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The Use of Research Evidence
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Critical Perspectives

  • Kara Finnigan: The Political and Social Contexts of Research Evidence Use in Partnerships
  • Ruth Stewart et al.: Transforming evidence for policy: do we have the evidence generation house in order?
  • Mark Rickinson and Marcia McKenzie: Understanding the research-policy relationship in ESE: insights from the critical policy and evidence use literatures
  • David E. Kirkland: No Small Matters: Reimagining the Use of Research Evidence From A Racial Justice Perspective
  • Caitlin Farrell, et al.: Conceptions and Practices of Equity in Research-Practice Partnerships
  • Fabienne Doucet: Centering the Margins: (Re)defining Useful Research Evidence Through Critical Perspectives
  • Karen Bogenschneider: Engaging Policymakers: A New Era of Research and Theory That Builds on the Basics

Methodological Perspectives

  • Itzhak Yanovitzky: Why Should We Study the Use of Research Evidence as a Behavior?
  • Mark Rickinson, et al.: Using Research Well: A Framework for Understanding Quality Use of Research Evidence
  • William Penuel and Anna-Ruth Allen: To Study Conceptual Use of Research, Consider Tradeoffs Among Methods
  • Zachary P. Neal et al.: Just Google it: measuring schools’ use of research evidence with internet search results
  • Jennifer Lawlor, et al.: Approaches to measuring use of research evidence in K-12 settings: A systematic review
  • Drew Gitomer and Kevin Crouse: Studying the Use of Research Evidence: A Review of Methods
  • Barbara Davidson, Julie Greenberg, and Susan Pimental: Avoiding Confirmation Bias When Implementing Evidence-Based Instructional Practices
  • Max Crowley and Taylor Scott: Congressional Use of Evidence Can Be Improved: Reflections from a Trial of the Research-to-Policy Collaboration Model
  • Karen Bogenschneider: Fresh Insights on Measuring Research Use: Policymaker Perspectives on How Theory Falls Short
  • Lorraine McDonnell and Stephen Weatherford: Expanding the Definition of Evidence in Studies on the Use of Research Evidence in Policy
  • Drew Gitomer and Kevin Crouse: Studying the Use of Research Evidence: A Review of Methods

Historical and Current Concepts

  • Vivian Tseng and Cynthia Coburn: Using Evidence in the US
  • Vivian Tseng: Research on Research Use: Building Theory, Empirical Evidence, and a Global Field (WT Grant Digest, Issue 7)
  • Larry V. Hedges: Challenges in building usable knowledge in education
  • Elizabeth N. Farley-Ripple, Kathryn Oliver and Annette Boaz: Mapping the community: use of research evidence in policy and practice
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Drew Gitomer and Kevin Crouse: Studying the Use of Research Evidence: A Review of Methods

In Studying the Use of Research Evidence: A Review of Methods, Drew Gitomer and Kevin Crouse highlight measures and methods from a range of methodological traditions that have been employed by researchers to assess the use of research evidence in disparate policy and practice domains, including education, child welfare, and public health. The report outlines core methodological issues in the study of the use of research evidence, reviews recent studies that illustrate specific data collection and study design methodologies, and discusses the affordances and limitations of each.

For each method, Gitomer and Crouse examine what they call “threats to valid interpretation,” which researchers would do well to consider as they design new studies. The authors also identify the distinct research questions that each methodological approach is best poised to answer. Importantly, Gitomer and Crouse give particular attention to measurement: how do we know research evidence is being used when we look for it? This challenge poses a significant obstacle to progress, and we hope that this report will help researchers identify the variety of approaches available and better understand their strengths and limitations.

Citation: Gitomer, D. & Crouse, K. (2019). Studying the Use of Research Evidence: A Review of Methods. New York: William T Grant Foundation.