Can Educational Research Influence Public Policy?

The focus of this issue of the Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography is on educational research. This term is used to describe the scientific field of study that examines education and learning processes and the human attributes, interactions, organizations, and institutions that shape educational outcomes. ¹ As sonographers and vascular technologists, we view educational research broadly and realize that it extends beyond the traditional classroom. We inclusively consider our roles as educators in a clinical setting with patients, providers, and those trying to gain required clinical skills. Given the very expansive group of sonographers and vascular technologists that are contributing to education as well as our traditional educators, we have much to discover and disseminate. The medical model for research has promoted the evidence-based paradigm for best practices of treating patients, and this can also apply to educating both patients and students.

Approaching educational research should be treated exactly like our medical research colleagues. Even though there are not prescriptive rules for conducting educational research, some key factors for conducting rigorous educational research exist, which makes them no less important than other scientific inquiries. ² Here is a list of factors that have been provided^2,3:

1. Pose significant questions that can be investigated empirically

2. Link research to relevant theory

3. Use methods that permit direct investigation of the questions

4. Provide a coherent and explicit chain of reasoning

5. Yield findings that replicate and generalize across studies

6. Disclose research data and methods to enable and encourage professional scrutiny and critique

These principles should not be considered as a metric, checklist, or guide but instead as a way to execute an educational research study that reflects the expectations of rigorous scientific inquiry. Given the vast circle of patients and students that we educate, a single educational research study might not have all these elements, but a successful set of studies is likely to have all these important qualities. Moreover, each educational research study, no matter the participants, has the potential to provide invaluable information to the community.

Methodology is often difficult to orchestrate when putting together an educational research study while making sure that it has the rigor required. Sometimes there is a struggle to determine whether a research question is best answered with quantitative statistics or qualitative interviews. When dealing with educational research topics, it is actually best to leverage both approaches. In fact, Feuer et al. ² states, “No method is good, bad, scientific, or unscientific in itself: Rather, it is the appropriate application of method to a particular problem that enables judgments about scientific quality.” Matching the method to the educational research question is the most important metric to satisfy and share those findings with the public.

Translating educational research methods and findings is extremely important to achieve maximum impact. When results are shared and discussed, the impact of those findings can influence the way that education is provided to our patients, providers, and students. Often, investigators who delve into educational research crave to influence/change a policy or how practice is being conducted. Interestingly, a systematic review was conducted to determine what types of research truly influence public policy, and a total of 16 studies were found that used two or more data collection methods. ⁴ The research studies included in this systematic review were completed across a variety of jurisdictions, policy domains, content areas, and time periods. Although their findings were varied, two influential factors were found that affected decision makers:

1. Interactions between researchers and policy makers through channels such as formal advisory committees and informal relationships

2. Research that matched the beliefs, values, interests, or political goals and strategies of elected officials, social interest groups, and others ⁴

Together, these factors defined an increased use of research results by policy makers. At first glance, this might seem frustrating and almost defeating. An alternative view is to use this information to conduct rigorous educational research and then present results to policy makers in both informal and formal settings. It may also be important to allow decision makers to express their concerns and interests with the research results and maintain extended dialogue. Grimshaw et al. ⁵ has suggested that the goal is often to provide research evidence-information to health care managers and policy makers as opposed to pushing evidence-based decisions. It is important to consider how much information can be gathered from our classrooms and clinical departments that could inform health care managers and policy makers (provided methods are approved and data are secured).

In this particular issue, we highlight educational research that is centered on computer-based testing outcomes for those candidates preparing for credential exams, the use of sonography simulation to expedite clinical competency, and varied techniques to make sure that a reliable blood pressure is recorded on patients. These are different examples of research evidence-information that need to be provided and discussed with health care managers and policy makers, formally and informally. It is through this dialogue and dissemination of empirical evidence that outcomes are improved and our profession is strengthened.

In memoriam: Terry J. Dubose, MS, RDMS, FSDMS, who was an impactful writer, educator, and past Associate Editor of the JDMS. His profound contributions will be missed. Quoting Professor Dubose, “We think with words, words have meaning, and what we think will eventually become our reality.”