The Potential Influence of Youtube as a Means of Disseminating the Findings of Research to Millennial-Aged Teachers

Abstract

This study sought to discover if the means by which research was presented could influence teachers’ attitudes towards research. Survey and interview methodologies were used in the study. Findings included participants’ feeling that video may not provide the details that teachers would need to put the findings of the study into practice. They also indicated that follow-up professional learning would be required after video viewing. Participants’ level of accuracy regarding the findings of written or video research reports was low, at about 50% accuracy. While the group receiving the YouTube version of the study almost exclusively stated a high likelihood to access research presented in this format again, the group who received the written version of the study was not enthusiastic towards accessing written research in the future. It was not clear whether format has a notable influence on tendencies to use research to support professional learning and practice. As our information consumption tendencies trend towards mediums that promote rapid consumption, researchers should be aware that their work might be made more effectively available to young teachers by being presented in the format of a video, such as those hosted on YouTube.