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A Study of Educational Knowledge Diffusion and Utilization.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: A Study of Educational Knowledge Diffusion and Utilization.
Authors: Wolf, W. C., Fiorino, A. John, Massachusetts Univ., Amherst., Temple Univ., Philadelphia, PA.
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 125
Publication Date: 1972
Descriptors: Adoption (Ideas), Attitude Change, Change Agents, Communication (Thought Transfer), Diffusion, Educational Innovation, Information Dissemination, Information Needs, Information Seeking, Information Sources, Information Utilization, Innovation
Abstract: Some six hundred educators were studied in depth to determine their experiences with innovation, the influences of recognized diffusion agents upon their adoption of innovations, the characteristics of selected target audiences in relation to the adoption of innovations to personal practice, and relationships between five distinguishable stages of innovation adoption described by rural sociologists and the adoption process described by randomly selected educators. Among the many findings of the study were that: most of the innovative activity was incidental to the operation and financing of the established order; most of the innovations discussed were drawn from outside the environ of the practitioner and used intact or after modifications; personel, direct involvement type diffusion strategies (colleague contact, workshops, institutes, courses) were more popular with innovative subjects. It was also found that innovators have more information sources and more cosmopolite sources of information than do non-innovators. The five-step pattern of innovation diffusion commonly seen in agriculture (awareness/interest/evaluation/trial/adoption) was found to be relatively applicable to the field of education. (JY)
Entry Date: 1972
Accession Number: ED061772
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Some six hundred educators were studied in depth to determine their experiences with innovation, the influences of recognized diffusion agents upon their adoption of innovations, the characteristics of selected target audiences in relation to the adoption of innovations to personal practice, and relationships between five distinguishable stages of innovation adoption described by rural sociologists and the adoption process described by randomly selected educators. Among the many findings of the study were that: most of the innovative activity was incidental to the operation and financing of the established order; most of the innovations discussed were drawn from outside the environ of the practitioner and used intact or after modifications; personel, direct involvement type diffusion strategies (colleague contact, workshops, institutes, courses) were more popular with innovative subjects. It was also found that innovators have more information sources and more cosmopolite sources of information than do non-innovators. The five-step pattern of innovation diffusion commonly seen in agriculture (awareness/interest/evaluation/trial/adoption) was found to be relatively applicable to the field of education. (JY)