How should educational research be contracted? And is there anything wrong with the way that public funding of educational research is currently administered? We endeavour to answer these questions by appeal to the work of two of the most prominent philosophers of science of the twentieth century, namely Popper and Kuhn. Although their normative…

This article is intended as a contribution to the debate on the epistemology of educational research. It is as much concerned with research as a social process as it is with the process of social research. The authors draw upon ways of walking, discussions of embodiment, place and materiality, and their analogues in relation to the processes of…

In engaging in research we draw upon and develop meanings and concepts that help to frame what we do, how we do it and the meaning we make of it. In the process of framing, we exclude other possibilities from our research practices. To do research, then, is to engage in the fashioning of conceptual boundaries. This article explores the dilemmas of…

This is a brief response to some of the issues raised by Gorard and Fitz in their paper, "What counts as evidence in the school choice debate?" published in the "British Educational Research Journal" v32, n6, 2006. Gorard and Fitz claim a "basic arithmetic error" (p. 807) in giving equal weighting to all LEAs (Noden, 2000). The authors would not…

This article feeds into debate about the feasibility and usefulness of educational experiments by discussing methodological issues arising out of a study which sought causal links between teaching and learning of one aspect of French as a foreign language. The study involved two small-scale experiments which tested a hypothesis regarding the…

Recent years have witnessed the rapid rise of a new educational research orthodoxy in the UK and the USA. Central to that orthodoxy are the assumptions that method can ensure objectivity in research, and that more objective 'safe' research to inform practice is needed. But educational research is a field made up of overlapping communities of…

This article utilises Rokeach's categorisation of values (i.e. moral, competency, personal and social) to analyse how values influence the choice of research method. It discusses how the ontological and epistemological position adopted by the researcher is influenced by their competency and personal values. The next section is concerned with the…

The authors trace the development of the King's Formative Assessment Programme from its origins in diagnostic testing in the 1970s, through the graded assessment movement in the 1980s, to the present day. In doing so, they discuss the practical issues involved in reviewing research and outline the strategies that were used to try to communicate…

Reviews research into class size effects from a methodological viewpoint, concentrating on various strengths and weaknesses of randomized controlled trials (RCT) and observational studies. Discusses population definitions, causation, and generally sets out criteria for valid inferences from such studies. Illustrates with new findings from data in…

Demonstrates the extent to which school-level performance in the British General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) program is underpinned by variations in the socioeconomic backgrounds of students. Concludes that uncontextualized performance statistics are flawed, and that policies for school improvement must address underlying constraints…

Observes that the United Kingdom's National Curriculum pressures primary teachers to change their teaching methods, but research shows equivocal results. Argues that the problem stems from the way characteristics of classroom organization have been defined in various studies. Reports on nine case studies of change in rural primary schools. (DSK)

Addresses concerns about the trustworthiness of research results derived from image-based data, particularly questions of validity assessment. Compares examples of such research to provide an illustration of these issues. Presents a tentative strategy for ensuring trustworthiness based on five criteria: completeness, interpretive adequacy,…

Provides an overview of the current practices and controversies concerning educational research in the United Kingdom. Addresses issues including lack of adequate evidence and the hindering effects of fragmentation and isolation. Offers suggestions for improving professionalism and discusses the efforts of the British Educational Research…

Addresses some of the recent criticism aimed at educational research, its failure to provide a sound base for teaching or to generate a cumulative body of knowledge. Answers that there is always a dichotomy between research and application and argues that restrictions would only worsen the situation. (MJP)

Examines the extent to which race is a factor of white parents' choice of schools in light of increased school choice in the United Kingdom. Reports mixed evidence of the degree and direction of the impact of school race composition on choice. Notes data problems contributing to this outcome. (DSK)