Why Teachers Say Yes (or No) to Research Participation—and What Researchers Can Learn From It

If you ask education researchers about their biggest challenges, chances are they’ll say something about recruitment. One of the first hurdles in education research is finding schools and teachers to participate. To understand what practices and strategies work, for which students and educators, and in what situations, researchers need to recruit samples that are large enough and representative of the populations they want to study. While recruitment has never been easy given competing demands and priorities, many researchers have noted that it has become even more difficult after the COVID-19 pandemic.

To learn more about what might encourage or discourage teachers from participating in research studies, researchers at SRI Education and the University of Missouri surveyed 96 high school teachers during the 2023–24 and 2024–25 school years from two school districts in California and Missouri.¹ Although the survey items focused on high school teachers’ participation in studies specifically about classroom management practices, the findings are useful for shaping recruitment approaches and strategies broadly.

The survey findings reaffirmed that teachers face significant time constraints both in and outside of work, which can make it challenging to participate in research studies. Therefore, teachers must clearly see the benefits of participation for their students, themselves, and the broader field, and be meaningfully compensated for their time and contributions. Below are key findings from teachers’ responses to the survey.

Teachers are motivated to participate when:

• Their participation will directly benefit their students. Most teachers (81%) would be likely to participate in a study related to students’ behavior and well-being, compared with about half (47%) who would be likely to participate in a study about teachers’ classroom management practices.
• They receive financial incentives for their time and effort. About three quarters of teachers (76%) are motivated to participate by financial incentives. Almost half (46%) ranked incentives as one of their top three reasons to participate.
• They know their participation is making a meaningful contribution to education research. Nearly three fourths of teachers (74%) want their participation to meaningfully contribute to education research. In addition, two thirds (65%) are motivated to participate if researchers share or discuss study findings with them.
• They have positive and respectful communication with researchers. Nearly three quarters of teachers (73%) want researchers to be respectful of their time, and about two thirds (63%) would be motivated to participate if the researchers have classroom teaching experience.

Teachers are discouraged from participating when:

• They don’t have enough time during or outside of their work day. About 70% of teachers are reluctant to participate because they have too many other commitments or not enough time to participate in research activities outside of the work day.
• They are concerned about the random assignment process. Almost half of teachers (45%) wanted their participation to ensure they have access to professional development or other resources.
• They worry that their participation may have negative repercussions. Nearly a third (30%) of teachers fear that negative feedback about participation might reach peers or administrators.

Based on what we learned from teachers, below are some dos and don’ts when recruiting teachers to participate in research studies.

Dos and Don’ts for Recruiting Teachers to Participate in Education Research

What to DO

What NOT to DO

Focus on the study’s benefit to students. Lead recruitment conversations with why the study is important and beneficial for students. Provide concrete and tangible examples of what students will gain (e.g., enhancements to student engagement, learning, and well-being). Provide meaningful financial incentives. Meaningfully compensate teachers to acknowledge their time and contributions. Collaborate with local partners to select preferred and accessible vendors. Make participation as effortless as possible. Embed study activities into daily/routine tasks that occur during the regular workday. Schedule around teachers’ preferred time for data collection. Limit communication to necessary and preferred methods. Describe how teachers’ participation will add knowledge to the field. Explain how the study will help answer important questions, and share findings with participating teachers and schools throughout the project (e.g., brief email updates, handouts with key findings). Share your own motivation and teaching experiences. Reveal your interest and motivation for conducting the study and your approach to partnering with teachers. Describe your former experiences as an educator, if applicable.

Don’t add responsibilities without reducing others. Collaborate with school leaders to identify ways to take responsibilities off participants’ plates and provide “protected time” for study activities (e.g., training, reflection, surveys). Don’t be ambiguous about time commitments. Clearly lay out the time required for each component of study participation (e.g., duration of study; hours of required training; timing, frequency, and length of assessments). Don’t deny resources or support to the comparison group. Consider study designs that include an active comparison group (with alternative resources provided), or communicate a plan to provide professional development and resources after the study is complete. Don’t leave concerns about potential negative repercussions unaddressed. Emphasize, to the extent possible, that teachers’ responses, classroom observation data, and interactions with a trainer or coach will be confidential and not shared with school administrators or anyone outside the research team.

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Dos and Don’ts for Recruiting Teachers to Participate in Education Research

Footnotes

Topics: Educator professional development and support Research design Researcher-practitioner partnership School climate

Tags: Collaboration Partners Partnerships