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Session Title: Integrating Research-based Information into the Educational Practices of School Workers: What We've Learned so far From a Strategy Involving 200 High Schools
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Panel Session 327 to be held in Fairmont Suite on Thursday, November 8, 9:35 AM to 11:05 AM
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Sponsored by the Pre-K - 12 Educational Evaluation TIG
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| Chair(s): |
| Michel Janosz,
University of Montreal,
michel.janosz@umontreal.ca
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| Abstract:
The New Approach New Solutions (NANS) Strategy is the latest plan of the QuTbec government to increase school success among adolescents leaving in disadvantaged areas. The most disadvantaged high schools of the province are invited to develop themselves as learning organizations, to engage in a rigorous problem-solving process leading to the elaboration and implementation of action plans adjusted to the specific needs of their community. The Strategy promotes interventions based on 1) best practices principles and 2) the regular feed-back from the evaluation team. In this panel session, these two kind of information will be designed as Research-Based Information (RBI). The five presentations proposed will depict the work done by our team in the NANS' evaluation to measure the RBI utilization and to identify the strategies that will most likely bring school practitioners (teachers, professionals, and decision-makers at different levels) to use the RBI in their practices.
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The New Approaches New Solutions (NANS) Strategy: Overview of the Evaluation and the Use of Results for Decision Making
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| Michel Janosz,
University of Montreal,
michel.janosz@umontreal.ca
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| Jonathan Levesque,
University of Montreal,
jonathan.levesque@umontreal.ca
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| Jean L Belanger,
University of Montreal,
belanger.j@uqam.ca
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The NANS strategy (2002-2008) pursues the goal of increasing school success amongst adolescents from very disadvantaged communities. Following the principles of successful prevention programs, 200 high-schools were supported to engage in a rigorous process of program planning, implementation and evaluation. Data gathered for the longitudinal evaluation of NANS (70 sampled high-schools, 30 000 students, 2 500 teachers and principals) were also used to give individualized feedbacks to schools about their evolving situation (students and school characteristics). In this presentation, we will first describe the NANS program and its evaluation design. Second, we will present cross-sectional (Spring 2006) results gathered with self-reported questionnaires administered to 100 principals and 1925 teachers showing that (1) principals had more positive views about the utility of research-based information and (2) that they were much greater users of the retroactions given by the evaluation team. Implication for knowledge transfer in education will be further discussed.
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Formative Evaluation of CIDA, a Ministry Task Team in Charge of Facilitating the Use of research-based information in New Approach New Solutions (NANS) schools
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| Frederic Nault-Brière,
University of Montreal,
fred_briere@yahoo.ca
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| Christian Dagenais,
University of Montreal,
christian.dagenais@umontreal.ca
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| Didier Dupont,
University of Montreal,
didierdupont@fastmail.net
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| Julie Dutil,
University of Montreal,
julie.dutil@clipp.ca
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| Alexandre Chabot,
University of Montreal,
alexandrechabot@fastmail.fm
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| Michel Janosz,
University of Montreal,
michel.janosz@umontreal.ca
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This presentation reports on the formative evaluation of a knowledge-transfer task team, the Coordination of Interventions in Disadvantaged Areas (CIDA), that was specifically created by the Ministry of Education, Leisure and Sports (MELS) in order to facilitate and promote the use of research-based information in schools involved in the NANS project. The objective of the evaluation was to identify and understand the factors that hinder or facilitate CIDA activities. The analytic material was composed of relevant sections from qualitative semi-structured interviews that were administered to the 6 CIDA members and other NANS participants for the 2006 global evaluation of NANS support activities. Data were analyzed using a technique of thematic analysis inspired from Grounded Theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967).
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Factors Influencing the Role of School Boards in Supporting the Use of Research Based Information
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| Christian Dagenais,
University of Montreal,
christian.dagenais@umontreal.ca
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| Didier Dupont,
University of Montreal,
didierdupont@fastmail.net
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| Frederic Nault-Brière,
University of Montreal,
fred_briere@yahoo.ca
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| Julie Dutil,
University of Montreal,
julie.dutil@clipp.ca
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| Alexandre Chabot,
University of Montreal,
alexandrechabot@fastmail.fm
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| Michel Janosz,
University of Montreal,
michel.janosz@umontreal.ca
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In the New Approach New Solutions (NANS) Strategy the school boards are responsible for providing the support to their schools. An important part of that mandate relies on supporting the use of research-based information (RBI). In order to identify the factors influencing the use of RBI we carried out case studies in seven regions, using the same methodology as explained in the previous presentation (c.f. Grounded Theory Methodology). The analysis allows for distinctions to be made among the various regions by taking into account the triangulation of four different perspectives: those of the Ministry, regional offices, school boards and NANS schools. Results show correspondence between the point of view of the different stakeholders. The discussion will focus on the role of school boards as contributors of effective use of RBI by the schools practitioners.
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The Development and Validation of a Behavior and Attitude Questionnaire to Measure Utilization of Research-based Information by School Practitioners
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| Philip Abrami,
Concordia University,
abrami@concordia.ca
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| Christian Dagenais,
University of Montreal,
christian.dagenais@umontreal.ca
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| Michel Janosz,
University of Montreal,
michel.janosz@umontreal.ca
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| Robert Bernard,
Concordia University,
bernard@concordia.ca
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| Larysa Lysenco,
Concordia University,
y_lysenk@education.concordia.ca
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| Marie Pigeon,
University of Montreal,
marie_pigeon@yahoo.ca
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| Jonathan Levesque,
University of Montreal,
jonathan.levesque@umontreal.ca
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Analysis of the questionnaires of research utilization by school practitioners revealed a complex of flaws in these instruments. In their majority, being designed for descriptive purposes, these tools lack psychometric properties. Some reduce research utilization to instrumental use; others inquire only about practitioners' attitudes towards research or focus on isolated factors affecting research utilization. Therefore, we developed and validated a behavior and attitude questionnaire designed to measure educators' use of research-based information in school practice and to examine what factors predict this use. We derived the questionnaire from the comprehensive review of existing research, expert focus groups and interviews. We refined and validated its four-factor structure according to the responses of school practitioners participating in the pilot study using factor analysis. The overall questionnaire as well as each factor has high internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha > .73). All four factors contributed to explain variance in the research utilization construct.
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Beyond Numbers: Qualitative Evaluation of the Factors Influencing the Transfer of Research-based Knowledge Based on Perceptions of Professionals Working in New Approach New Solutions (NANS) Schools
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| Alexandre Chabot,
University of Montreal,
alexandrechabot@fastmail.fm
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| Christian Dagenais,
University of Montreal,
christian.dagenais@umontreal.ca
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| Michel Janosz,
University of Montreal,
michel.janosz@umontreal.ca
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| Philip Abrami,
Concordia University,
abrami@concordia.ca
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| Robert Bernard,
Concordia University,
bernard@concordia.ca
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This presentation communicates the results of a qualitative evaluation which sought to identify factors facilitating the transfer of research-based knowledge (RBK) in NANS high-schools. The evaluation was designed to foster the emergence of different staff members' perception on issues concerning the use of RBK by teachers in their school. Four schools were sampled based on their score on scales of RBK consultation, RBK use and perception/openness to RBK, as measured by a quantitative questionnaire. Subjects were selected using snowball sampling (Patton, 1990) in order to pick individuals concerned by research. Semi-structured interviews were administered to 19 respondents. Data analysis was inspired from Grounded Theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Five major themes will be presented and discussed: 1) teachers' interest/attitude toward research, 2) role of school management team, 3) communication inside the school, 4) teachers' workload and 5) current/ideal characteristics of RBK.
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