Critical Analysis of Dissemination Strategy - Literature review Example

Critical analysis of dissemination strategy Introduction Eimear Enright and Mary O’Sullivan carried out a study to find out whether they could develop a proper channel of physical education. The study had a primary focus on girls in their teenage who tend to have a negative feeling for physical activities. The study involved a sample size of five girls in their first year of college. In order to understand the barriers that influence their ability to get involved in physical education, conversations were deployed so as to obtain the feedback. In addition, participatory research artifacts such as photographs and posters were used in order to guide the conversations. These key findings suggested that a participatory framework for research and the process of formulating a curriculum has the potential of promoting physical education. The researchers also concluded that proper and meaningful engagement of students is an important critique of their physical education experiences. The research also found out that when students are provided with guidance and adequate encouragement, they rise to the challenge posed by physical education and take responsibility during the learning process. Proper guidance can generate a positive and energizing experience for the students involved in the physical activities. In addition, Enright and O’Sullivan (2010) also discovered that during the process of developing a curriculum that was suitable for either party, a number of challenges arise during the procedure. As a result, the researchers propose that enough support should be offered to the adult allies and students in order to preserve the novelty of initial excitement beyond the transition process. The findings from the project report need to be directed to the target audience in an effective manner. The need for such effective strategies ensures that the group in question can learn from the research easily and effectively. An effective strategy for dissemination of the findings also ensures that only the right audience can access the information within the specified timeline. In this case, presentations in meetings and conferences would be the most realistic mode of communicating the findings to the target audience. The main aim of this dissemination strategy is to educate the relevant stakeholders such as teachers and curriculum developers. Presentations in meetings and conferences are of great importance in campaigning for proper physical education activities. They ensure that the education sector stakeholders are encouraged to take the necessary action in order to improve the engagement of teenage girls in physical education activities. Since the main purpose of the study carried out by Enright and O’Sullivan (2010) is to inform the relevant stakeholders on the need to develop suitable physical education curriculum, presentations in formal meetings and conferences hereby offer the most suitable mode of communication. The secondary aim of the dissemination strategy is to ensure that student representatives are involved in the process of formulating a physical education curriculum. The inclusion of student representatives will ensure that the fears of teenage girls during physical education activities are addressed in the new curriculum. Significance of Research Project and Target Audience The research study carried by Enright and O’Sullivan (2010) is of great significance to every stakeholder in the education sector. The stakeholders include physical education teachers, curriculum developers, students and the community at large. The feedback obtained from the research has an influence on the curriculum pertaining to physical education. In this sense, the project proposes that curriculum that governs the training and practice of teachers should be rectified. The researchers came up with better ideas on how to rectify the challenges posed on the mentality of the girls during physical education. Enright and O’Sullivan (2010) propose that local innovation and audience tailoring of the physical education curriculum enhances the experiences of the students. The process of local innovation and tailoring as evident in the project report involves the provision of learning opportunities. These opportunities are customised in such a way that they are solely focused on the learning needs of the students. Local innovation also ensures that the community’s requirements for the students are reflected in the new curriculum and at the same time accomplishing the objectives of the curriculum. The study also proposes that there is a need for the curriculum developers to offer ample space in the national formal physical education curriculum. Such freedom in the curriculum ensures the physical education activities are flexible enough to accommodate multiple and local interpretations. In reference to Enright and O’Sullivan (2010), the new physical education curriculum set to be practiced should ensure that physical education teachers are equipped with the willingness to do things in a different way. Another implication of the project report is to encourage the development of physical education teachers who possess the capacity and confidence to go out of the norm. At this point, teachers are encouraged to get involved voluntarily in understanding the student’s local ideas. Taking notes of such ideas ensures that the views of the students are involved in the process of formulating physical education curriculums. Students are encouraged to mingle freely with their physical education teachers in order to share their experiences. Finally, the research proposes that the opportunities for teachers’ professional development should shift from a basic content platform towards the idea of supporting the students’ ideologies. Through these mechanisms discussed by Enright and O’Sullivan (2010), the physical education stakeholders are keen on involving students on an individual basis in meaningful physical education. Barriers to the presentation strategy. The process of passing on the key information to the relevant target groups vary depending on the target. During dissemination, the strategy involving presentations at formal meetings and conference is curbed by several barriers. The issue of attitudes and varying audience skills can pose a great threat to the presentation strategy of dissemination. Such skills include the level of illiteracy that varies from one target audience to another. For instance, there could be members of the community who do not know how to read or write. In such cases, presentation of the research findings could prove to be a difficulty as they try to keep up with the pace. In reference to Ruxton (2014), research findings tend to provide new concepts to the policy makers. These skills put the policy makers such as curriculum developers in a better position compared to the members of the community who cannot understand the presentations appropriately. The issue of gender and age differences is yet another barrier. In accordance with Enright and O’Sullivan (2010), the main aim of their work is to improve the mentality of teenage girls to physical education; however, there exists a range of target audiences such as teachers and the community at large who are of different ages and gender. The choice of words is, therefore, a challenge as the teenage girls may consider your mode of presentation as boring whereas the community finds it thrilling. In reference to Robb (2014), anyone disseminating information to children and younger people has to be cautious in order to ensure that the information reaches a wider target. Thus, researchers are encouraged to be creative in their method of dissemination and should take it as a continuous process to ensure a wider public understanding. Presentation as a Dissemination Strategy Presentation of a study results takes place when the researcher identifies his or her target audience and presents the findings to them in a face to face communication mechanism. The presentation involves a clear outline of the results arranged in PowerPoint slides. In these slides, graphical representation of the data is emphasised in order to make the process of understanding as smooth as possible. The presenter ensures that only the key points are noted down in the slides and not the whole story. Therefore, he or she has to make sure that they understand their report at a wider level in order to explain the research methodology, findings and conclusion without any difficulties. The advantages of the presentation dissemination strategy are wide having in mind that it is a form of face to face communication. To begin with, the target audience will tend to understand the result findings more when they are elaborated by a presenter. The presentation also offers a platform where the audience can ask the presenter for further clarification on points that they find not clear. Presentations also ensure that verbal and non-verbal cues are exercised. Such cues include tonal variation, gestures and body language that have a great impact on the ability of the target audience to keep up with the presenter. The presenter also ensures that the target audience takes notes of the key findings for further analysis in a process of informing the stakeholders. However, presentations are subject to a number of disadvantages that include the issue of the language barrier, monotony, and geographical barriers. In the case of language barriers, some individuals in the target audience may have difficulties in understanding the language of the presenter. In such cases, an interpreter will be required in order to convey the information as it progresses. However, the process of interpretation makes it a time-consuming process. In order to achieve the best results from a presentation strategy and curb monotony, the presenter has to work on their communication skills. Gestures and body language have to be used in order to curb monotony. The presenter is also required to involve his target audience as much as possible through random questions on the topic at hand (Henderson, Finkelstein & Beach 2010). The presentation strategy deployed for communication of the report by Enright and O’Sullivan (2010) will involve an internal and external strategy. Internally, the presentation will take place in boardrooms that will incorporate formal meetings involving unacquainted peers. These include direct stakeholders such as physical education curriculum developers and teachers’ representatives. The ethics involved are the mode of dressing, speech quality, selection of materials and mode of delivery (Enright and OSullivan 2010). The presenter has to wear formal clothes such as business suits. Carrying out a formal presentation in casual wear such as jeans would be presumed as unethical. During speech delivery, the presenter should carry out formal jokes strictly at the beginning of the session. The speaker should also avoid first name or any other forms of familiar addresses of the stakeholders. Lastly, the presenter should use elevated language and observe generalised anecdotes. The inability of presenters to abide by these ethics results in inadequate reach of the report findings. Such ethical concerns do not affect the delivery of the findings when properly followed. They simply ensure that the report findings are of good quality in order to inform the stakeholders of the state of the issue at hand. Externally, presentations will take place in conferences that will incorporate students and members of the community. Conferences are known as a strategy that can develop connections at the national and international levels with governmental and academic leaders. The presentations observe that the presenter and audience are engaged in a directly in a face to face communication and discourse. The presenters should deliver sample papers to the attendants and prepare slide show presentations. A list of conferences that should be targeted are developed with an objective of attaining a wide national spread of information. The outcome of the presentations in conferences will be measured according to the conference attendance. The ethical concerns surrounding presentations include the ability to offer considerate venue dates to the target audience in advance, allow adequate time for planning the conferences and uphold a professional image during all conference aspects such as delegates’ packs and proceedings (Enright and OSullivan 2010). Conclusion The above dissemination strategy on report presentation provides the Enright and O’Sullivan (2010) study with a solid plan against which findings can be communicated to the selected target audience. The researchers will deploy an internal format followed by an external coverage. Formal meetings with the stakeholders such as curriculum developers and teachers will be backed by a conference involving the same stakeholders, students, and the community. The objectives of the strategy such as informing the stakeholders will be achieved through effective communication skills and observing the relevant ethics. The ability of the dissemination strategy to involve the target audience makes it the most applicable tool for communicating the research findings. References Henderson C., Finkelstein N. & Beach A., 2010. Beyond dissemination in college science teaching: An introduction to four core change strategies. Journal of College Science Teaching, 39(5), pp. 18-25. Enright E. and OSullivan M. 2010. Can I do it in my pyjamas?” Negotiating a physical education curriculum with teenage girls. European Physical Education Review, 16(3), p. 203–22. Robb M. (2014) Disseminating Research: Shaping the Conversation. Module Reader Chapter 15 Ruxton S. (2014) Achieving Policy Impact: Module Reader Chapter16 Read More