ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the issue of quality use of research in education and outlines the focus, scope, significance, evidence base, audiences and structure of the book as a whole. With reference to discussions and developments happening within and beyond education, it explains that:
improved research use requires high-quality research and high-quality use, but quality of use is not well understood relative to quality of research;
understanding what it means to use research well in education is important because there is significant investment in improving research use in schools and systems;
understanding quality use of research is also important because the concept of evidence-based practice is contested and the practice of using research is complex;
the ideas and insights in this book come out of a five-year empirical study focused specifically on quality use of research in Australian schools;
the chapters introduce and illustrate different ways of understanding quality use – as a gap, as an aspiration, as a capacity, as a culture, as a practice and as a system; and
this book is written for professionals who want to understand what using research well means and involves and how it can be supported.
