Dr. Natthapoj Vincent Trakulphadetkrai hosted by UNESCO and the OECD in Paris and the World Bank in Washington DC throughout Spring 2025 as part of the Knowledge Exchange phase of his UKRI Policy / What Works Fellowship

​​Throughout Spring 2025, Dr. Natthapoj Vincent Trakulphadetkrai – UKRI Policy / What Works Fellow and Associate Professor of Education at the University of Reading – was hosted by UNESCO and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, as well as the World Bank in Washington, DC.
 
These extensive visits formed a crucial part of the Knowledge Exchange phase of his Fellowship, enabling Dr. Trakulphadetkrai to present key findings from his study on effective strategies to improve recruitment and retention in educational research, with a particular focus on impact evaluation studies, such as randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The placements also offered valuable opportunities for him to learn how these major international organisations utilise evidence to shape their educational policy recommendations. 

The findings were based on a study that Dr. Trakulphadetkrai co-designed with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) in London and led from 2023 to 2025. The study employed a robust mixed-methods approach, comprising a comprehensive statistical analysis of around 140 EEF-funded RCTs conducted over the past decade, a national survey of more than 400 key educational stakeholders, and in-depth interviews with over 100 participants, including those who formed part of six detailed case studies. This triangulated methodology generated robust, evidence-informed insights, now captured in a 400-page report, with a summary report and a practical toolkit of around 50 strategies as well as peer-reviewed research articles forthcoming.

​By forging connections with these global organisations, these strategic engagements attempted to maximise the potential impact of the Fellowship project, positioning it to inform future approaches to educational trial recruitment and retention – and, ultimately, to support more effective, evidence-informed policy and practice across the sector.

​Dr. Trakulphadetkrai is grateful to his hosting teams at UNESCO, the OECD and the World Bank, as well as to the funder (UKRI) and his contacts - including, but not limited to, colleagues at the Cabinet Office's Evaluation Task Force and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office - for their invaluable support in making these extended engagements with these intergovernmental organisations possible.