Educational Research: Why 'What Works' Doesn't Work

"Freedom of inquiry in educational research can no longer be taken for granted. Narrow definitions of what constitutes 'scientific' research, funding criteria that enforce particular research methods, and policy decision processes that ignore any research that is not narrowly utilitarian, create a context in many countries that discourages scholarship of a more speculative, exploratory, or critical sort. This book brings together an exceptional combination of international and cross-disciplinary scholars who bring the perspectives of history and philosophy of science to ask, 'How did we arrive at this place? and 'Where is educational research heading? The book illuminates the anti-intellectual consequences of a 'what works' mentality in education, and shows that the ostensibly 'scientific' revolution in educational research in fact reflects an ahistorical and conceptually muddled understanding of what actually constitutes 'science.' This book could not be more timely and important." Nicholas C. Burbules, Grayce Wicall Gauthier Professor, University of Illinois "With research increasingly tied to State policies with the instrumental purpose of guiding school reforms, the volume provides an important historical and philosophical questioning of the possibilities, limitations and challenges of education research. Internationally leading scholars engage in a significant conversation that is sophisticated and nuanced for understanding contemporary debates." Thomas S. Popkewitz, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA

• The ‘Good Practices’ of Jozef Emiel Verheyen – Schoolman and Professor of Education at the Ghent University.- Ovide Decroly, A Hero of Education.- Why Generalizability is not Generalizable.- The New Languages and Old Institutions: Problems of Implementing New School Governance.- Problematization or Methodology.- The Relevance of Irrelevant Research; The Irrelevance of Relevant Research.- Expectations of What Scientific Research could (not) Do.- Kuhnian Science and Education Research: Analytics of Practice and Training.- The International and the Excellent in Educational Research.- Technical Difficulties: The Workings of Practical Judgement.- The Science of Education – Disciplinary Knowledge on Non-Knowledge/Ignorance?.