ABSTRACT
Teachers involved in Closing the Gap: Test and Learn were given training to conduct teacher-led randomised controlled trials and other forms of experimental research. The chapter reports findings from three studies. Firstly, qualitative evidence from focus groups with the teachers who completed studies is discussed. Secondly, the Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire seeks to compare the evidence-based practice of teachers who had undertaken research with a control group who had not. Finally, the outcomes of the teachers' research are reported. The chapter summarises the implications and findings from this strand of delivery and looks at the wider implications for teacher practice, the development of scientific literacy amongst teachers, for education research more generally and for the development of evidence-based and evidence-informed practice. It argues that the choice of design should be a question of the balance of external and internal validity that the researcher feels comfortable with in terms of ultimately being able to defend their conclusions.
