Improving social practice through the utilization of university-based knowledge

Traditionally, the university has been defined as a center for the production and communication of knowledge, much of it practice-relevant. As one looks-farther along the chain leading from knowledge production to its ultimate utilization, however, the results have been disappointing, notably in the “soft” sciences. One means of heightening knowledge use is that of strengthening the formal links between centres of higher education and centres of application. In the study reported here, formalized arrangements were made between colleges or faculties of education and surrounding school systems, and the knowledge flows between the two sets of institutions were studied from the perspective of knowledge transfer theory and interorganizational theory. The study yielded a set of “core” variables, that could then be clustered into a general model indicating how successful transfers of knowledge can be made.