Abstract
We conducted this conceptual study to determine if the Institute of Education Sciences/National Science Foundation pipeline of evidence guidelines could be applied as a protocol that researchers could follow in establishing evidence of effective instructional practices. To do this, we compared these guidelines, new drug development process, and our own research on major methodological designs and found that they show remarkable consistency in the process by which types of studies intended to answer different research questions build a body of evidence for practice, whether that practice is in the instructional environment or health care environment. However, none of the protocols offers a constellation of studies at each stage that would be essential for movement to the next stage or the indicators of quality for each type of study. The goal of this effort is to develop consensus in the educational research community about a pipeline of evidence protocol that provides educators with confidence that the instructional practices they employ have a high likelihood of success and will enable a positive impact on the student’s learning and, in the broader context, the student’s ability to contribute to society.
