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Understanding where, how, and how effectively teachers obtain their knowledge about pedagogy and instructional strategies is crucial in exposing more present and future teachers to high-leverage and evidence-based practices. Dissemination vehicles, which include practitioner journal articles, textbook chapters, and multimedia tools, have been valuable instruments in implementation science research. In the education and healthcare fields, studying how implementation actors (i.e., teachers; Leeman et al., 2017) gain knowledge on effective practices and apply that knowledge in real-world settings via these and other vehicles ( Lastrapes & Mooney, 2021) can be useful to many stakeholders. In special education, in particular, it can help shape how present and future educators are prepared and how their students are impacted. The present study compared a relatively new dissemination tool (i.e., practitioner journal articles) to more standard and traditional instruments (i.e., textbook chapters; instructional videos) on preservice teacher knowledge of the evidence-based and high-leverage practice instructional feedback (Aceves & Boquet et al.
Kennedy, 2024).
Additionally, this work draws inspiration from Carnine’s (1997) foundational argument that the persistent gap between educational research and classroom practice stems not only from dissemination failures but also from a lack of practical tools to interpret and apply research findings.
Abstract
This study examined how three dissemination formats, practitioner journal article, informational video, and textbook chapter, impact preservice teachers’ knowledge acquisition and perceptions of quality. Seventy-eight participants were randomly assigned to one format presenting evidence-based content on instructional feedback. While knowledge gains did not significantly differ across groups, participants’ ratings of quality, based on Carnine’s (1997) trustworthiness, usability, and accessibility framework, varied by format. A practitioner-friendly rating scale was introduced to guide evaluation. Focus group data further explored how participants judged each format’s credibility and relevance. Findings suggest that multiple dissemination formats may support preservice teacher learning, although participants differed in their perceptions of format quality, and should be intentionally integrated into teacher preparation programs. This research underscores the importance of offering varied, high-quality dissemination tools to promote evidence-based practice use in special education.