English abstract
Evidence-based practice requires, particularly in this information-abundant age, that
strategic decision making in government and parliament is based on verifiable information
generated through appropriate, rigorous, and high-quality research. Academics could play
a larger role in policy support within this framework by using creative thinking to support
the use of evidence in strategic decision making. Therefore, this study aims to explore the
reality of the information obtained and its use in the strategic decision-making process in
the Council of Oman. It also examines the awareness of EBP among members and
information specialists at the Council of Oman. Moreover, it identifies the barriers to EBP
use, including training needs for implementation of the practice. The data collected
through mixed-method approach consisting of both quantitative and qualitative methods.
The quantitative method consisted of a survey questionnaire sent to all members of the
Council of Oman, and the qualitative approach consisted of 5 semi-structured interviews
and content analysis of (17) documents to gain a better understanding of the data from the
first stage survey.
The findings indicated that most participants have a university education, and they primarily
seek to collect economic information related to Oman's declining economic situation,
participating members particularly for preparing work papers and updating information and
information specialists for preparing studies. The Internet and National Center for Statistics
and Information (NCSI) are the two main information sources used, but Internet skills
require improvement, particularly among members. The Library of the Council of Oman is
not one of the main sources used. The information obtained is used in the committees that
form the basis of the Council's information work, to prepare draft resolutions and to enrich
parliamentary discussions. The participants' responses overall did not correspond to their
level of EBP awareness, which could be attributed to a lack of EBP experience and practice.
However, the Council documents examined made no mention of the need to use EBP in
making strategic decisions. Participants identified several potential barriers to using EBP,
including restrictions on government information, a lack of information sources, a lack of
accurate information, and the unavailability of offices and computers for Council members.
Finally, the study proposed a model for evidence-based practice (EBP) in the Council of
Oman. It consists of six major stages, each of which is affected by internal and external
factors.
The Parliament library is currently reliant on a third party outside the Council, and a joint
parliamentary research unit is needed across the two chambers to assist in developing an
evidence-based approach to parliamentary research. Additionally, a greater number of
qualified information specialists are required to provide members with individual research
assistance. Furthermore, participants received no training in gathering and using research
evidence to make strategic decisions and highlighted the need for effective training in these
areas.
