ABSTRACT
The importance of applying what we know to the resolution of social problems has long been a concern to social scientists (Love, 1975). Glasser (cited in Love, 1975) once remarked that civilization was a race between catastrophe and knowledge utilization. Others like Love, see a strong need for applying what social scientists know to the field of education. As he puts it:
…most would agree that knowledge utilization, transferring it to a setting where it can be applied, and using that knowledge in some form is a worthwhile aim for social scientists concerned with improving education. (Love, 1975, p. 337)
Despite this interest in knowledge utilization in the social sciences, researchers in education have not dealt with the issue of professional knowledge and the way teachers use it to inform their practice. The literature which has sought to identify the characteristics of effective schools, for example, typically fails to cite knowledge and the way teachers use it as a factor either in creating or defining such schools. Nor is knowledge use generally mentioned when implementation and change are discussed.
