How Educators and Decision-Makers Reason about Complex Causal Models and the Adoption of Evidence-Based Practices

Efforts to improve education often draw on research about how people learn and develop. However, turning intricate research findings into effective practices is not always straightforward. People may struggle to understand or accept the complexity of explanations of how we learn, especially when those explanations vary by multiple variables such as student characteristics, subject area, context, or involve dynamic interactions. This project will examine how educators and decision-makers reason about such complex models of the learner when evaluating educational interventions for potential implementation. The research will investigate why individuals sometimes resist adopting research-based practices that include variation in effectiveness across contexts, and how this resistance may limit the use of effective, evidence-based strategies in schools. The findings will support efforts to improve how educational innovations are communicated, evaluated, and implemented, ensuring that all students benefit from approaches that are tailored to a wide range of learning needs and contexts. Using a combination of qualitative interviews and experimental studies this project examine how educators and other stakeholders understand and act on complex causal information when making decisions about educational interventions. A primary focus will be on moderated causal models—those in which an intervention’s effects vary depending on characteristics such as student background, subject matter, or other educationally relevant variables. The research will investigate whether such complexity reduces the likelihood that a given intervention will be selected or supported. Building upon prior research and the results of the qualitative analyses, experimental methods will be used to isolate how different types of moderation and framing influence people’s willingness to endorse causal claims and adopt corresponding interventions. In the final phase, the study will test strategies to improve understanding and acceptance of complex models, including the use of explanatory mechanisms and targeted communication approaches. This work will contribute to both educational psychology and practical decision-making, ultimately informing how research can be more effectively translated into promising and context-sensitive educational practice. This project is jointly funded by the Translation and Diffusion (TD) program that supports research that advances the science of translation and diffusion between research and practice in STEM education and the EDU Core Research (ECR) program, which supports fundamental research that generates foundational knowledge to advance the research literatures in STEM learning and learning environments. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.