Barriers to evidence-based practice by course leaders in a small-specialist land-based higher education institution: a grounded theory study

<ns3:p>Background This study focuses on course leadership in small specialist higher education institutions. Course leaders are pivotal members of the academic team whose role bridges the interests of all institutional stakeholders. In small-specialist Higher Education Institutions, course-leader roles typically include the pastoral care of students, curriculum development, quality assurance, admissions, course marketing, and mentoring of colleagues. Despite the importance of this role, course leadership has been under-researched. The limited research available focuses on the role itself, rather than course leader practice, with little recognition of how course leaders use EBP. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to explain how course leaders use evidence to inform their practice in small specialist HEIs. Methods This study uses a grounded theory approach to investigate evidence-based course leadership. Semi-structured interviews were held, after which transcripts were coded and analyzed through constant comparison and intensive memoing. Substantive theory “Finding balance through compromising” emerged from the data. This theory consists of three core categories: “finding balance,” “compromising” and “feeling undervalued.” Findings The findings show that “compromising” takes place within the course leader’s role, between the course leader’s role and other roles held by the course leader within the small-specialist institution, and between the course leader’s professional and personal lives. Due to the underpinning factor “feeling undervalued,” course leaders rely on experience and institutional data, but not peer-reviewed evidence, to inform their course leader practice, even though they do use these for their teaching practice. Course leaders explained that a lack of professional development, recognition, and resources were the main causes for compromising, and that favoring experience-based practice over EBP is a means to find balance.</ns3:p>