Investigating the Use of Research-Based Information by Educational Practitioners in Finland and the UAE

Abstract

Soukieh, Mohammad Ali. 2021. Investigating the Use of Research-Based Information (RBI) by Educational Practitioners in Finland and the UAE. University of Jyväskylä. Faculty of Education and Psychology. 54 pages.

Over the past few decades, educational research has created a vast knowledge base that has the potential to greatly impact teaching and learning. However, despite the valiant efforts of various stakeholders, there continues to be a persistent gap between research and the application of the knowledge obtained to inform teaching practices.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of Research-Based Information (RBI) in education in Finland and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to examine the factors that influence the use of RBI by practitioners and to investigate what kind of support they need, and to investigate correlations between demographic variables, RBI use, and factors that influence the use of RBI. A total of 90 educational practitioners responded to an online questionnaire that was based on the “Questionnaire about the Use of Research-based Information”, (Dagenais et al., 2008; Lysenko et al., 2014); 45 from the UAE and 45 from Finland.

The data collected in this study suggests that while research use by educational practitioners continues to be a challenge, practitioners in this study reported using more RBI than those in previous studies, especially RBI from the internet. It is likely that the increased use of RBI is due to factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the majority of practitioners from both countries reported using more RBI this year compared to last year. The results also illustrate that promoting the use of RBI begins with cultivating positive attitudes toward educational research, developing practitioners’ digital competences and research expertise, promoting the benefits of research use, and creating capacity for research utilization among educational organizations.