Professionals' perceptions about the use of research in educational practice

Abstract

The Lisbon strategy adopted in 2000 by the European Council considers knowledge to be the key element in ensuring future European Union economic growth and in promoting social cohesion. With this aim in mind, a solid base is needed so that knowledge can not only be produced and but also be used to good effect. For any undertaking based on the triangle of knowledge, research and innovation, education and training will be the first requirements. Starting from this premise, our study aims to analyse the way educational research is used in educational practice. An open survey was administrated to 60 practitioners in the field of education, teachers and educational counselling. The results of this study indicate that by building bridges between researchers and practitioners, new opportunities for improving schools' practices can be developed. Our findings indicate that more cooperation between researchers and practitioners can be achieved by promoting design-based research and by establishing professional learning communities.

Keywords:

• research-based practice
• educational research
• higher education
• educational practice

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Executive Unit for Financing Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation under Grant 94/2011. Grateful thanks are due to Ian Browne for reading the present paper and offering valuable advice.