What is research? Educators' conceptions and alignment with United States federal policies

This study draws on two communities theory to address two major research questions related conceptions of research in educational practice and policy. First, how do educators conceptualize research? Second, to what extent do educators' conceptions of research align with recent U.S. federal educational policies? We conducted 90 semi-structured interviews with educators in the United States, asking them what comes to mind when they think of research. We used open, axial, and selective coding to characterize educators' conceptions of research. We also compared educators' conceptions of research to two U.S. federal educational policies that define scientifically based research and evidence-based interventions. Findings indicate that educators and policies defined research in similar ways, but each included some unique characteristics. Implications from the study include the need for increased communication between federal policy-makers and educators and improved reporting by researchers to better attend to the needs of educators and policymakers.