ERIC Number: EJ1191189
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Aug
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1744-2648
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Brokering Research in Science Education Policy Implementation: The Case of a Professional Association
Hopkins, Megan; Wiley, Kathryn E.; Penuel, William R.; Farrell, Caitlin C.
Evidence & Policy: A Journal of Research, Debate and Practice, v14 n3 p459-476 Aug 2018
Recent scholarship suggests that research use is an interactive, social phenomenon, and that brokers play important roles in facilitating the exchange of research evidence. We add to this body of literature by exploring the role of brokers in the exchange of research evidence among state education agency leaders involved in K-12 science education policy implementation in the United States. We focus our study on the lead professional association for state science policymakers, the Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS), because professional associations are the most prominent source of research for state and local education leaders, and are important for supporting the use of research evidence and policy implementation. Our findings, based on analysis of social network survey data, highlight the complex brokering roles CSSS members, and especially leaders in the association, played. These brokers not only enabled association members' access to diverse sources of research, but also facilitated between-state research exchanges. Our findings have implications for research and theory on brokering, and they point to the importance of professional associations for facilitating access to research to support education policy implementation.
Descriptors: Science Education, Educational Policy, Professional Associations, Program Implementation, Educational Research, Research Utilization, Information Scientists, Elementary Secondary Education, Evidence
Policy Press. University of Bristol, 1-9 Old Park Hill, Bristol BS2 8BB, UK. Tel: +44-117-954-5940; e-mail: pp-info@policypress.co.uk; Web site: https://policypress.co.uk/journals/evidence-and-policy
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
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Language: English
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