Exploring teachers' conceptual uses of research as part of the development and scale up of research-informed practices.

Abstract

Research Informed Teaching Practice has become a fundamental aspect of educational reform in the modern world, aiding the development and improvement of teaching and learning, decision-making and the school improvement agenda in general. This article presents the findings from a small-scale study across three infant schools in England involving 15 teachers that found that teachers use of research tends to be conceptual in nature. RITP is achieved through an approach that can help teachers engage effectively with research evidence in order to adapt existing research/research-informed interventions to achieve the desired impact. The requirements for this type of conceptual research use tends to have a functional and measurable nature linked to continuous quality improvement.