The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has published a guide to help researchers plan, execute, and report findings from implementation research, contributing to the evidence base for improving student outcomes. It outlines four key areas: (1) formulating research questions, (2) developing plans for data collection and analysis, (3) detailing the intervention and its implementation, contexts, and the intervention contrast conditions, and (4) analyzing and reporting the details about the intervention and its implementation.
To support researchers in this process, the guide emphasizes starting with research questions that address intervention components, their variations in implementation, contexts, and contrast conditions. Plans for data collection should specify research goals, measures, data sources, and hypotheses. To describe an intervention comprehensively, researchers should examine both its core activities and supporting strategies, using a logic model, documentation, and expert input. They should systematically consider content, quantity, mode, and quality, ensuring fidelity to the intervention design. Findings should link intervention details to impacts, providing insights for future research and practice.
Source (Open Access): Hill, C. J., Scher, L., Haimson, J., & Granito, K. (2023). Conducting implementation research in impact studies of education interventions: A guide for researchers. Toolkit. NCEE 2023-005. National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/2023005/index.asp