The reading by Groothuijsen et al. (2020) considers the concerns between teacher-researchers in relation to practical educational research. The correlation between teaching practices and research is often disconnected, though practice-oriented research is beneficial to educational systems. “Researchers study educational practice from an outside perspective in contrast to teachers, who operate in educational practice and view it from an insider perspective” Groothuijsen et al. (2020). Without applicable and accessible solutions, teacher-researchers have challenges implementing their research into their day-to-day teachings, or sharing this information with school stakeholders. Through applicability, consistency, and culmination, practice-oriented educational research can improve teaching practices (Groothuijsen et al. 2020).
This reading relates to my workplace, as I often see the disconnect between research and educators. Teaching and research are usually viewed as separate practices, when there is a clear correlation between the two. Groothuijsen et al. (2020) suggest that collaboration between stakeholders will allow teachers to voice their concerns, and allow researchers to address said concerns in their research project. While this is a fantastic idea in theory, it is much harder to execute. Due to time constraints, I know many of the teachers at my school would not want to partake in collaboration with researchers. I can also understand how research is often inaccessible, making it challenging for educators who are not researchers to be deterred from using it. The language that is utilized in academia is incredibly different from what is used in the teaching profession. Educators who have been out of an academic setting for decades may not want to sort through research and data, even if it would potentially help their classroom environments. There are many research papers I like to recommend to colleagues but truthfully, I know that most will not have the time or energy to read through it, unless they are given a quick synopsis.
We continue to experience a cycle of identified problems with very few solutions. Research and data collection is a lengthy process, results are not always attainable to all those involved, and there are time, ethic, and budget constraints. Collaboration between all stakeholders would make for more valuable, evidence-based educational practices if there was more consistency between educators and researchers.
References
Groothuijsen, S. E. A., Bronkhorst, L. H., Prins, G. T., & Kuiper, W. (2020). Teacher-researchers’ quality concerns for practice-oriented educational research. Research Papers in Education, 35(6), 766-787.
Toronto, August 2021
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