Science Communication

A research-practice gap has long been identified in educational research. Although practitioners generally have a positive attitude toward research, research findings are often not utilized or are rejected because they are considered “irrelevant” to practice. In addition, there is a lack of access to sources of scientific knowledge. Science communication, as an element of knowledge transfer, can play a supportive role in translating research findings into educational practice. The central aim of science communication in educational research is therefore to help bridge these “gaps.” 

Plain language summaries

The meta-project is developing a format aimed directly at experts in educational practice and administration. It produces brief summaries of empirical studies on language education that make research findings accessible to a professional audience that is not itself rooted in the academic field. One of the models for this is the concept of the “plain language summary”: this term refers to short summaries of scholarly publications aimed at people outside the academic discipline. They are intended to summarize research findings in easily understandable language. An example of this text format is offered by the Clearing House Unterricht for teacher education in STEM subjects.

A design template and accompanying manual will be provided for the plain language summaries, so that the format can also be used by other researchers or those working in science communication. The short summaries and the supporting documents developed for them will be published on the freely accessible project portal.