Understanding research and evidence: a guide for teachers

In recent decades, there have been demands for teachers to implement evidence-based decision-making and practice in their classrooms (Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation, 2014; Matters 2006). and even to restrict their practice to those approaches which are identified as evidence-based (Bruniges, 2005). It is no coincidence perhaps that at the same time claims about specific educational approaches being evidence-based are proliferating in the research literature, and in policy documents and commercial teaching resources. Just what is this evidence? What exactly does evidence mean? How do we gather the evidence? This PETAA paper explores what is meant by terms such evidence, data, research and methodology; and it will consider how teachers might best use research evidence to contribute to the goal of achieving improved language and literacy outcomes for all Australian children.