Exploratory research in public social service agencies: As assessment of dissemination and utilization

The purpose of this study was to investigate how nine exploratory research studies were disseminated & utilized by social services agencies in four CA counties. It is based on in-depth interviews with 16 key social service agency staff members in four counties who were involved in the planning & implementation of the research projects. While reports were disseminated internally to agency management staff, the results revealed that fewer were shared with supervisory & line staff. All of the studies influenced agency thinking &, in some cases, specific agency decision-making processes. The key factors influencing the utilization of research included: (1) characteristics of the findings & recommendations, (2) specific project situations, (3) practitioner & researcher characteristics, & (4) communication. Implications for future research & practice are identified in relationship to improving the scope of work, strengthening the agency-researcher partnership, developing a research networking program, & increasing media strategies for bringing research to the marketplace. 35 References. Adapted from the source document.