Navigating ‘the bumpy road’ from research to practice: improving the impact of research on spatial reasoning practice with young children

Gripton, Catherine; Bates, Kathryn E.; Gifford, Sue; Gilligan-Lee, Katie A.; Williams, Helen J.; Borthwick, Alison; Williams, Ashley Y.; Lancaster, Andrea; Farran, Emily K.

Abstract

Ensuring that knowledge generated through research has an impact on early childhood education practice is a familiar and complex challenge. This article reports on an attempt to bridge the research-practice divide in one area of mathematics, early spatial reasoning, through the development of a practitioner toolkit to aid professional learning. The approach was to research practitioner perspectives on what is needed to support practice in this important and often under-recognised area of mathematics. We conducted two questionnaires and three rounds of focus groups across three design cycles where the toolkit was expanded and adapted based on their feedback. Analysis of the data indicates that practitioners in England desire support in all areas of spatial reasoning, having received little or no training previously, and that multiple professional learning resources are required for a diverse sector. We argue that research dissemination, which is inclusive of the breadth of the early education sector, should provide age-range specific, accessible, practice-focussed, multi-modal resources.

Citation

Gripton, C., Bates, K. E., Gifford, S., Gilligan-Lee, K. A., Williams, H. J., Borthwick, A., Williams, A. Y., Lancaster, A., & Farran, E. K. (2025). Navigating ‘the bumpy road’ from research to practice: improving the impact of research on spatial reasoning practice with young children. Early Years, https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2025.2463666

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 3, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Feb 11, 2025
• Publication Date: Feb 11, 2025
• Deposit Date: Feb 5, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 12, 2026
• Journal: Early Years
• Print ISSN: 0957-5146
• Electronic ISSN: 1472-4421
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2025.2463666
• Keywords: research dissemination; professional development; practitioner perspectives; mathematics; spatial reasoning.
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/45038789
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09575146.2025.2463666