Research-practice Collaboration Research Articles

Transforming science journalism through collaborative research: a case study of the German “WPK Innovation Fund for Science Journalism”

Science journalism, a unique form of science communication, faces grand challenges requiring innovation for its sustainability. This practice insight delves into a research-practice collaboration addressing the “WPK Innovation Fund for Science Journalism”, a pioneering support infrastructure for innovation in German science journalism. Our transformative accompanying research project aims to both support the fund's development as well as advance science journalism research. This report, co-authored by researchers and practitioners, showcases opportunities and challenges, drawing from the three forms of knowledge generated in the collaboration: systems, target, and transformation knowledge. Each of these forms sheds light on specific lessons learned in our project on how to conduct transformative journalism research.

Addressing the Gap: Educational Research and its Implementation

Education is an essential feature of every civilization as it attempts to develop the various aspects of knowledge of the community. Research in education is a significant topic for study itself to connect research and practice in Education. Therefore, research in education must become a priority as it bridges the existence of any gap between the findings of research and the implementation of the recommendations, and to limit any future possibility of its existence. The applicability of research findings is not whether it leads to clear implications for practice, but also whether the implications will materialise in the educational setting and whether the stakeholders will accommodate to the required changes (Bridges, 2015). This paper offers some definitions of educational research and its characteristics, types and levels of educational, and investigates its limitations in practice- the gap between research and practice. There is reference to research in higher education in the Arab world in general and Lebanon in particular. Suggestions are made to support the connection between educational research and educational practice mainly through Research-Practice collaboration. These include the need to support researchers by various bodies in the education field such as universities, governmental institutions, research centers and educational organisations, and more importantly to offer the findings and follow up the implementation practices to help practitioners overcome the real world problems.

Rapid problem formulation for Societal Impact: Lessons from a decade-long research-practice partnership

Problem-oriented research enables scholars to directly explore increasingly complex societal challenges, yet we still lack in-depth insight into the process of problem formulation. In this paper, we offer insight into this process by examining our 10-year engaged research study of Shorefast, a social enterprise based on Fogo Island, Canada, whose mission was to revitalize the community. We show how our research-practice collaboration evolved as a recursive process which we label as rapid problem formulation - a quickly shifting recursive process between problem definition and problem solution. By iterating quickly between problem and solution, researchers and practitioners can create greater impact as their understanding of the problem, and their search for solutions, deepens.

Patient- and community-centered approaches as the cornerstone of health services evaluation in the 21st century.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Moving from Collaboration to Co-production in International Research

In her recent article, Bender offers a timely reflection on research-practice collaborations (RPCs). In this commentary, we expand on Bender’s main findings by reflecting on RPCs within the context of broader trends towards knowledge co-production. We offer some ethical reflections on two particular aspects of co-production that are relevant to any collaboration involving ‘practice’: epistemic equality and community participation. Both are necessary to shift the axis of these collaborations towards a mode of knowledge production that is action-oriented and empowering.

A Food Relief Charter for South Australia-Towards a Shared Vision for Pathways Out of Food Insecurity.

Chronic food insecurity persists in high-income countries, leading to an entrenched need for food relief. In Australia, food relief services primarily focus on providing food to meet immediate need. To date, there has been few examples of a vision in the sector towards client outcomes and pathways out of food insecurity. In 2016, the South Australian Government commissioned research and community sector engagement to identify potential policy actions to address food insecurity. This article describes the process of developing a co-designed South Australian Food Relief Charter, through policy–research–practice collaboration, and reflects on the role of the Charter as both a policy tool and a declaration of a shared vision. Methods used to develop the Charter, and resulting guiding principles, are discussed. This article reflects on the intentions of the Charter and suggests how its guiding principles may be used to guide collective actions for system improvement. Whilst a Charter alone may be insufficient to create an integrated food relief system that goes beyond the provision of food, it is a useful first step in enabling a culture where the sector can have a unified voice to advocate for the prevention of food insecurity.

Co-producing field experiments in public management research: a guide to enhanced research–practice collaboration

ABSTRACT Field experiments have great potential for examining causes and effects in public management research. However, field experiments pose unique challenges, including developing and maintaining support from public managers and organizations. We offer a guide to the design, planning, and implementation of collaborative field experiments for scholars looking to move from initial interest to action. Focusing on five key phases of the research process, we offer, in one place, a practical guide and critical discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of co-producing field experiments with practice. Recent examples of co-produced field experiments suggest mutual benefits for public management research and practice.

2SAFE: a health belief model-integrated framework for participatory ergonomics

Initiating ergonomics interventions in a business environment requires changes in the behaviour of relevant actors. When participating in an intervention, researchers need to collect and share information with practitioners to help them make better behaviour-related decisions. This paper describes the five-step 2SAFE (Surveillance, Screening, Assessment, Framing, and Evaluation) planning framework, which can be used to guide research-practice collaboration in participatory ergonomics programmes. This framework combines the understanding of work-related musculoskeletal disorders with the principles of the health belief model. This theoretical synthesis empowers the framework to address the following critical challenges: (1) how to make data collection processes attuned to the nature of ergonomic injuries; and (2) how to transform the data collected into immediately usable information for practitioners to change their behaviours. The framework is interdisciplinary and can facilitate transfer of knowledge between ergonomics and health behaviour science. The framework can enhance the ability of researchers to collaborate with practitioners and bring participatory ergonomics programmes closer to success. In the long term, we hope that this framework can lead to more high-quality interventions that are able to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders in various industrial settings.

Industry–Academia Research Collaboration and Knowledge Co-creation: Patterns and Anti-patterns

Increasing the impact of software engineering research in the software industry and the society at large has long been a concern of high priority for the software engineering community. The problem of two cultures, research conducted in a vacuum (disconnected from the real world), or misaligned time horizons are just some of the many complex challenges standing in the way of successful industry–academia collaborations. This article reports on the experience of research collaboration and knowledge co-creation between industry and academia in software engineering as a way to bridge the research–practice collaboration gap. Our experience spans 14 years of collaboration between researchers in software engineering and the European and Norwegian software and IT industry. Using the participant observation and interview methods, we have collected and afterwards analyzed an extensive record of qualitative data. Drawing upon the findings made and the experience gained, we provide a set of 14 patterns and 14 anti-patterns for industry–academia collaborations, aimed to support other researchers and practitioners in establishing and running research collaboration projects in software engineering.

Developing Behavioral and Evidence-Based Programs for Wildfire Risk Mitigation

The actions of residents in the wildland–urban interface can influence the private and social costs of wildfire. Wildfire programs that encourage residents to take action are often delivered without evidence of effects on behavior. Research from the field of behavioral science shows that simple, often low-cost changes to program design and delivery can influence socially desirable behaviors. In this research report, we highlight how behavioral science and experimental design may advance efforts to increase wildfire risk mitigation on private property. We offer an example in which we tested changes in outreach messaging on property owners’ interest in wildfire risk information. In partnership with a regional wildfire organization, we mailed 4564 letters directing property owners to visit personalized wildfire risk webpages. By tracking visitation, we observed that 590 letter recipients (12%) sought information about their wildfire risk and response varied by community. This research–practice collaboration has three benefits: innovation in outreach, evidence of innovation through experimental design, and real impacts on interest in wildfire mitigation among property owners. Future collaborations may inform behavioral and evidence-based programs to better serve residents and the public interest as the risks from wildfires are projected to grow.

Collaborative research and development: a typology of linkages between researchers and practitioners

ABSTRACT Emerging discussions about research-practice collaboration in social work have sought to explore why collaboration and engagement are important. However, knowledge about how these collaborations unfold remains limited. The present study explored 17 collaborative research and development projects involving social work researchers and practitioners in the German speaking area (Germany, Austria and Switzerland). It aimed to capture the complexity of these collaborative projects by examining and describing the various forms that linkages between research and practice can take in social work. Data collection comprised document analysis and semi-structured interviews with researchers and practitioners involved in the projects considered. Data were analysed using open coding technique and the constant comparative method to identify emerging concepts and broader categories. This analysis enabled identification of five types of collaborative projects: Collaboration for i) scientific knowledge production; ii) the development of new procedures; iii) development of service organisations, professional practice and practitioners; iv) implementation of a specific practice; and v) support of political decision-making. Findings suggest that collaboration is influenced by the specific social welfare regime, cultural issues, as well as the configuration of, and dynamics between them in the projects.

Partnering with School Providers to Co-Design Mental Health Interventions: An Open Trial of Act & Adapt in Urban Public Middle Schools.

Schools are well positioned to provide access to youth mental health services, but implementing effective programs that promote emotional and behavioral functioning in school settings is complicated by the poor fit of interventions developed in research settings to complex school contexts. The current study formed a research-practice partnership with two urban public schools and mental health providers employed by those schools (N = 6, 100% female, 50% Black/African American, 50% White/Caucasian) in the adaptation of a depression prevention intervention, Act & Adapt. The intervention was modified by decreasing meeting time and streamlining session content, increasing flexibility, making intervention materials more similar to academic curriculum, and increasing the focus on managing disruptive behavior within group sessions. In an open trial, 6th grade students (N = 22; 59% boys, 31% Hispanic, 22% Black/African American, 4% Asian, 30% White/Caucasian) at both schools who were identified as clinically "at risk" reported improvements from baseline to post-intervention and at one-year follow-up on measures of emotional and behavioral difficulties and coping strategies, with parallel results by caregiver report. The providers reported satisfaction with the intervention, and qualitative analyses of provider focus groups suggested both barriers and facilitators to research-practice collaborations to implement mental health interventions in schools.

Child-centred risk reduction and school safety: An evidence-based practice framework and roadmap

This paper was developed to stimulate discussion across the broad global community of practice engaged in child-centred risk reduction and school safety, in discussion, co-development and action-planning. The purpose of the research was to develop a framework and roadmap to answer the questions of how to best design, develop, evaluate, and implement child-centred risk reduction (CCRR) and school safety (SS) policies and practices with documented outcomes and impacts, sustainably and at scale?A mixed methods design included 1) a researcher-practitioner survey 2) bibliometric and stakeholder network analysis 3) face-to-face consultations with more than 250 members of the wider researcher-practitioner community in eight locations around the globe, with the aim of identifying research and practice links, gaps and priorities.Collective impact theory was used to build a guiding framework and to elaborate a strategic roadmap for organisations and individuals to move to a new way of working collaboratively and programmatically.Recommendations are elaborated in five areas1. Promote research-practice collaboration: adopt a common agenda and focus and identify partnerships.2. Advocate for organisational and sector culture change to support a shift to evidence-based, programmatic agenda and work.3. Promote evidence-based practice, practice-based evidence and research utilisation.4. Build capacity, through communities of practice, competency framework, and professional development to ensure best practice in day-to-day work.5. Future research questions: related to the draft roadmap, a set of logically linked research questions for consideration and discussion by the CCRR/SS community.

“You’re going to burn some bridges if you come at it the wrong way”: Reflecting on the realities of research-practice partnerships

ABSTRACTCollaborations between researchers and practitioners are valuable for community development but are challenging to implement. This study aimed to assess how researchers and practitioners perceive such collaborations and examine their ideas about how collaborations can be conducted more effectively. Developing one such research-practice collaboration to conduct this project, we examined the collaboration experiences of youth development researchers and 4-H practitioners in New York State. Quantitative and qualitative data from this investigation illustrate the challenges and rewards of collaboration and point to communication as a key element in success. Results also highlight the importance of researchers and practitioners having the interpersonal and practical skills to overcome considerable challenges and reveal that, although the benefit may not be equal, many on both sides are passionate about developing these partnerships. The results of this study can enable future collaborations to be more effective and useful for researchers and the communities who engage with them.

Why is research–practice collaboration so challenging to achieve? A creative tourism experiment

Within tourism research, there has been little attention to research–practice knowledge exchange during the research process nor to practice-based research. This article examines a research-and-application project on creative tourism in which research–practice collaboration is explicitly foregrounded and made central. Through a reflexive process, the challenges this hybrid approach embodies and the pragmatic dilemmas that accompany the complexities of building closer research–practice relations and capturing practice-based knowledge are examined in three strategic areas: developing spaces for ongoing knowledge exchange, enabling practitioners to take on the role of co-researcher, and fostering researchers’ close attention to the application side of the project. In the context of the CREATOUR project, hybrid roles question who can do research, reinforce consideration of the added value of research processes for practitioners, and lead researchers to go beyond traditional research activities, with this ‘disruptive’ context causing tensions, uncertainties, and dynamic co-learning situations. Ongoing interactions over time are necessary to build relations, understanding, and trust, while flexibility and responsiveness are vital to address emerging issues. Training on research–practice collaboration, knowledge transfer, and mentorship techniques for both researchers and practitioners is advised. Challenges in integrating practice-based knowledge directly into research articles suggest a customized communication platform may be a useful ‘bridging’ mechanism between practice-based and academic knowledge systems.

Ripe for Disruption? Adopting Nurse-Led Data Science and Artificial Intelligence to Predict and Reduce Hospital-Acquired Outcomes in the Learning Health System.

Nurse leaders are dually responsible for resource stewardship and the delivery of high-quality care. However, methods to identify patient risk for hospital-acquired conditions are often outdated and crude. Although hospitals and health systems have begun to use data science and artificial intelligence in physician-led projects, these innovative methods have not seen adoption in nursing. We propose the Petri dish model, a theoretical hybrid model, which combines population ecology theory and human factors theory to explain the cost/benefit dynamics influencing the slow adoption of data science for hospital-based nursing. The proliferation of nurse-led data science in health systems may be facing several barriers: a scarcity of doctorally prepared nurse scientists with expertise in data science; internal structural inertia; an unaligned national "precision health" strategy; and a federal reimbursement landscape, which constrains-but does not negate the hard dollar business case. Nurse executives have several options: deferring adoption, outsourcing services, and investing in internal infrastructure to develop and implement risk models. The latter offers the best performing models. Progress in nurse-led data science work has been sluggish. Balanced partnerships with physician experts and organizational stakeholders are needed, as is a balanced PhD-DNP research-practice collaboration model.

Knowledge partnerships between schools and universities: modelling the process of connection and relations

The purpose of this paper is to throw light on sustained research–practice collaborations (called ‘schemes’ here) aimed at improving educational outcomes. The empirical work combines a survey of thirteen school–university knowledge-exchange schemes in six European countries, with four case studies drawn from these. Three theoretical models of knowledge use are employed to aid analysis of these cases. It is suggested that a judicious mix of the three perspectives helps in understanding what makes such collaborations successful. Stages in the cyclical process of improving practice through use of research are described, beginning with frank analysis of pre-existing ways of thinking and culminating in the challenge of altering established practice.

PROTOCOL: Strategies for scaling up the implementation of interventions in social welfare: protocol for a systematic review.

PROTOCOL: Strategies for scaling up the implementation of interventions in social welfare: protocol for a systematic review.

Charting the emergence of a ‘knowing system’ for climate change adaptation in Australian regional natural resource management

Climate change increases the complexity and uncertainty of regional natural resource management (NRM), calling into question the appropriateness of linear knowledge-transfer approaches. In this paper we reflect on knowledge practices among a partnership of researchers and NRM planners, under a federal program of NRM investment intended to ‘deliver information’ to regional NRM planners to support planning for climate change. We unpack ‘container’ and ‘conduit’ metaphors of linear, one-way communication invoked by the starting conditions, and explore whether more relational ways of communicating were achieved. A key theme emerged early in the research that NRM planners felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information available and discouraged by the irrelevance of much of it to their climate change planning. Our research-practice collaboration unfolded in this context and through ongoing face-to-face and virtual engagement over a period of two years. The collaborative approach featured joint identification of priority activities, co-design of planning approaches, and the iterative co-development of an online ‘information portal’, which acted as a boundary object. We report the emergence of a ‘knowing system’, resulting from these efforts to foster relationships and co-produce boundary objects in a particular geographic context. Our findings highlight the potential benefits of investing in the capacity of researchers and NRM practitioners to engage in collaborative research partnerships premised on the emergence of knowing systems.

Facilitating real-time observation of, and peer discussion and feedback about, practice in writing classrooms

This study investigates conditions designed to optimize learning where professionals utilize the expertise and support of one another. It describes a research–practice collaboration to enhance teacher knowledge and practice through peer observation of, and feedback about, classroom practice in writing. A collaboratively designed observation guide, containing key elements of effective practice in teaching writing, helped focus classroom observations and discussions. The feedback-after-observation discussions, aimed at improving practice, were facilitated through employing principles to help ensure the conversation maximized learning. All teachers at a school (11 pairs) engaged in seven rounds of observation and feedback over one year. Several data sources tracked progress and outcomes including observation ratings and notes; post-feedback discussion questionnaires; and written responses during professional learning meetings. Data show that most feedback discussion contained specific change or enhancement messages and, over time, the degree of specificity increased. There was evidence for the utilization of feedback in the form of changed practice. Perceived usefulness of feedback varied. The process of observing and engaging peers in dialogic feedback was challenging. Teacher responses confirmed the need to build content knowledge about writing and writing pedagogy, together with skills to engage in professional learning conversations to promote and support changed practice.