Research-based Dissemination

or Confessions of a Reluctant Disseminator

Bryan G. Cook, University of Hawaii

Time to Matter

• “Each [April], we come to talk to each other at [The Wing Institute Summit]; during the rest of the year we read each others’ papers in journals and write our own papers so that we may, in turn, have an audience the following [April]: an incestuous, closed loop… It is time for us to break out of our closed loop. It is time for us to matter” (Hambrick, 1994, p. 13)

SUCCESs

• Made to Stick (Heath & Heath, 2008)• Ideas stick, and therefore matter, when they

are:– Simple– Unexpected– Concrete– Credible– Emotional – Stories

Typical Dissemination

• “University faculty seldom have the skill sets … needed for them to be successful in disseminating programs” (McKenzie, Sallis, & Rosengard, 2009, p. 114)

• Typical trainings and research reports are often the antithesis of simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, and stories– One-stop inservices (spray and pray, train and

hope)• Incorporating validated dissemination strategies

may improve adoption of EBPs

• Why would being startled make an idea stick?

Unexpected

• Use unexpected stimuli– Participants remembered information

better just before and after a hissing snake popped up on screen (Kock et al., 2009)

• Create curiosity– Ask questions with which audience is

highly familiar, but does not know for sure

Concrete• We all labor under the curse of knowledge• Simple presentation of statistical information

– Pictographs– Evaluative category labels

• Use vivid detail for relevant information– Relevant vivid details = higher attending,

comprehension, and agreement than vivid irrelevant details (Guadagno et al., 2011)

Example of Pictograph

Example of Evaluative Category Labels

Emotional

• The affect heuristic– To deal with the overwhelming complexity of many

decisions, we take mental shortcuts – “We sometimes delude ourselves that we proceed

in a rational manner and weigh all the pros and cons of various alternatives. … Quite often ‘I decided in favor of X’ is no more than ‘I liked X.’” (Zajonc, 1980, p. 154)

Emotional

• Framing– Risky behaviors (screening) are

encouraged by loss framing – Whereas behaviors that minimize risk (e.g.,

adoption of dissemination strategies) are encouraged by gain framing

But …

• I still tend to make boring, scientific presentations– Just look at these lovely slides

• Why don’t I readily incorporate my recommendations?– I’m hoping it is something other than just laziness

Rationale for Scientific Reporting

• Traditional dissemination corresponds with norms of science– Communalism (sharing information)– Disinterestedness– Skepticism (Merton, 1942)

• We’re not supposed to be selling something, we’re reporting science

Jack of All Trades, Master of None

• I’m trained as a special education researcher, not in marketing

• Kreuter and Bernhardt (2009) contrasted the many specialized roles in the auto industry with the many hats worn by researchers– Innovation, curriculum development, grant

writing, teaching, training, evaluation, statistical analysis

Diffusion Experts as Members of Research Teams

• Research teams often include statistical experts

• Fixsen et al. (2013) described purveyors and implementation teams who are experts in “making it happen”

• Educational researchers might similarly involve experts in dissemination/diffusion on research and implementation teams