Discrepancy between Intention and Realization in an Implementation Research Perspective: When Researcher and Teachers Talk Past Each Other

Abstract

Abstract This article (an extension of a conference paper presented at CERME12; Østergaard & Jankvist, 2022) discusses influential factors in the longitudinal implementation of an innovation concerning students’ beliefs, especially reflection, in mathematics education. Here, the researcher constantly found herself “talking past” the two involved teachers. In the search for a deeper understanding of the discrepancy between the intended and the realized outcome, qualitative data collected in planning sessions and classroom observations are analyzed by applying theoretical constructs from implementation research. In particular, three influential factors appeared to play a central role in the case presented in the paper: characteristics of the end-users, attributes of the innovation, and implementation support strategies. The findings suggest that some of these factors may even have been contradictive to the intentions of the innovation. Furthermore, the article also contributes to the discussion of whether small-scale, qualitative studies have a role to play in implementation research, illustrating how a deeper understanding of the processes involved can be achieved. The impact sheet to this article can be accessed at 10.6084/m9.figshare.22304629.