How Research Moves into Practice - A Preliminary Study of What Training Professionals Read, Hear, and Perceive

Oct 15, 2026

Growing research on training and development shows limited uptake of evidence-based findings in day-to-day practice. This preliminary study examines the research–practice gap by identifying which published sources practicing professionals read and how often, which conferences and meetings they attend and their frequency, which research formats are most usable, and their overall perceptions of research publications and presentations. Results indicate publications reach more professionals than conferences; within publications, professional magazines outperform peer-reviewed journals, and workplace case studies are preferred.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Research questions and scope

Key findings on sources, reach, and formats

Preferences in how research content is presented

Carliner Page 1 of 21 Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology / La revue canadienne de l’apprentissage et de la technologie, V35(1) Winter / hiver, 2009 How Research Moves into Practice: A Preliminary Study of What Training Professionals Read, Hear, and Perceive Saul Carliner, Regan Legassie, Shaun Belding, Hugh MacDonald, Ofelia Ribeiro, Lynn Johnston, Jane MacDonald, and Heidi Hehn Authors Saul Carliner is an Associate Professor of Educational Technology at Concordia University and a member of the board of the Canadian Society for Training and Development. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed to: saulcarl[iner@gmail.com](iner@gmail.com) Regan Legassie is Commandant of Training for the Canadian Forces Joint Support Group and a member of the board of the Canadian Society for Training and Development. Shaun Belding is CEO of the Belding Group of Companies and a member of the board of the Canadian Society for Training and Development. Hugh MacDonald is Principal in HR MacDonald: Training and Development, Inc. and a Chair of the board of the Canadian Society for Training and Development. Ofelia Ribeiro is a PhD student at Concordia University. Lynn Johnston is President of the Canadian Society for Training and Development. Jane MacDonald is the Manager of Marketing and Events of the Canadian Society for Training and Development. Heidi Hehn was Membership Coordinator of the Canadian Society for Training and Development at the time this article was written. Abstract In the growing body of research on the practice of training and development, several studies suggest that use of research-based findings in practice is low. The present study was designed to better understand the research-practice gap by exploring these questions: (1) Which published sources in the field are practicing professionals reading? How frequently do they read these materials? (2) Which conferences and meetings do practicing professionals attend? How frequently do [http://madlib.athabascau.ca/cjlt/index.php/cjlt/rt/printerFriendly/510/240](http://madlib.athabascau.ca/cjlt/index.php/cjlt/rt/printerFriendly/510/240) Carliner Page 2 of 21 they attend these events? (3) In what formats are research content most usable to practicing professionals? (4) What are practicing professionals’ general perceptions of research publications and presentations? Key findings point to publications having a wider reach among practicing professionals than conferences and, of those publications, professional magazines have a wider reach than peer-reviewed journals. In terms of the manner in which the content is presented, practicing professionals prefer case studies from the workplace over other types of content. Résumé Dans le corpus croissant de recherches portant sur la pratique de la formation et du perfectionnement, plusieurs études suggèrent une faible utilisation des résultats de recherche dans la pratique. La présente étude a été conçue afin de mieux comprendre l’écart entre la recherche et la pratique par l’examen des questions suivantes : (1) Quelles sources de publications du domaine les professionnels pratiquants lisent-ils? À quelle fréquence lisent-ils ces publications? (2) À quelles conférences et réunions les professionnels pratiquants assistent-ils? À quelle fréquence assistent-ils à ces événements? (3) Dans quels formats les contenus de recherche sont-ils le plus facilement utilisables par les professionnels pratiquants? (4) Quelles sont les perceptions générales des professionnels pratiquants envers les publications et présentations de recherche? Les résultats principaux indiquent que les publications rejoignent davantage de professionnels pratiquants que les conférences et que, parmi ces publications, les magazines spécialisés ont une portée plus vaste que les publications évaluées par les pairs. En ce qui concerne la manière dont le contenu est présenté, les p

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the preliminary study?

To better understand the research–practice gap by examining what training professionals read, hear, and perceive, including usage patterns and preferences for research content.

Which learning formats are found to be most usable for practicing professionals?

Practicing professionals prefer workplace case studies over other types of research content formats.

How do publications and conferences compare in reach among practicing professionals?

Publications have a wider reach than conferences, and professional magazines reach more practicing professionals than peer-reviewed journals.

Oct 15, 2026

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