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Topic 1 - Politics and Educational Research


 * Education research is political in nature - we cannot avoid that aspect. To what extent is this an issue?**

I believe the political nature of educational research can be an issue. Researchers are human and as such they have their own points of view. Every researcher must also have a desire to get their research published and recognised; there may be some researchers out there who will use politics to improve their chances of this (not always unethically either). By aligning their research question with the ideologies of a political movement, they may have an advantage over other researchers. A bit like Babbie’s example of an ‘expert’ witness; it is usually possible for both sides to find their own ‘expert’ without too much trouble. As Babbie (2011) points out ‘political ideologies often compound social research’ and ‘social research in relation to contested social issues simply cannot remain antiseptically objective..’ (p86)

Very few areas of social research are more deeply contested than education. Every time there is an election educational policy is right up there at the forefront of election issues. You can almost guarantee that each party will be expounding its own theories of what should or shouldn’t be done to improve educational achievements. It’s amazing how everyone is an expert when it comes to education practices! It is interesting to note that research findings are rarely mentioned in their election speeches, or in fact, in the policies that follow. In his editorial for Vol 54 of the Aus Journal Of Education, just prior to the last federal election, Glenn Rowly wonders, ‘ How different might the campaign have been had the Aust Journal of Education been required reading for party functionaries? He wonders if articles within would have resulted in different policies. (p247) He and other educational researchers all agree that more needs to be done to ensure that policy makers are made aware of educational research and how it should influence policy.

From the reading I have done, there appear to be a lack of co-operation or communication between the researchers and the policy makers. Very little of the research done is actually utilised in the policies created. In her study of the research – policy – praxis nexus, Ohi (2008), looks at the policies behind the Victorian Early Years Literacy Program. She found that the research base of the program was quite limited in comparison to the amount of research available; they rarely made direct connections to the primary sources or research and they relied very heavily on research about one other similar program in America. This research, as for many projects of a political nature, appears to have been rushed through to meet the time frames of policy.

Burkhardt & Schoenfeld (2008) as well as Pollard (2006) acknowledge that educational research lacks much credibility and is not linked to policy or practise. They suggest changes that could be made to increase the value of research. They also talk about the political aspect of research and how it can be used as a pawn in an ideology based battle which can also impact on its reliability and credibility. As Burkhardt & Schoenfeld (2008) point out, ‘When education is a hot political issue, an accelerated time scale(action before the next election) and strong actions are often seen as necessary.’

Weiss (1979) cited by Watson, (2008) talks about 7 models of research utilisation. In both her political and her problem solving models, she talks about the limitations of research commissioned by governments or policy making bodies. These limitations include personal or group ideologies and interests and what happens when the commissioned research doesn’t align with their beliefs. She discusses how findings can be suppressed or reported out of context, conflicting evidence can be ignored and how some research communities are prepared to ‘tailor’ their research findings to support ‘partisan political positions’. (p119 – 120)

It would seem then, that educational research is very political in nature, and this can be an issue in that it can affect the validity and credibility of findings. Combine this with the sway that the media seems to hold in politics and social issues and one does have to question the research findings and how they are used, or not used, in policy making.

Babbie, E. (2011). The basics of social research. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Thomson.

Burkhardt, H. & Schoenfeld, A.H. (2003). Improving educational research: Toward a more useful, more influential, and better funded enterprise. Educational Researcher 32(9), 3-14.

Ohi S.(2008). The teacher's role in the research-policy-praxis nexus. Australian Journal of Education, 52(1) 95-109.

Pollard, Andrew(2006) 'Challenges facing educational research Educational Review Guest Lecture 2005', Educational Review, 58: 3, 251 — 267

Rowly, G, (2010) Editorial , Australian Journal of Education, 54(3) 247.

Watson, Louise (2008) Developing indicators for a new ERA: Should we measure the policy impact of educational research?Australian Journal of Education; 52, 2;