Research-based Dissemination
or Confessions of a Reluctant Disseminator
Bryan G. Cook, University of Hawaii
Time to Matter
• “Each [April], we come to talk to each other at [The Wing Institute Summit]; during the rest of the year we read each others’ papers in journals and write our own papers so that we may, in turn, have an audience the following [April]: an incestuous, closed loop… It is time for us to break out of our closed loop. It is time for us to matter” (Hambrick, 1994, p. 13)
SUCCESs
• Made to Stick (Heath & Heath, 2008)• Ideas stick, and therefore matter, when they
are:– Simple– Unexpected– Concrete– Credible– Emotional – Stories
Typical Dissemination
• “University faculty seldom have the skill sets … needed for them to be successful in disseminating programs” (McKenzie, Sallis, & Rosengard, 2009, p. 114)
• Typical trainings and research reports are often the antithesis of simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, and stories– One-stop inservices (spray and pray, train and
hope)• Incorporating validated dissemination strategies
may improve adoption of EBPs
• Why would being startled make an idea stick?
Unexpected
• Use unexpected stimuli– Participants remembered information
better just before and after a hissing snake popped up on screen (Kock et al., 2009)
• Create curiosity– Ask questions with which audience is
highly familiar, but does not know for sure
Concrete• We all labor under the curse of knowledge• Simple presentation of statistical information
– Pictographs– Evaluative category labels
• Use vivid detail for relevant information– Relevant vivid details = higher attending,
comprehension, and agreement than vivid irrelevant details (Guadagno et al., 2011)
Example of Pictograph
Example of Evaluative Category Labels
Emotional
• The affect heuristic– To deal with the overwhelming complexity of many
decisions, we take mental shortcuts – “We sometimes delude ourselves that we proceed
in a rational manner and weigh all the pros and cons of various alternatives. … Quite often ‘I decided in favor of X’ is no more than ‘I liked X.’” (Zajonc, 1980, p. 154)
Emotional
• Framing– Risky behaviors (screening) are
encouraged by loss framing – Whereas behaviors that minimize risk (e.g.,
adoption of dissemination strategies) are encouraged by gain framing
But …
• I still tend to make boring, scientific presentations– Just look at these lovely slides
• Why don’t I readily incorporate my recommendations?– I’m hoping it is something other than just laziness
Rationale for Scientific Reporting
• Traditional dissemination corresponds with norms of science– Communalism (sharing information)– Disinterestedness– Skepticism (Merton, 1942)
• We’re not supposed to be selling something, we’re reporting science
Jack of All Trades, Master of None
• I’m trained as a special education researcher, not in marketing
• Kreuter and Bernhardt (2009) contrasted the many specialized roles in the auto industry with the many hats worn by researchers– Innovation, curriculum development, grant
writing, teaching, training, evaluation, statistical analysis
Diffusion Experts as Members of Research Teams
• Research teams often include statistical experts
• Fixsen et al. (2013) described purveyors and implementation teams who are experts in “making it happen”
• Educational researchers might similarly involve experts in dissemination/diffusion on research and implementation teams
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