Post on 19-Aug-2019
transcript
Narrowing the gap. Is it possible for policymakers and
researchers to pursue the same agenda?
Romiță Iucu - University of Bucharest
Elena Marin - University of Bucharest (presenting author)
Georgeta Ion – Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona
Carmen Proteasa - University of Bucharest
Mihaela Stîngu - University of Bucharest
Simona Iftimescu - University of Bucharest
elena.marin@fpse.unibuc.ro
ECER 2016 Leading Education: The Distinct
Contributions of Educational Research and
Researchers
• project funded by the Romanian National
Authority for Scientific Research and
Innovation, CNCS – UEFISCDI,
project number PN-II-RU-TE-2014-4-1605
• Center for Development and Training in Higher
Education, University of Bucharest
Research objectives
▷ to analyze the relationship between educational research and its use
in the policy-making process in the Romanian educational system;
▷to evaluate the factors that are likely to affect research production and
transfer with a focus on the obstacles and opportunities that may derive
from the process of research mobilization;
▷ to analyze the role of the research culture at university level on the
development of a closer collaboration between researchers and policy –
makers.
(Blunkett, 2000;O’Dwyer, 2004; Levin & Edelstein, 2010; Cherney, Povey, Head, Boreham, & Ferguson, 2012)
collaborations between
researchers,
research does not manage to
meet the decision-
makers’ needs
difference in the
discourse
research has a fairly low impact on
policy
different priorities and perceptions
cultural and linguistic
gap
useful and valid
research
divergent modes of
professional discourse
Factors that influence the impact of research on policy
Proper training in how to make use of research and acquire evidence
Huberman, 1990; Hargreaves, 1996; Black, 2001; Young et al., 2002; Nutley et al., 2002; Hood, 2003; Hammersley,2005)
policy makers do not receive proper training in how to
make use of research and
acquire evidence
researchers do notreceive trening on
how to properlydiseminate their
researchoutcomes
communication problems between policymakers and researchers based on the
existence of divergent modes of professional discourse
• semi-structured in-depth interviewwith professionals
Heads of departments
Vice rectors responsible
with research activities
Vice deansresponsible
with research activities
• content-analysis methods was used to summarize the
data that arose from the interviews;
• the tool used to process the data was Maxqda 11
software.
Participants` profileHeads of
departments
Vice rectors
responsible with
research
activities
Vice dean
responsible with
research activities
Number of
participants
9 3 2
Universities
University of
Bucharest
UB
West
University of
Timișoara
UVT
Babes-Bolyai
University
UBB
Alexandru Ioan
Cuza University
UIAC
Ovidius
University of
Constanta
UOC
Transilvania
University of
Brașov
UTB
Aurel Vlaicu
University of
Arad
AVU
Number of
participants3 3 2 3 1 1 1
Knowledge transfer difficulties
• the lack of a communication system between researchers and
policy - makers
„there must be a national portal where all universities across the
country have access to a database with articles and researchers, just
like an online platform for open source ” (Head of department)
• policymakers lack of support and lack of predictability related
to the relation between researchers and policy- makers:
„there is no real support from policymakers and there is no
predictability when it comes to create a professional partnership” (Vice
dean responsible with research activities).
The relationship between researchers and policy - makers (1)
The relationship between researchers and policy – makers
is seen as:
• a week relationship, lacking communication:
„ we hardly reach policymaker, they seem willingly to listen to us
until we came with real situations and concrete partnership
strategies that involve research activities” (Head of department)
• lacking trust:
„policy – makers do not take researchers seriously, they do not
look at them, they do not see them and researchers know they are
not being taken in consideration". (Head of department)
The relationship between researchers and policy – makers (2)
• the relationship between researchers and policy - makers is a
top- down relation, based on the decision-making power that
policy - makers have:
„policy- makers are the one that set the tone, developing
policy papers and therefore they should be directly interested in
consulting with researchers in order to develop coherent policy
papers so that it meet the real needs of those involved ”
(Head of department)
Researchers` perception regarding the research transfer process
• researchers` self responsability - a key element within the
process research transfer:
„researchers must become more involved and offensives in order
to influence policy – makers decisions " (Head of department)
„those who are in charge with the research production process
must be held responsible for the dissemination process”(Head of
department)
„researchers` self responsibility is the key of making researchers
becoming more visible" (Head of department)
Research culture
• there is no clear vision on the concept of research culture
„a coherent culture, at university level, does not exist, neither
does it exist a culture of research in general" (Head of
department)
• there is a „collaboration fear” and a lack of clarity about the
researcher status at a national level
• within the university there is a ”traditional model” that defines
the concept of research – the model states that a research area
strictly develops only if a researcher has a particular interest on
that topic
”researcher is the one that help a research area to spread its
importance, not vice versa, meaning that the research process is
still a sum of individual achievements, rather than a joint effort of
a team of researchers” (Head of department)
Researchers` training regarding the process of disseminating
• researchers` training is generally associated with the doctoral
studies and the induction period
„the doctoral studies provides the perfect setting for any researcher
to develop the skills necessary to become a researcher, having at
the same time the „protection” of a mentor” (Vice rector responsiblewith research activities)
„ in the Romanian higher education, there is a long tradition
regarding the induction period that a novice teacher/researcher
should go through under the supervision of a mentor/experienced
teacher or researcher” (Head of department)
• The peer-learning and peer-review activity is an excellent way to
learn more about what does the research activity implies
„in our faculty department, we usually submit to peer review an
article or a research idea and doing that it helps us redefine and
improve our work" (Head of department)
• educational researchers should seek to establish
a closer collaboration with policy – makers in
order to avoid creating a communication gap;
• universities managers consider that the research
outcomes must be comprehensible for both
policymakers, stakeholders and practitioners or
other type of audience;
• researchers have to learn the priorities of other
stakeholders and utilize the ‘ideas in common
currency’ among them;
University managers perspective
• the lack of training into the research methodology
can interfere on the proper development,
implementation and dissemination of knowledge;
• policy makers and practitioners do not receive
proper training in how to make use of research
and acquire evidence, therefore they find
themselves in the situation of not being able to make
fruitful use of educational knowledge in order to
inform their work.