Making Research Matter: Towards Evidence-Informed Science Education Practice in the UK

This project aims to strengthen science teachers’ engagement with research evidence and embed evidence-informed practices in UK classrooms through toolkit development and CPD sessions. Building on the research team’s previous work with researchers, learned societies and policy intermediaries, as well as our research on evidence-informed educational practice, the project scaleS these efforts to a national level. We will design and implement a practical toolkit alongside targeted interventions to support science educators in accessing, interpreting, and applying evidence, drawing on nationally representative data. Furthermore, the project will bridge the gap between researchers and practitioners by identifying and addressing mismatches between the production and use of research evidence in science education.

Objectives

• Increase teachers’ confidence and capacity to access, interpret and apply research;
• Identify gaps and misalignments between research production and classroom practice;
• Promote sustainable collaborations between researchers and practitioners to co-create research-informed teaching resources and strategies;
• Establish structures for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of research use in science teaching.

Funder

• Economic and Social Research Council (Impact Acceleration Account, 2025-2026)

Team

• Wonyong Park, University of Southampton (Principal Investigator)
• Carys Hughes, University of Southampton (Co-Investigator)
• Chris Brown, University of Southampton (Co-Investigator)
• Richard Brock, King’s College London (Co-Investigator)
• Marianne Cutler, Association for Science Education (Co-Investigator)

Partner

• King’s College London
• Association for Science Education