Getting Evidence Moving in Schools (GEMS)

Project summary

Getting Evidence Moving in Schools (GEMS) is a three-year project that aims to improve both the way that research is used in schools as well as the way schools’ use of evidence is researched. 

Project overview  

The project will develop evidence-based resources on key topics in primary school literacy and numeracy, and then examine different professional learning models that build educators’ capacity to use the evidence in those resources. It will also investigate the key characteristics of effective use of evidence in schools.  

Why are we doing it?  

Two challenges have been identified in terms of understanding evidence-informed teaching in Australian schools: 

1. Research is not well used 

2. The use of research is not well researched 

80% of educators in a study of Victorian schools said they ‘highly value’ keeping up-to-date with research, but only 34% use it ‘often’ in practice. 

Furthermore, we don’t know enough about: 

• Conditions in which research ‘lands’ in schools 

• Integration with teaching practice 

• The best tools to support teachers to use evidence 

• The most effective ways to engage with evidence 

Barriers to teachers engaging with research or not using research well, could be due to an overload of information and teacher load in Australia. More than 1.5 million peer-reviewed papers are published annually for Australian educators to sift through, without being contextualized to individual needs. Moreover, teachers in Australia have one of the highest teaching loads amongst OECD countries1 in terms of preparation time and teaching time. The flow-on effect is leaving very little time to use and engage with research. 

The GEMS research investigation aims to: 

• Produce evidence-based resources on literacy and numeracy; 
• Document the key features of professional learning that help to mobilise evidence; 
• Explore how professional learning is implemented in schools to help mobilise evidence; and 
• Explore conditions that support effective mobilisation of evidence including general aspects of a schools’ context such as school leadership, school adoption of professional learning processes, system support and student demographics.  

GEMS Research Framework

The focus of the GEMS research investigation is on understanding the different factors that are involved in mobilising research evidence in schools through professional learning.

The diagram below reflects the key elements investigated as part of GEMS: how schools mobilise literacy and numeracy research through professional learning, and what factors help and hinder the use of research-informed practices in the classroom.

The GEMS Research Framework is intended as a resource to support the evaluation and implementation of multi-school initiatives to strengthen the mobilisation of research evidence in practice

The GEMS Research Framework was compiled by a team from the Faculty of Education at Monash University and is informed by prior studies of research use and professional learning.

GEMS Investigation Paper

The GEMS Investigation Paper, prepared by the Centre for Evidence and Implementation, presents findings from the research investigation for the GEMS project. Key insights described in the paper include:

1. Evidence mobilisation is a deliberate and complex endeavour involving multiple stages and multiple actors
2. Professional learning providers played various roles in supporting schools, and educators valued the support of providers
3. Evidence mobilisation is (still) active, social and demanding for educators when professional learning providers are involved
4. Evidence mobilisation was both superficial and deep, and supportive school structures and environments were a key part of deeper mobilisation
5. Educators’ self-reports and positive attitudes masked experienced difficulties
6. While some measurable changes in educator outcomes occurred quickly, most changes take time and are difficult to sustain
7. Evidence mobilisation enablers and barriers are largely known and predictable
8. Gaps exist between the evidence educators seek and the evidence available

Who is involved?  

GEMS involves 24 primary schools across NSW and Victoria, and three professional learning providers: Agile Schools (NSW), Training 24/7 (in partnership with the Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation, NSW Department of Education) and EdPartnerships International (in partnership with the Bastow Institute of Educational Leadership, Victoria).  

Monash University Faculty of Education will develop the research framework and the Centre for Evidence and Implementation will use this framework to investigate the features of the resources and the professional learning model that encourage evidence use in schools.   

A steering group consisting of representatives from the Bastow Institute of Educational Leadership (part of the Victorian Department of Education and Training), the Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation (part of the NSW Department of Education) and Evidence for Learning will oversee the project.  

Australian and international experts, including Associate Professor Mark Rickinson (Monash University Faculty of Education), Philippa Cordingley (Centre for the Use of Research and Evidence in Education, UK) and Professor Jonathan Sharples (Education Endowment Foundation, UK) will provide guidance to the project.

How is it funded?  

Social Ventures Australia’s Evidence for Learning initiative was a joint winner of the inaugural Eureka Benevolent Foundation Education Prize. The prize, which funds 3 to 5 year projects that have the potential for widespread positive impact on education for disadvantaged students, is awarded on a competitive basis. This Evidence for Learning project is funded by the prize proceeds.

What will be published from the project report? 

• A Research Framework for understanding the different factors that are involved in mobilising research evidence in schools through professional learning;

• An Investigation Paper to summarise the research investigation including the research protocol, results, insights and implications; and 

• An Insights Paper and supporting materials for practitioners to capture and convey the project’s lessons on the effective use of evidence to inform teaching and professional learning 

When will it be published? 

The final project outputs will be published in early 2021. 

1OECD (2018), Teaching hours (indicator). doi: 10.1787/af23ce9b-en

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