Photo of glasses atop two open books, with a row of books behind.Updated, April 2022

The Center for Parent Information and Resources (the CPIR) is naturally very interested in what the research has to say about effective dissemination practices. We’ve been monitoring it and learning from it for years and are pleased to summarize what research has found and can tell us as disseminators.


The Nature of Knowledge Building

Information dissemination has come a long way and, with it, our understanding of how to transfer knowledge, build skills, and improve capacities. One thing we’ve learned is that giving people information alone is very likely to fall far short of transferring actual knowledge to them or influencing their actions. (1)

These findings indicate that we must do more than disseminate information, and that what we do disseminate must be framed in terms and ways that build knowledge and inform action.

The knowledge management and utilization (KM) field greatly informs the process by which disseminators can  respond to this challenge. In the KM frame, knowledge is “the understanding that develops as people react to and use the information that is available to them.” (2)  Information becomes knowledge when people translate what they receive into their own terms and make it “their own.” (3)  People are most likely to do this and then use the knowledge when a personal significance or social component is involved. (4)  This makes the information relevant, worth pursuing in greater depth. It also motivates people to act—to pick up a phone and call a reputable source for help, to change professional practices or personal ones.

Thus, to be effective, disseminators must pair information with a personal connection, so that people can see how it connects to their own lives and how to use it there.

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Dissemination’s Bottom Line

Dissemination is an evidence-based craft whose bottom line, always, must be understandability and utilization. (5)  Implicit in this bottom line are attendant questions: Understandable to whom? Utilized by whom? How? To what purpose?

Only users can effectively answer these questions. The large body of research on dissemination is replete with this same message, stressing again and again that, to be effective, dissemination must:

  • come from a source the user finds credible; (6)
  • involve collaborative problem solving and exchange between disseminator and recipient; (7)
  • utilize a social marketing perspective and design (which is strongly user-oriented); (8)
  • embed in its process a multi-way dialogue and social components to engage, motivate, and support the recipient in utilization; (9) and
  • be tailored to fit user need, culture, and local context. (10)

The last point, tailoring, speaks directly to dissemination’s bottom line, especially to understandability. Understandability hinges on the degree to which information is attuned to a user’s reality and is seen by the user as relevant and applicable. (11)  “User reality” has become as complex as our society itself, varying along such dimensions as ethnicity, culture, native language or mode of communication, reading ability, disability, SES, and technological savvy. (12)  Consider the sheer numbers of people affected by just two of these, literacy and language:

  • 43 million adults in the US have low literacy skills. In terms of literacy rate, the USA ranks 125th out of 194 nations. (13)
  • 41% of adult immigrants score low enough to be described as below basic or functionally illiterate. Hispanic immigrants struggle with English more than non-Hispanic immigrants (63% v. 23%). (14)

There are specific ways to craft and present information that supports diverse users in accessing, understanding and applying it, including:

  • adhering to the principles of universal design;
  • writing in plain language;
  • defining terms;
  • activating or providing any prerequisite knowledge;
  • making translations available;
  • offering the same information in a different format (e.g., audio); and
  • providing users with opportunities for exchange and dialogue with each other and with the Center. (15)

Dissemination needs to be conducted in the same user-driven way. Dissemination cannot be “broad-spectrum” approaches to “everyone at once” but must favor dissemination to specific audiences, via the entities they trust and the vehicles they typically use.

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The Digital Divide

Recognizing that not everyone uses the Web is one crucial “user reality” that cannot be ignored. Although their numbers have been diminishing as years go by, millions still don’t go online, and the reasons they don’t are important. The most influential reasons are age, income, education, ethnicity, and access. (16)   For example:

  • Household income makes a substantial difference in what technologies are available and used at home (e.g., home broadband services, a smartphone, a desktop or laptop computer, a tablet). The Pew Research Institute reports that 25% of adults with household incomes below $30,000 a year say they don’t own a smartphone; 4 in 10 don’t have broadband services or a desktop/laptop computer. And the majority do not own a tablet. By comparison, each of these technologies is nearly always available in households earning $100,000 or more a year.  (17)
  • Adults with low Internet access (including those with only dial-up connections) rely on TV, radio, and other media for information and are less successful than high-speed Internet users at getting the material they need. Still, they need information with the same intensity and for the same reasons as the rest of the population. (18)


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Addressing The Digital Divide

A dissemination center such as CPIR currently must offer an array of other ways (besides the Web) that people can access its information and services, including:

  • email;
  • conferences;
  • social media; and
  • access to everything available on the site in text and audio format, both downloadable to cell phones and personal data assistants.

Interestingly, while Black and Hispanic adults in the United States are less likely than White adults to own a traditional computer or have high-speed internet at home, there are no racial and ethnic differences when it comes to other devices, such as smartphones and tablets. (19)

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Using Social Media

The dissemination literature places great emphasis on the power that interaction between users and disseminators has to make information dissemination effective. The explosion of social media certainly bears witness to the power of interaction and exchange.

Merriam-Webster defines social media as “forms of electronic communication (such as websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos).” (20) There are many social media platforms, each with millions of users. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Reddit are just a few of the most popular. These platforms are extremely powerful ways to share your work and message. Many assert that social media has become the most effective tool for information dissemination. (21)

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References

1  Ademan, H., & Taylor, L. (n.d.). Systemic change and empirically-supported practices: The implementation problem. Retrieved June 13, 2008, from the Center for Mental Health in Schools Web site: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/systemic/implementation problem.pdf

2  Quotation from page 13 of:  Petrides, L.A., & Nodine, T.R. (2003). Knowledge management in education: Defining the landscape. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education website: https://www.iskme.org/file?n=Knowledge-Management-in-Education-Defining-the-Landscape&id=932

3  Tugwell, P.S., Santesso, N.A., O’Connor, A.M., Wilson, A.J. (2007, December). Knowledge translation for effective consumers. Physical Therapy, 87(12), 1728-1738.

4  Louis, K.S., & Jones, L.M. (2001). Dissemination with impact: What research suggests for practice in career and technical education. St. Paul, MN: National Research Center for Career and Technical Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 461 768)

5 Westbrook, J.D., & Boethel, M. (1997). General characteristics of effective dissemination and utilization. Austin, TX: National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research.

6 Multiple sources, including:

Scullion, P. A. (2002). Effective dissemination strategies. Nurse Researcher, 10(1), 65-77.

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL). (1996b). Improving the usefulness of disability research: A toolbox of dissemination strategies (Guides To Improving Practice, No. 2). Austin, T: Author.

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL). (2001). General orientation to new knowledge utilization fields of informatics, knowledge management, and information technology. Austin, T: Author. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 457 621)

7 Multiple sources, including:

Scullion, P. A. (2002). Effective dissemination strategies. Nurse Researcher, 10(1), 65-77.

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL). (2001). General orientation to new knowledge utilization fields of informatics, knowledge management, and information technology. Austin, T: Author. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 457 621)

Zanin-Yost, A. (2004). Digital reference: What the past has taught us and what the future will hold. Library Philosophy and Practice, 7(1) (electronic version).

8 Turning Point Social Marketing National Excellence Collaborative. (n.d.). The basics of social marketing. Seattle, WA: Author.

9 Multiple sources, including:

Formoso, G., Marata, A.M., & Magrini, N. (2007). Social marketing: Should it be used to promote evidence-based health information? Social Science & Medicine, 64(4), 949-953.

Graham, I.D., Logan, J., Harrison, M.B., Straus, S.E., Tetroe, J., Caswell, W., & Robinson, N. (2006). Lost in knowledge translation: Time for a map? Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 36(3), 13-24.

Hood, P. (2002). Perspectives on knowledge utilization in education. San Francisco: WestEd.

Louis, K.S., & Jones, L.M. (2001). Dissemination with impact: What research suggests for practice in career and technical education. St. Paul, MN: National Research Center for Career and Technical Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 461 768)

Petrides, L.A., & Nodine, T.R. (2003). Knowledge management in education: Defining the landscape. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education website: https://www.iskme.org/file?n=Knowledge-Management-in-Education-Defining-the-Landscape&id=932

Scullion, P. A. (2002). Effective dissemination strategies. Nurse Researcher, 10(1), 65-77.

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL). (1996a). Improving links between research and practice: Approaches to the effective dissemination of disability research (Guides To Improving Practice, No. 1). Austin, TX: Author.

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL). (1996b). Improving the usefulness of disability research: A toolbox of dissemination strategies (Guides To Improving Practice, No. 2). Austin, TX: Author.

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL). (2001). General orientation to new knowledge utilization fields of informatics, knowledge management, and information technology. Austin, TX: Author. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 457 621)

Westbrook, J.D., & Boethel, M. (1997). General characteristics of effective dissemination and utilization. Austin, TX: National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research.

Zanin-Yost, A. (2004). Digital reference: What the past has taught us and what the future will hold. Library Philosophy and Practice, 7(1) (electronic version).

10 Multiple sources, including:

Santisteban, D. et al. (2006). Utilizing dissemination findings to help understand and bridge the research and practice gap in the treatment of substance abuse disorders in Hispanic populations. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 84S, 94-101.

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL). (2001). General orientation to new knowledge utilization fields of informatics, knowledge management, and information technology. Austin, T: Author. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 457 621)

11 Scullion, P. A. (2002). Effective dissemination strategies. Nurse Researcher, 10(1), 65-77.

12 Louis, K.S., & Jones, L.M. (2001). Dissemination with impact: What research suggests for practice in career and technical education. St. Paul, MN: National Research Center for Career and Technical Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 461 768)

13  Rakicevic, M. (2021, February). 21 Captivating reading statistics and facts for 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2022 from the ComfyLiving website: https://comfyliving.net/reading-statistics/

14  Richwine, J. (2017, June). Immigrant literacy. Retrieved April 24, 2022 from the website of the Center for Immigration Studies: https://cis.org/Immigrant-Literacy-Self-Assessment-vs-Reality

15 CAST. (n.d.). About universal design for learning. Wakefield, MA: Author. Available online at: https://www.cast.org/impact/universal-design-for-learning-udl

16 Fox, S. (2014, January). The social life of health information. Retrieved April 24, 2022 from the Pew Research Center website: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/01/15/the-social-life-of-health-information/

17 Vogels, E. (2021, June). Digital divide persists even as Americans with lower incomes make gains in tech adoption. Retrieved April 24, 2022 from the Pew Research Center website: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/06/22/digital-divide-persists-even-as-americans-with-lower-incomes-make-gains-in-tech-adoption/

18 Estabrook, L., Witt, E., & Rainie, L. (2007, December 30). Information searches that solve problems: How people use the internet, libraries, and government agencies when they need. Retrieved August 3, 2008, from the Pew Internet & American Life Project website: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2007/12/30/information-searches-that-solve-problems/

19 Atske, S., and Perrin, A. (2021, July). Home broadband adoption, computer ownership vary by race, ethnicity in the U.S. Retrieved April 24, 2022 from the Pew Research Center website:  https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/07/16/home-broadband-adoption-computer-ownership-vary-by-race-ethnicity-in-the-u-s/

20 Merriam-Webster. (2022). Definition of social media. Retrieved April 24, 2022 from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20media

21 ConductScience. (2019, October).  The impact of social media on knowledge dissemination. Retrieved April 24, 2022 from https://conductscience.com/the-impact-of-social-media-on-knowledge-dissemination/

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