products

Medium

• Timeliness of Accessibility to Needed Information
• Reliability
• Capacity to Reach Intended Users
• Clarity and Attractiveness of the Information "Package"

User

• Perceived Relevance to Own Needs
• User's Readiness to Change
• Level of Contextual Information Provided
• Dissemination Media Preferred/Used

Link to this document: Guides To Improving Practice, Number Two. Improving the Usefulness of Disability Research: A Toolbox of Dissemination Strategies

More information about each of these components and other related aspects of information dissemination and knowledge utilization are available to you from the NCDDR. A free copy of these guides is available to each NIDRR grantee upon request.

---

Top

Web Accessibility  |  Site Map  |  Feedback   

---

NIDRR Project Number: H133A990008
Last Updated: Tuesday, 29 January 2008 at 04:12 PM,
Contents © 1996-2005

SEDL Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL)
211 East Seventh St., Room 400 - Austin, Texas 78701-3253
Voice/Text Telephone: 800-266-1832 or 512-476-6861 - Fax: 512-476-2286