Introduction The main aim of the study was to explore the technical capacity of members of the 12 Sector Human Resource Development committees of the Human Resource Development Council in the management of evidence-based policymaking in the course of implementing the national and sector-specific Human Resource Development plans for all matters of national human resource development. The study set out to contribute to the urgency and growing importance of research evidence as the basis for making informed policy and practical decisions across the world. There is a significant research gap in understanding how members of the Human Resource Development committees, as policymakers in the context of this study, use research-based evidence in the course of developing Human Resource Development plans. There is limited understanding of the factors that may induce or constrain members of the committees to use research-based evidence in implementing the national and sector-specific Human Resource Development plans. Methodology The study adopted an exploratory, sequential, inductive mixed methods approach in addition to the deductive use of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) knowledge-to-action framework. The target participants for the study were the members of the 12 Sector Human Resource Development committees of the Human Resource Development Council who were asked to complete a questionnaire. The questionnaire elicited respondents’ perceptions about their capacity to adapt knowledge generated; identify inhibiting/ facilitating factors; assess and approve research evidence and sustainable use of research evidence. Qualitative data was collected through conducting interviews with the chairpersons of the committees. The scope of the in-depth interview questions covered respondents’ perceptions on the same key areas as in the questionnaire. This was to allow respondents to express their feelings during the in-depth discussions without any limitations. Findings The insights based on the perceptions of chairpersons and members of the committees in this current study have revealed the areas for possible improvement in managing evidence-based policies in the context of Botswana. Issues that emerged with respect to the perceptions of respondents to adaptation of research evidence included packaging and presenting research evidence; lengthy reports and use of complex language; lack of understanding of the policymaking context by researchers, and inversely, policymakers not understanding the research process; lack of collaboration and engagement between researchers and policymakers; and lack of implementation plans. Issues that related to the perceptions of respondents on factors that may inhibit or facilitate the use of research evidence entailed positive attitude towards evidence-based policies; development of policy briefs; difficulty in accessing research articles, databases and journals; building policymakers’ ability to search for relevant research evidence; insufficient time to read and evaluate research articles; lack of organisational support; and authority and decision-making power. Concerning respondents’ perceptions on assessing and approving research evidence, issues raised covered skills in interpreting the research evidence; policymakers being generalists; lack of appraisal criteria and guidelines; and training on appraising research evidence being more theoretical than practical. As for the strategic interventions suggested to sustain evidence-based policies, respondents highlighted the need for skills development for both researchers and policymakers; participation of policymakers in the research process; and provision of incentive schemes. Conclusions In conclusion, the findings of the current study show that all the sub-constructs of adaptation of research evidence, factors inhibiting or facilitating the use of research evidence, and assessing and approving the quality of research evidence are significantly and positively related to research evidence informing policy and practice. Overall, the insights emerging from this current study provide conceptual tools to use research evidence to inform policy and practice. The study sought to complement and advance the literature on the field of evidence-based policy management, essentially contributing to the research-policy interface in Botswana context. Botswana, as an emerging economy, is still grappling with understanding the dynamics of evidence-based policy management. There is still a need to initiate, develop and sustain evidence-based policy management through strategic interventions. The insights gained from the current study can be used as a basis for future research. / Educational Management and Leadership / Ph. D. (Educational Leadership and Management)

Project (B.S.)--James Madison University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Many strategies can be used to support the use of research evidence in decision-making. However, such strategies have been understudied in crisis zones, where decision-making may be particularly complex, many factors may influence decision-makers’ use of research evidence, and professional judgements may be particularly relied upon. Using synthesis and qualitative research methods, this dissertation examines the role of research evidence in crisis zones and strategies to support its use in decision-making. First, chapter 2 describes a critical interpretive synthesis, which drew upon a broad body of literature around evidence use in crisis zones to develop a new conceptual framework that outlines strategies that leverage the facilitators and address the barriers to evidence use in crisis zones in four systems, namely the political, health, international humanitarian aid, and health research systems. Second, in chapter 3, the focus narrows, and an embedded qualitative case study design was used to gain a deeper understanding into one of the four identified systems, the political system, and specifically the factors that influenced the use of research evidence in the governmental health policy-development processes for Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Ontario. Finally, in chapter 4, a user testing study design was used to zero-in on decision-makers’ experiences with a particular strategy within the health research system, namely an evidence website focused specifically on topics relevant in crisis zones. This dissertation provides a rich understanding of research evidence use by examining knowledge translation strategies in a setting that has been largely unexplored in the broader KT map: crisis zones. The findings from this thesis point to the need for comprehensive strategies to support evidence use in decision-making that draw upon the existing literature and are adapted for crisis zones, which can occur sequentially or simultaneously within or across the four identified systems. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / In humanitarian aid, and specifically in crisis zones, there are many different types of information decision-makers can draw from when making decisions. One specific type of information is research evidence; however, the use of research evidence, and the ways it can inform decision-making in crisis zones, has been understudied. This dissertation addresses this key gap in understanding by: 1) developing a new tool that can help decisions-makers use research evidence to inform their decisions in crisis zones within the political, health, humanitarian aid and health research systems; 2) examining the factors that influence the use of research evidence in the governmental health policy-development processes for Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Ontario; and 3) examining the perspectives of decisions-makers around using one way of supporting the use of research evidence — an evidence website — to support evidence-informed decision-making in crisis zones.