Designing measures of complex collaborations with participatory, evidence-centered design

Area of Science:

• Education Research
• Collaborative Studies
• Measurement Design

Background:

• Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) are increasingly common for educational improvement.
• Challenges exist in assessing the progress and success of these collaborations.
• A need for valid, reliable, and useful assessment measures for RPPs is recognized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present a participatory, mixed-methods approach for creating measures to assess RPP progress.
• To address the need for effective tools to evaluate the effectiveness of educational research collaborations.
• To ensure assessment measures align with the realities of RPPs.

Main Methods:

• A community case study design was employed.
• A participatory, mixed-methods approach was utilized for measure creation.
• Over 300 members from 80 partnerships provided input and feedback.

Main Results:

• A novel approach to measurement design was illustrated.
• Measures were developed through extensive collaboration and feedback.
• The resulting measures demonstrated alignment with RPP values and practices.

Conclusions:

• Participatory design is effective for creating relevant RPP assessment measures.
• The developed measures offer a valuable tool for evaluating educational research collaborations.
• This approach can enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of RPPs.