Increasing the impact of child-computer interaction research: The Translational Research Engagement Framework (TREF)

A core goal of Child-Computer Interaction (CCI) researchers is to improve the lives of children by translating research into practice. Yet, despite efforts to enhance translation, evidence of success remains limited. This paper addresses calls for strategic efforts to improve research-practice translation in the field by presenting the Translational Research Engagement Framework. The framework draws on existing work regarding research-practice partnerships to propose three levels of translational engagement, ranging in depth and scale of impact: Collaborator (practice partners involved in the research), Pre-Motivated Audiences (non-academics with vested interest in engaging with academic events such as workshops and conferences), and Vehicles of Communication (outputs with intrinsic value to practitioners that can be scaled beyond projects). The framework is illustrated by the translational activities, challenges and implications of a five-year international researcher-practitioner partnership project exploring the role of embodied learning in informal science learning contexts. The paper concludes with discussion of some tensions to be navigated in efforts to translate CCI research to practice, and how the framework offers a tool to plan translational activities before, during and importantly, after projects, to scale benefits to more children. • Despite efforts, evidence of translation of Child-Computer Interaction research to practice is limited. • The Translational Research Engagement Framework is presented to map and plan translational activities. • The framework proposes three levels of activity: Collaborator, Pre-motivated Audiences, and Vehicles of Communication. • The three levels articulate the tension between depth and scale in translational efforts.