Scottish education system: knowledge utilisation study

4. Strand 2: Qualitative Research

4.1 Introduction

This section presents the qualitative findings emerging from the focus groups and interviews involving teachers, head teachers, Attainment Advisors and RIC leads. The findings are reported in sections that reflect the main research aims and related research questions, i.e.:

1. How do practitioners in Scotland engage in research and act on research evidence?

• What types of research, evidence and data do educational practitioners currently use to inform, plan and develop teaching interventions?
• How do those who make or influence school-, cluster- and local authority-level education decisions access research evidence?
• To what extent, and how, do educational practitioners critically evaluate the research evidence used to inform their pedagogy?

2. What factors influence practitioners’ ability to make the best use of evidence?

• What skills and resources do educational practitioners need to be able to understand research evidence, including data they have gathered themselves?
• What organisational, capacity and skill constraints currently hinder or promote the effective use of research evidence?
• How is capacity at classroom, school, cluster, authority and regional level related to the effective use of research evidence?
• What actions could contribute to a more effective and coherent use of evidence and information across the school system? 

This chapter includes findings from all types of participants involved in the research. Findings are discussed collectively, and where differences emerged between participating groups, this is noted. As covered in Section 2, the respondent groups included in this study are teachers (including classroom teachers and promoted teachers); head teachers, depute head teachers (sometimes these were interviewed in joint interviews with their head teacher); Attainment Advisors and the RIC leads. Occasionally, for the focus groups, where head teachers could invite those they thought had particular relevant experience of research engagement, the mix of the group could also include practitioners from other groups working with the school such as Community Learning and Development and outdoor learning specialists.  

4.2 How do practitioners in Scotland engage with research and act on research evidence?

This section reports on the participants’ responses regarding the nature and extent of their engagement with research and how they use research evidence and other data.

4.2.1 The extent of engagement with data and research

All of the teachers and head teachers involved in the interviews and focus groups reported that they were or had engaged with some form of research beyond the use of school-level and assessment data as part of their professional role over the past few years. However, head teachers and teachers’ understanding of what counts, as “research evidence” was broad and covered online information and knowledge, including social media accounts from other practitioners and to a lesser extent systematic and rigorous studies arising from academic research and practitioner enquiry. Teachers and head teachers stated that research was part of a modern teacher’s professional identity and responsibilities. However, as we shall consider, they had clear views regarding what was required to help better incorporate the use of data and research into their practice.

The overall theme emerging from the teacher and head teacher interviews and focus groups was that the majority of these participants were willing to engage with research. Whilst Attainment Advisors and RIC leads, with their strategic and national perspective, recognised an increased engagement with research across the educational profession, they also noted that there was scope to increase consistency of engagement nationally. In addition, these stakeholders noted while there was evidence of positive developments within local authorities regarding supporting practitioners to use data and evidence, further developments were negatively impacted by the reduction in teams at the centre. For example, they commented that the capacity of quality improvement officers, whose role it would have been to support research engagement, had been detrimentally influenced by economic cuts.

I think if you looked at how that [research, self-evaluation and use of data] works across the country…it’s a very varied picture, you have some schools where it works really well and other schools where it doesn’t, and everything in the middle of that.

Attainment advisor

4.2.2 Sources used to access data and research evidence

Head teachers and teachers typically reported use of routine school-level data. They noted that local authorities were increasingly providing data that included additional pupil information to assist teachers to tailor their teaching to learners’ needs and also monitor progress over time. School-level data included national standardised assessments and other types of standardised tests that were judged to support the understanding of impact of particular teaching approaches.

Probably everything that we’re using, which is quite vast, we have a lot on there, we do a lot of assessments, we have a lot of data on each and every child, everything we use and everything that we have has the information there to look into…Before the standardised testing came in last year we had the PIPS which was at the beginning and the end, which I think, personally, gave us a bigger, a better picture of where the children were at the start and the end within this year…We’ve also used … phonological awareness assessments this year …at the very beginning of Primary 1, which gave us a really good starting point for where our grouping would be ability-wise and then what they needed to learn…and throughout the course of the year, that assessment was done again … so we can see the improvement but also at Primary 2 what needs to be picked up on right at the beginning of Primary 2.  

Teacher, Primary school, focus group.

As noted in other sections of this report, head teachers, RIC Leads and Attainment Advisors reported an increase in local authority support for head teachers and teachers regarding additional data interpretation. These participants also stressed this support could be affected by levels of appropriate staff at the local authority.

Teachers frequently reported having accessed ideas about pedagogical developments and innovation through social media and using this medium to share their own findings, experiences and ideas. For both teachers in primary and secondary schools this seemed to be the most common way of knowledge sharing.

There was consensus across teachers and head teachers that their engagement with research should have a direct and positive impact on their practice and benefit pupils' learning and wellbeing.  Moreover, the research practitioners valued most was that produced by those who “know the classroom reality” and was based on actual school practices and teaching and learning strategies which have worked in similar contexts. 

Sometimes when you read these articles, you think, ‘When was the last time you were a teacher?’  They are nice in theory, but sometimes you are like, ‘I don’t see that this would work.’ 

Teacher primary school, focus group

Head teachers and teachers, therefore, valued platforms and media like Twitter, Facebook, blog posts and YouTube Ted Talks because of the short, accessible and focussed format of the information. Such material was usually produced by peers or those working closely with practitioners and was, therefore, seen as “credible” and relevant. In contrast with more traditional research outputs such as literature reviews, books, journal articles and project evaluation reports, the short videos and blog posts were often seen as providing clear ‘starting points for further inquiry’. Attainment Advisors and some RIC leads stressed that practitioners required a good level of critical awareness in order to discern whether information available via such sources was sufficiently robust. Nevertheless, one RIC lead stressed that Twitter had been a useful source of information for teachers regarding pedagogy and effective approaches.

Twitter is a fantastic tool if used right, it’s a fantastic resource for educationalists. What I’ve noticed in the last year is the volume of classroom practitioners who now tweet or re-tweet and engage with what someone is saying about research. So, there is much more we can do there to make it accessible. People nowadays are using their smart phone and not necessarily going to a library to access a document. 

RIC lead, interview

In relation to use of more academic sources of evidence, some head teachers reported they would draw on this kind of evidence to try and develop summaries of findings for their staff to read and consider.

A lot of these documents when you look at them can be quite dry, they can be quite lengthy; so, they’re not immediately accessible to people who feel they have no time as it is.  So that’s why you need to find the research, really, and give them the access to the bits that are relevant…it is about making it more accessible for everyday reading with short, snappy summary bits. And once you’ve got the claw in or the wee hook in, then people will say, ‘Alright, I would read a bit more about that,’ then they’ll read the next bit…but to get to that point is actually quite difficult.

Head teacher, Secondary school, Interview

Some teachers and head teachers involved in the study reported using the National Improvement Hub to access research and information via the Educational Endowment Foundation’s (EEF) research database and toolkit. Some also mentioned having used the GTCS research portal. There was variation across head teachers, teachers and attainment advisors regarding how easy it was for teachers to locate the types of research they were looking for via these two portals. Some of these groups had found it relatively straightforward to access research findings and thought the sources useful. Others within these same groups reported the opposite experience and this was usually because the titles of sources did not clearly indicate the potential applicability of the research to the teacher. Where teachers and head teachers saw the EEF material available via the Education Scotland portal as useful, this was because it often provided an indication on what had been evaluated or demonstrated as being effective and thus warranted consideration for use in practice.

The Education Endowment Foundation has been a source as well, with regards to loads of feedback regarding whether something is ‘low cost high impact, high cost low impact’, so that’s been used and we certainly have promoted that as a source, a website to go to, to get additional information, because that’s got credibility as well around it, and certainly promoted by Education Scotland.

Head teacher, secondary school, interview

Overall, it was head teachers, attainment advisors and those in more strategic positions who were more likely to report accessing academic summaries of research on effective teaching and leadership. Attainment advisors acknowledged that this aspect of their role had developed over time. Head teachers and attainment advisors frequently reported that their role meant they had to maintain levels of knowledge regarding school management and effective teaching approaches.

I feel that we need to be that step ahead of everyone else [staff] because they do come to us for advice or if we’ve got a development in the school, it’s about taking the next steps

Depute head teacher, secondary school, and joint interview

Attainment advisors stressed that their role required that they regularly access relevant research in order to acquire knowledge that could support and advise teachers and head teachers in their work to promote attainment and achievement. Attainment advisors were more likely than other groups to report systematically accessing research articles, books and other readings on effective teaching and tackling the attainment gap in order to inform those they worked with.

That [research involvement] is a fundamental thing as well, and one of the things we are trying to notice and pass that message on I suppose. And in terms of your professional role, you’re facilitating people to do this and you do you find yourself having to use evidence yourself to do the role you do.

Attainment advisor 

4.2.3 How and why is data and research evidence used

The qualitative findings revealed that how data and evidence were used and why they were used were inter-related. Head teachers and teachers reported a range of ways and related reasons for using data and research evidence. Table 4.1 summarises the most commonly reported ways data and evidence were used, the related rationale and the number of participants stating these reasons. These factors are discussed further in the following sub-sections.

Table 4.1: Nature and rationale of research engagement reported by head teachers and teachers

Rank	Nature and rationale of engagement with research	Number of participants stating this
1	Undertaken as part of the requirements for professional development programmes or training e.g. leadership, postgraduate and nurture qualifications.	13
2	Planning school and classroom interventions/ informing learning and teaching approaches. This activity could be facilitated through the Attainment Challenge and with a focus on, for example; numeracy; literacy; involving parents in children’ learning; social and emotional support/ health and wellbeing initiatives; cross-curricular projects.	12
3	Collecting and analysing data to understand the impact of an intervention such as those in 2 above. Teachers reported using range of methods. This could draw on analysis of test results, survey data and observation etc. There were examples of collaborative teacher enquiry.	11
4	Professional reading activity to: keep up-to-date with subject developments/ improve awareness of curriculum area; developing new teaching and learning strategies, practice critique etc.	11
5	Providing evidence-based feedback to colleagues.	5
6	Informing broader collegiate working and staff meetings.	4
6	Understanding educational policies and related developments.	4

Across the qualitative strand of the research, there were relatively few examples of teachers reporting working together to conduct small-scale, in-school studies to assess new pedagogical approaches. According to those interviewed or in the focus groups, this type of activity was often initiated by a committed teacher completing a professional development qualification. It also occurred where local authority, attainment advisor and academic colleagues had encouraged and supported this type of practitioner enquiry.

In one example, a consortium of five primary schools, facilitated by their PEF funding, had worked together to develop collaborative enquiry projects that reflected their learning priorities and plans. Their collaboration included teachers, supported by a team of university colleagues, working in ‘trios’ within the respective schools to interrogate school-level data to identify priorities and a focus for learning interventions and strategies for pupils in SIMD deciles 1 and 2. These groups then developed learning and teaching strategies associated with collaborative action programmes to assess and understand their impact. Over a year, the schools involved reported they were able to demonstrate: improved teacher confidence and engagement with research and enquiry approaches; impact on specific learning outcomes; and embedding of the approaches into the school systems. As one head teacher involved in this collaborative stated: 

Engaging staff in Collaborative Action Research allowed practitioners at all levels to think critically and reflectively about their own practice in order to improve the overall quality of teaching and learning experiences for our children. Working in collaborative trios/groups across cluster schools encouraged networking between establishments; identifying examples of good practice and areas of development. Overall, most groups reported that attainment levels for each focus group had increased as a result of the CAR process improving overall teaching and learning. By allowing class teachers to take ownership of their own professional development, they were more motivated and willing to engage in research throughout the CAR process. The collaboration with the university has allowed practitioners…to access expertise and support with their own professional development. The cyclical nature of the CAR process has allowed all practitioners to continue with, and lead development projects in other curricular areas across other schools within the cluster.

Head teacher, primary school, interview

In another example, teachers had used Improvement Methodology to understand the appropriateness of a particular concept-driven approach.

We had four members of staff who worked with one of the numeracy staff tutors who did a Small Test of Change within their classrooms… there was lots of little projects that went on and [Depute Head teacher] also leads the Growth Mindset, so we also had to look at Growth Mindset for staff and the children’s readiness for learning…and I think that it’s amazing how it’s just become part of practice and how it’s developed and moved on.

Head teacher, primary school, interview

There was an indication that some teachers, particularly in primary schools, saw a need for support from “experts” including university colleagues and local authority data specialists to assist with building their skills to more effectively gather, interpret and critically assess data and information.

The interviews and focus groups indicated that there were a number of particular drivers influencing teachers and head teachers’ use of data evidence. These are discussed below.

Teachers’ commitment to improving learner outcomes

Teachers and their head teachers frequently stated that a key motivation for their engagement with data was to inform practice to make a positive difference to learners.

I think 100% of the professional research and enquiry activities that have been undertaken at this school the session will all be about specific needs of children and would be to how professionals and teachers can actually best support and challenge a youngster in their learning so that they’re going to, So I think 100% of the professional learning and enquiry they’ve undertaken this session would be about specific children rather than I think more global issues

Head teacher, secondary school, interview

I think I tend to find my enquiry and research is just reactive to whatever I’m teaching or where I am as a class-based teacher.  I have been at a previous school for 11 years, so when I came here, it was a lot of research around new resources and different ways this school was working.

Teacher, primary school, focus group

For teachers, engagement with research evidence in its broadest definition was seen as necessary to maintain their awareness of developments in effective pedagogy in order to promote positive learning experiences and outcomes of their pupils.

The influence of national policy initiatives

Practitioners reported that the expectation they would use research evidence and data to inform their practice had increased in recent years and saw a key driver here as education policy developments which emphasised the use of evidence-informed practice. These included two main drivers; Firstly, head teachers and strategic informants referred to developments in concepts of teacher professionalism and skills that included use of data and evidence to inform practice such as those reflected in the GTCS teaching standards.

Secondly, there was consensus across all those involved in the qualitative research strand that the ever-expanding focus on improving attainment and tackling the attainment gap had been a major factor influencing teachers’ increased use of school-level data and evidence.

I think with everything that’s coming out…the Scottish Government’s raising the awareness of the importance of research and…I think a lot of people within Education anyway would certainly agree that everybody has dipped their toe and doing lots of different things

Head teacher, primary school, interview

The influence of professional qualifications 

Some teachers reported having completed, or currently completing, a Masters qualification and head teachers frequently noted that their headship courses involved a research component. There were examples of how involvement in such professional development courses had stimulated and framed the use of existing data but also promoted the collection of new information. Again, this was often influenced by the context of closing the attainment gap. For example, the following quote illustrates how one head teacher’s research project focused on school leadership to promote attainment, facilitated a more systematic use of data.

I finished my Into Headship qualification last September, so that was part of Masters learning.  I was looking at carrying out a strategic change across the whole school and it was looking at leadership. I had a project that I had to do within school so we looked at raising attainment in numeracy and that linked with our School Improvement Plan at that time. It was taking it right back to an analysis of the whole school – involving the parents, the children, and the staff – to look at what our strengths and our weaknesses were and it went a bit deeper at looking at the whole culture of the school, the whole culture of the staff mindset, where we were for taking on change … There was a big chunk of training for all the teaching staff…they all undertook conceptual number training and then that changed practice within the classrooms …  And I have to say, since we’ve started conceptual number, our attainment in numeracy has risen at all levels over the last two years.

Head teacher, primary school, interview

Where teachers had completed Masters projects, head teachers often ensured that the learning informed wider practice in the school or informed pilot projects. There were also instances where the findings from practitioner research informed local authority planning and wider dissemination.

The nursery is running different interventions which are associated with the Attainment Challenge linked around attainment in literacy specifically, and for the purposes of distributive leadership, they’ve taken on leadership roles of each intervention, so there’s two staff for each intervention, and they’re the ones collecting the data; they’re the ones that are using that data, and they’re using that data to inform how the intervention progresses.  And so we use that data; we take the data that we get, and we also send that centrally so that they can analyse that and see if overall we’re having an impact.

Teacher, primary school focus group, 

The influence of head teachers and leaders

Teachers frequently reported that head teachers were important sources of encouragement and advice regarding accessing and using data and research. Attainment advisors and RIC leads also highlighted the role of the head teacher in establishing a culture of evidence use in the schools. The importance of the role of head teachers and leaders as a facilitating factor is discussed further in Section 4.3.3.

4.2.4 To what extent, and how, do educational practitioners critically evaluate the research evidence used to inform their pedagogy?

There was consensus across the attainment advisors involved in this study that there was considerable variation regarding the extent to which educational practitioners critically evaluated the knowledge and research evidence available to them, including information accessed via social media.

There was evidence of critical engagement with the research evidence where teachers were able to work collaboratively on their enquiry projects and receive guidance from attainment advisors, educational psychologists and university researchers. Teachers, head teachers and attainment advisors spoke about how professional dialogue and cross-referencing with other research could assist this process.

… You know, cross-checking that it is accurate and not just a story that they want…I think sometimes they’re so immersed just in their subject and being aware of some of the higher level [e.g.] curricular models and professional research.

Head teacher, secondary school, interview

Attainment advisors highlighted the need for practitioners to have an awareness of relevant research but also an ability to critically evaluate the findings. Whilst toolkits like the EEF portal can be helpful, attainment advisors recognised the need for teachers to be able to assess the relevance of the materials for their own context.

4.2.5 Summary: How do practitioners in Scotland engage in research and act on research evidence? 

• All participants in the study recognised the importance of school-level data and research to their profession and felt the expectation to engage with research had increased in recent years
• All of the teachers and head teachers involved in the research reported they routinely used school-level data.
• Social media and other online platforms emerged as an important way in which teachers access and share knowledge from their enquiries. Teachers value evidence or signposting produced by those who understand the classroom reality. Scottish platforms – the EEF Learning and Teaching Toolkit and the GTCS research portal – were also highlighted as sources of existing research and interpretation. 
• There were relatively few examples of collaborative research projects where teams of teachers and their head teachers focussed on a particular challenge.
• Those with a leadership and strategic role, including head teachers, RIC leads and attainment advisors, reported that they also accessed academic research outputs to stay up-to-date on educational concepts and learning and teaching developments to support teachers.
• There was evidence of practitioners requiring support to critically evaluate academic research evidence. Guidance from attainment advisors, educational psychologists and academic colleagues was seen to be essential for supporting this process, at least initially. However, teachers and head teachers sometimes reported more support was also needed to develop their analysis skills regarding more sophisticated use of school-level and assessment data. 
• There were examples of head teachers and teachers participating in courses, including Masters level programmes. The findings from this type of research was often drawn on by head teachers to inform teaching approaches in their school.
• A key motivator for engaging with research evidence was to support classroom practice to make a positive difference to learner outcomes. Accessing and using data was often driven by a desire to improve attainment, within the context of key national priorities such as the Scottish Attainment Challenge. Other key drivers informing engagement with research evidence included the GTCS Standards and supportive leadership within individual schools.
• Research participants highlighted the role played by local authority support for data analysis and interpretation. There was evidence of scope to increase levels of research engagement both between and within local authorities. 

4.3 What factors influence practitioners’ ability to make the best use of evidence and effectively engage in research?

This section considers the range of factors that participants reported could facilitate or inhibit practitioners’ access to, and use of, research evidence. This included, the types of skills needed, as well as the resources, and additional support they believed needs to be in place. Again, findings are discussed collectively, and where differences emerged between participating groups, this is noted.

4.3.1 Skills and resources that educational practitioners need to be able to understand research evidence

Those participating in the qualitative strand of the project reported there had been both an increase in awareness of the need to engage with research and a growth in practitioners’ confidence in using research evidence and data. There was consensus that practitioners required a level of ‘data literacy’ to be able to understand the implications of pupil assessment data for their teaching practice. Generally, teachers and their head teachers would discuss data together in order to reflect the findings in their teaching and plans. Support from local authority colleagues (including data officers), attainment advisors and other external sources were reported to be helpful in this process, particularly, regarding the interpretation of data.

As noted elsewhere in this report, attainment advisors and RIC leads stressed that teachers should also be able to critically evaluate the quality of research evidence that was accessed to inform practice. Working collaboratively with other practitioners and external colleagues such as attainment advisors and academic researchers was seen as facilitating opportunities for critical dialogue and scrutiny.

Teachers and head teachers frequently reported that involvement in small-scale interventions with associated monitoring of impact, helped to build the confidence and capacity of staff to engage with research. As one depute head teacher commented engaging staff in small-scale, applied research had increased teachers’ confidence to take risks in adapting their practice.

We’ve started smaller to see the impact of it before up-scaling lots of things. I think that it’s moving more towards a culture of, ‘Right, we’ll try this within our context; let’s see if this works,’ on a smaller scale, and then it can be up-scaled if it is successful within the context, and if not, I think people are less afraid to say, ‘Do you know what, that maybe doesn’t work for us, let’s try/adapt it in a certain way that actually does meet the needs of the specific context that we’re working in.

Depute head teacher, primary school, and interview

The RIC leads also highlighted the value of practitioners’ involvement in collaborative enquiry and this capacity was being developed in some of their local authorities.

Collaborative approaches, with schools and local authorities working in partnership to plan, implement and research innovations were seen as contributing to the development of practitioners’ and leaders’ capacity to use and generate data.

I think the collaborative action research is a good vehicle because it facilitates teachers working together and it gives them access to research in a particular area ... and it encourages them to really think about what they would like to focus on…I think that’s a good model.

Head teacher, primary school, interview

Such collaboration was usually framed by a shared desire to tackle the attainment gap using evidence-informed strategies.

One RIC lead stressed the increased number of head teachers who had completed Scottish Qualification for Headship (SQH) or Flexible Route to Headship (FRH) and now Excellence in Headship had both built capacity and led to a change in mindset. This RIC lead felt that many head teachers now recognised the importance of accessing research as part of their professional role. Another RIC lead highlighted that newly qualified teachers (NQTs) and others who had recently completed further qualifications were also more likely to engage with research and data.

It’s very variable, I think what we’re seeing at the moment is practitioners and leaders who have come through recent professional learning opportunities, for example NQTs or those who have come through middle leadership opportunities or into headship are actually much more used to analysis and critical enquiry around research.

RIC lead, interview

Those with a strategic overview of the education system such as the attainment advisors and RIC leads reported an improvement in teachers’ engagement with data over the past five years but noted that achieving a ‘deeper’, critical engagement with research and accessing more theoretically informed material, then translating this into practice was more challenging.

I think the engagement with more quantitative [assessment] data and people being willing to really look at that I think has improved…Engagement with research, if we’re talking about it as looking at journal articles or books – no I think, but my reason for saying that: it’s hard for teachers to do that on their own…I know through the GTCS, you can access some of the databases, but actually unless you know how to search them and how to filter the results you get back, I’m not sure how useful a tool that is for a busy teacher 

Attainment advisor, interview

More support, therefore, was seen as required to help practitioners, especially classroom teachers, to engage with academic research. Some participants commented on how universities had a role to play here, not only in making content relatable to teachers’ context but also practically facilitating access to literature. As one attainment advisor noted that one teacher had said:

The thing I miss the most is access to the university library,’ and that’s a barrier. So, I think she went through the Masters-level programme and had all of those skills and resources, and then she goes into school and all of a sudden all of that access is removed, so there is an access thing.  

Attainment advisor, Interview 

The availability of, and engagement with, other organisations or services that can support research engagement and develop practitioners’ skills and values were, therefore, seen as a key facilitator across the participant groups. University researchers, educational psychologists and third sector organisations were seen as the main sources of support for building practitioners’ research capacity.

4.3.2 Time available for practitioners to engage with research 

There was consensus across interviewees and focus group participants that time and workload was a crucial factor regarding practitioner research engagement. This was perhaps the strongest theme regarding factors that inhibited increased practitioner engagement with research and noted across the participant groups. 

I find again you are going to get the time [as a factor that hinders research engagement]. Most teachers are going to say to you, ‘I don’t have time to do that.’  The day-to-day sort of teaching takes up so much. 

Teacher, secondary school, focus group 

The RIC leads also concurred that time and workload could present challenges for practitioners’ research engagement. These informants stated that local authorities and head teachers can develop strategies to tackle these factors where there is a commitment to do so, but issues of workload were a real challenge.

Research engagement is variable…I think there is a very positive and strong will from practitioners to use research, but I do think there are a number of barriers and workload springs to mind at the top of the list. So, I do think that that [engagement] is increasing and the GTCS standards make it a requirement, so it is increasing but I do think there are issues.

RIC lead, interview

Staff turnover and losing staff was a factor that could exacerbate time issues to detrimentally impact on research engagement capacity. As a result, some local authorities had looked to skilling all teachers regarding aspects of using data and evidence. 

It’s very dependent on consistent staffing and staff who themselves buy into it…One of the advantages with [this authority’s] approach is they’ve tended to train across all the schools, [to] work with all Primary 4 teachers in understanding the benchmarks and all Primary 7 teachers and all classroom assistants; we’re bringing them in for central training.

Attainment advisor 

4.3.3 The importance of key personnel and leadership in facilitating the effective use of research evidence

A major theme that arose across the qualitative strand regarding factors that supported meaningful use of data and research engagement was the availability of support from school leadership, the local authority and from attainment advisors. Leaders who were able to develop a research culture, instil confidence and mobilise people and resources were perceived to contribute to improved research engagement. The availability of specialists and personnel who could advise and support practitioners and head teachers to access and interpret data and research findings at local and regional level was also highlighted.

The role of supportive head teachers

Practitioners highlighted the importance of their head teachers in encouraging them to try new ideas but also to implement evaluative strategies to monitor the effectiveness of innovation. In some cases, the arrival of a new head teacher stimulated greater practitioner engagement with data and research. Head teachers were key to providing time for staff to engage with data and research but also in encouraging staff to work collaboratively to implement and monitor change in their practice informed by this evidence.

Head teachers were important in ensuring that their School Improvement Plans incorporated systems to facilitate practitioners’ research engagement, self-evaluation and use of data to inform planning and practice. Head teachers were important in promoting a research-engaged culture in their schools, not only by facilitating time for professional dialogue and accessing research but also in expressing a positive attitude regarding research. In addition, head teachers helped to ensure that leaders within the school had a research aspect to their role. Also, teachers’ responsibility for and engagement in, particular school-level research projects contributed to teachers’ leadership opportunities.

Our previous head teacher, because of his background, he would get all of the documents and lectures. The OECD [reports]…I did try and we all got a copy but it was too hard, but what he had done was had summarised it.

Teacher, secondary school, focus group

RIC Leads particularly highlighted the role of head teachers in promoting a culture of research engagement amongst their staff.

There’s no doubt about it that strong leadership plays an important role because if you have a head teacher who believes in research, reads widely themselves, and draws on research then that culture permeates the school.

RIC lead, interview

All participants felt that increased leadership at school level had facilitated a greater appreciation of research. While head teachers had a role in fostering leadership opportunities in their schools, the availability of CLPL (including courses and support from Scottish College for Educational Leadership – SCEL - and other courses such as Tapestry) had helped develop leadership skills and mindsets that recognise the value of engaging with research and making effective use of data. 

I’m on the Tapestry Leadership [course] and that has been really interesting in terms of reading the research, because every month, you get [research] papers to read

Teacher secondary school. Focus group 

The role of supportive local authority leaders

Participants in this study reported that supportive strategic leadership at local authority level was crucial in supporting practitioners and school leaders to implement and assess innovations. In addition to promoting a positive culture to innovate, the provision of Career-Long Professional Learning (CLPL) opportunities by the local authority helped to improve research engagement. Participants provided examples of CLPL opportunities to improve data skills for all school staff, not just school leaders.

As Head teachers, we met with the [local authority] strategic team who create all our spreadsheets so we could understand them…and my role was then to come back to school and be able to share that.

Head teacher, primary school interview

They [local authority] put on support networks monthly and we’ve had a few speakers now within last year all about data and how to collect it and they’ve been very useful because most of us didn’t have the experience of that.  

Teacher, primary school, focus group 

RIC leads felt that the RICs had an important role to play in knowledge mobilisation, including the collective consideration and transfer of research evidence in relation to attainment. They indicated that such activity was still largely at an early stage but that programmes of work and work streams to build this capacity were being implemented.

It is very early stages at the moment. What is happening across most LAs is the research processes is not yet being driven by the RIC. What we do have though is a work stream that is looking at data but that is very much your raw, examination and curriculum for excellence data it is not yet the wider range of qualitative information that you’d also want to draw on. But this is our aim. We have a workstream to empower teachers to gather and use data themselves rather than relying on officers at the centre.

RIC lead, interview

Leaders at both local authority and school level were found to be important in creating the capacity for practitioners to engage with research. They were perceived to play a crucial role in encouraging and enabling practitioners to access research and then reflect this in their practice. This included providing time for teachers to access research, planning how to act upon research findings and sharing with colleagues in order to mobilise the knowledge more widely. Participants highlighted numerous examples of how local authorities were building the appropriate infrastructure, through personnel and systems, to support the gathering of data, to facilitate access to this information and build head teacher and teacher skills in interpreting the data in the context of their practice and learner needs. In one local authority, teachers referred to the emerging RIC as facilitating a conducive infrastructure and culture to promote the sharing of research and knowledge.

I know the [RIC] is … really taking off over the last session, and you know, our own working groups within that…There is much closer working, and I think when we still do the [RIC] meetings, we had the PEF event so it’s [component RIC local authorities], and there was people talking there about what they had done PEF interventions; so you opted into going here, so I deliberately went to [one that wasn’t my LA] because I wanted to hear what was happening in other places, so that was really good that you get to hear what’s going on in other authorities

Depute head teacher, primary school, focus group

Some teachers noted that support from their local authority regarding professional development and access to knowledge was not guaranteed.

I also think in the past, we had a lot more input from the local authority on different courses and things, whereas now that the money of course is drying up, there has been less and less of that, so it’s up to us as individuals to go out and do our own kind of personal reading and that kind of thing and our own research, whereas before, years ago, there was absolutely a wide variety of courses to go onto for your CPD.

Teacher, primary school, focus group

Despite the reported importance of local authorities as brokers and facilitators of knowledge and resources to build research capacity and engagement in schools, a key theme to emerge was that such support was under pressure. This was noted across all the respondent groups.

The developing role of the Attainment Advisors in supporting research engagement and effective use of data

Attainment Advisors saw their role as increasingly supporting the development of a culture of research engagement across local authorities. This role of the Attainment Advisors was also recognised by RIC leads. Attainment Advisors stressed that to effectively support teachers they themselves had to access research literature in order to provide teachers with information on effective approaches. They also reported encouraging practitioners to adopt evidence-informed approaches, access sources of research as well as providing practitioners with summaries of research findings from their own reading. Attainment Advisors who were also HMI noted this role had also helped stengthen their own evidence-based approach and appreciation for research and evidence.

4.3.4 Funding and resources as facilitators

Resources from the Attainment Scotland Fund were important sources of support for practitioner engagement with research and data. Indeed, this funding was seen as creating new roles and facilitating teachers’ ability to engage with research through the provision of additional staff, hence creating more flexibility and time in schools for teachers to access research and innovate. The Scottish Attainment Challenge as a policy was also seen as raising teachers’ awareness of the need to collect meaningful data and understand whether their teaching and developments were making a difference to pupil outcomes.

Interviewees provided examples of how the resources and funding provided by the Attainment Scotland Fund had helped build systems and capabilities that have fostered use of data and research to assess context and inform strategies and teaching.

I think in the challenge schools and others…they’re very sophisticated in their use of data; they don’t need support in that any more at all, I don’t think.  I would actually say that they’re pretty far ahead… So, they’re very skilled at bringing in an intervention that they know will be effective at a point in time, but the other thing that they were really skilled at is stopping interventions when they’re not needed and bringing them back again. 

Attainment advisor

4.4 Suggested actions to promote a more effective and coherent use of evidence and information across the school system 

As reported in previous sections, there was consensus regarding the key factors that participants saw as facilitating or inhibiting practitioners’ research engagement and the use of evidence. When asked to suggest what actions would promote greater and sustained practitioner engagement with research and data a number of themes emerged.

The importance of providing time to engage with research 

Providing the time and space for practitioners to meaningfully engage in collaborative professional dialogue regarding data, research and their practice was perhaps, the strongest theme across all participants in the interviews and focus groups. Head teachers and teachers across primary and secondary schools, frequently provided comments that illustrated how the nature of their work meant time could be a fundamental constraint. 

[There needs to be] An awareness [from Government] of how to manage the workload from that very practical standpoint of the classroom teacher and how research fits in with that and interventions fits in with that, and how to do it in a logical way that makes sense with what they’re already doing as a practitioner rather than something extra on top of this.

Teacher, primary school, focus group

Comments from head teachers, teachers and Attainment Advisors highlighted that while school planning, accessible research summaries and personal motivation can offset the impact of time pressures on research engagement to some extent, the current nature of teachers’ workload is acting as a systematic inhibitor to increased research engagement. The RIC leads also acknowledged that time spent teaching and workloads are major factors influencing the extent to which practitioners were able to engage with research. 

The value of external partners to support practitioners’ research engagement

Participants in this study valued research and evidence and saw data and research as necessary to inform practice and planning. The reported barriers of time, accessible research summaries and varied levels of research skills and data literacy led participants to suggest that support from external partners and ‘experts’ would be welcome. Participants viewed this type of resource as helpful in making ‘academic’ knowledge accessible and assisting in its translation to action. One RIC Lead highlighted an effective example of academics working with practitioners and the education community to build research capacity.

Doing this [building research capacity] is responsibility of a number of people. I do think that universities and professionals who are steeped in it have a role but also working with folks like myself in the RICs, so what does that mean in terms of classroom practice. A good example of this is the work that Education Scotland did with the Robert Owen Centre with the School Improvement Partnership Programme [SIPP]. That was really about how do you take the messages of research and how do you actually get some action enquiry going on in the classroom. I think that needs to be a collaboration, so it’s not just one group of individuals in a local authority or elsewhere.

RIC lead, interview

Enhancing the accessibility of research evidence 

A theme across the teacher groups was that current repositories and portals to access research findings could still be difficult to negotiate, mainly in finding evidence-based materials that were relevant and applicable to practice. 

I just think it’s sometimes knowing where to find it, because apart from those places that I’ve said to you about Education Scotland, GTCS, the Facebook group, sometimes I just don’t know where to go and there’s no central place where there are all these things apart from GTCS – and again, there’s not loads on there.

Teacher, primary school, focus group

For some, the compounding factor of limited time meant that having readily available, practitioner-friendly and relevant research evidence was all the more important.

We don’t have the time to read everything, so if you’ve got a book that condenses something, that’s easier. If you can’t find the answers, as you do in searches, because I regularly do literature searches about something that I need to find out about, and I think so do quite a lot of people, but if you can’t find it online like that and you’re not just looking for one quick fix, you are reading around it and you’re coming up with different ideas.  You don’t have the time to read huge scholarly in-depth articles.

Depute head teacher, primary school, focus group

Head teachers and teachers sometimes commented that losing free access to universities’ on-line libraries and journals had been a barrier for them accessing research and academic readings.  

You know, they [universities] had paid for all these different journals and things and you could use their search engine and get everything up, but obviously, when you stop being a student, you stop getting access to that, and that seems a bit strange because your research should not stop once you’ve become a teacher.  So even giving teachers access to a university’s bank of resources would be useful.

Teacher primary school, focus group

Such concerns emphasise the importance both of making research evidence accessible to teachers and the education community but also finding some way to make information that is summarised sufficiently detailed to be helpful and inform practice. 

4.5 Summary: What factors influence practitioners’ ability to make the best use of evidence and effectively engage in research?

Clear themes emerged across the qualitative strand regarding the range of factors that participants reported could facilitate or inhibit practitioners’ effective access to, and use of, research evidence. Participants were also in agreement about what support would be required to address barriers. Key findings regarding factors promoting practitioners’ access to, and use of, data and evidence were:

• Practitioners who have undertaken further qualifications are more likely to access more academic material and disseminate their learning to their colleagues. 
• Practitioners require a level of critical awareness and ‘data literacy’ to be able to evaluate and understand data and information and use this to inform their teaching practice. Such skills and critical scrutiny are enhanced by professional dialogue and collaboration between teachers and with other partner professionals, for example, local authority data specialists, Attainment Advisors, educational psychologists and academics.
• Leaders (i.e. head teachers, local authority leads and Attainment Advisors) who are able to develop a research culture, instil confidence and mobilise people and resources were perceived to contribute to improved research engagement.
• The resources and funding provided via the Attainment Scotland Fund have helped build systems and capabilities that have fostered use of data and research. 

• Local authorities were seen as facilitators of knowledge transfer, support and resources that contribute to building teachers’ research capacity and engagement. However, some participants drew attention to the reduction in local CLPL as financial cut backs continue to affect staffing levels.
• Teachers require easily accessible and credible sources of research evidence that is relevant to their teaching and contextual challenges. Online summary information, of educational research with illustrations and exemplars of resources and materials that have been compiled into accessible websites and short articles were popular. For example, the EEF blog and international educationalists’ blogs that also included links to related information and resources.

• The greatest barrier to increased practitioner engagement with research is seen as time linked to teachers’ current work patterns. While school planning, accessible research sources and personal motivation can offset the impact of time pressures on research engagement to some extent, the current nature of teachers’ workload is acting as a systematic inhibitor to increased research engagement. 

• Some of the Attainment Advisors and head teachers interviewed noted that the emerging brokering role of the RICs in coordinating and facilitating partnerships and sharing of information should enhance the mobilisation of knowledge across the system.

Participants saw key areas for support to improve use of data and to promote research engagement as including:

• Providing the time and space for practitioners to meaningfully engage in collaborative professional dialogue regarding data, research and their practice is crucial.
• Participants suggested support from external partners and ‘experts’ would be welcome to help make ‘academic’ knowledge more accessible and assist in its translation to action.
• Improving the range, accessibility and usability of research information in repositories accessed via central portals would be welcomed.