The role of values in educational research: the case for reflexivity

Abstract This article explores the meanings involved in the development and implementation of learning and teaching policies in higher education through a single institution case study in an English university. It draws on interview data collected from middle manager‐academics, located in Schools, who are charged with implementing learning and teaching policies. Tensions and contradictions of practice emerged from a detailed analysis of the data identified through three closely related themes: centre/periphery, time and temporality, and disciplinary locations. The central theme, which frames the discussion of the other two, concerns relations between centre and periphery. The manager‐academics identify themselves with the interests of their colleagues within Schools and use their position to mediate between central pressures and practice on the ground. Rather than identifying with managerialist practices, they rely on projected ideals of collegiality in their relationships with School colleagues. At the core of these experiences are differing conceptions of time in the centre/periphery relationship. Different experiences of temporality, tempo, and timing are explored from the manager‐academics' perspective. There is considerable tension between time understood on the ground and the time‐scales of central learning and teaching initiatives. The final theme concerns the organising role of disciplinary identities in articulating meaning at the periphery. Innovations appear rooted in disciplinary practice and some tensions exist between these and perceptions of educational theory and development. The article suggests that these contradictions and tensions might be a source of strength to the institution rather than having negative effects. It concludes with some reflections on the importance of time to the development of educational theory.     

Educational assessment policy and practice: a matter of ethics

Long-standing concerns within the field of educational assessment consider the impact of assessment policy and practice as matters of equity, inequality and social justice. Yet educational assessment policy and practice continues to have powerful social consequences for key users such as children and young people. This paper re-positions these consequences as a matter of ethics. It uses the work of Messick to frame how ethical matters extend beyond test instruments into the realm of uses and impact. A case study of the 11+ school transfer system in Northern Ireland is presented to illustrate ethical dilemmas emerging as a consequence of actions and decisions of using assessment systems for particular purposes. In looking forward to how we might attend to ethical matters in assessment policy and practice, a consideration of a children’s rights approach is outlined that may provide a moral and legal framework for action.     

中职体育课引入拓展训练法的实践与分析

文章从理论与实践的视角对将拓展训练运用到中职学校体育课中的教育意义进行了分析与研究,认为在中职学校体育教学中注入拓展训练内容,与现有的体育教学进行整合,不仅具有教育理念先进、课程内容新颖、教学质量优良和教学效果显著的积极意义,而且对推动传统的体育教育模式的教学改革,深化中职学校职业实用性体育课程体系和内容建设具有积极的现实意义。     

Towards a meta-research agenda in science and enviormental educaion

Abstract

This paper begins by establishing the existence of a debate in the broader educational community about the nature, meaning and significance of educational research, and its recognition that different approaches to educational research do not simply represent different strategies for data collection but rest on and express different ideologies that implicate different political attitudes among teachers, students, subject‐matters,schools, support agencies and researchers themselves. Evidence can be seen that this debate is beginning to appear in the science education literature and it is believed that the arguments can be extended.

It is argued that research in science education and environmental education needs to consider methodology in the political terms of ideology, rather than simply in the technical terms of method and technique. Some of the recent thinking about the politics of method in both science education and environmental education, is then considered briefly and a number of meta‐research questions are proffered that might focus further attention on the political theory of research in these two fields.     

“LIVING” EDUCATION: ACTION RESEARCH AS A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO CONGREGATIONAL EDUCATION

Action research as an educational strategy suggests that educators engage in an intentional, collaborative cycle of observing, reflecting, planning, and acting. This approach deliberately attempts to bring theory and practice together in praxis. Action research may be helpful for religious educators who wish to improve their educational practice. This article focuses on ways in which action research might be employed by congregationally based educators.     

在"教育理论脱离实践"的背后--一种社会学的追问

如何理解“教育理论脱离实践”,如何对“教育理论脱离实践”进行转向背后的社会学分析,这是值得关注的一个问题。在“教育理论脱离实践”的背后隐藏了这样几个问题：即实践的先在性、理论的他功能、利益群体的边界捍卫情结以及理论在转化为实践过程中的延迟效应。     

理论的话语与实践的视域——教育理论与实践脱节关系的本原性思考

教育理论者与教育实践者生活在各自不同的意义世界,并以其不同的意义世界感知、理解、思考、建构和言说着教育。教育理论者话语表达"内容关怀"的"强或弱"、言说方式"可理解性"的"好或差"及其整体现实"可操作性"的"难或易",教育实践者视域要求"学识素养"的"具备或不具备"、践行视域"关照度"的"狭小或广阔"及其实践主体"积极参与"的"是或否",就有可能造成教育理论和实践的脱离、脱节甚或隔绝。教育理论和实践的融通,既需要理论者调整其话语关怀,也需要实践者拓展其视域。     

Taking the Edusemiotic Turn: A Body∼mind Approach to Education

Educational philosophy in English‐speaking countries tends to be informed mainly by analytic philosophy common to Western thinking. A welcome alternative is provided by pragmatism in the tradition of Peirce, James and Dewey. Still, the habit of the so‐called linguistic turn has a firm grip in terms of analytic philosophy based on the logic of non‐contradiction as the excluded middle. A body～mind approach pertains to the edusemiotic turn that this article elucidates. Importantly, semiotics is not illogical but is informed by the paradoxical logic of the included middle. The process of reasoning is however indirect or mediated; it involves active interpretation (in a variety of forms) versus direct representation; it is analogical and connects what are otherwise doomed to remain isolated substances of body versus mind with a separation of knowledge and action. Analysing and synthesising the philosophies of Charles Sanders Peirce and Gilles Deleuze, together with a brief excursion into the cutting‐edge science of coordination dynamics, this article will demonstrate how the body～mind assemblage is created in practice, and what may be the implications of such a stance for educational philosophy and pedagogical practice.     

对教育理论与实践关系问题的本土反思

在我国,教育理论与教育实践脱离有本土的原因,也有解决脱离问题的本土条件。不能把产生本土问题的责任直接归因于某些国外现实的或历史的因素,也不能寄希望于别国供给彻底解决本土问题的理论和方法。教育理论和教育实践的“脱离”是一个实际的问题,纸上谈兵的解决也还是让有关“理论和实践结合”的理论继续脱离“理论和实践脱离”的实际。“新基础教育”研究认为教育理论和教育实践不是简单的指导和被指导的关系,而是一种“相互滋养”的新型关系,并通过自己“研究性的变革实践”,实现了理论和实践的相互滋养。     

Researching Professional Educational Practice: The Case for “Dirty Theory”

In this essay, Ian Hardy argues that a research process involving generalizing from professional educational practice can and should inform the work of educators, including academic researchers, policymakers, and practitioners, but that these generalizations need to be derived from, and in dialogue with, the complexity and specificity of actual practice, the myriad ways such practice might be understood, and a conception of practice as historically informed. In making this case, Hardy draws upon social theorist Raewyn Connell's concept of “dirty theory,” and he uses an example of teacher professional learning in a rural community in southeast Queensland, Australia, to show how Connell's notion of dirty theory might be applied to research professional educational practice. Hardy maintains that such an approach has the benefit of making historically informed, context‐aware, and epistemologically sensitive generalizations available as resources for informing the work of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners. He concludes by providing examples of such generalizations as evidence of the potential of Connell's theory.     

On Developing Content‐oriented Theories Taking Biological Evolution as an Example

Both in Europe and the United States there is a growing interest in design research. One example is the design and validation of topic‐oriented teaching–learning sequences. This research may be said to have two objectives. One is to design and test “useful products”, such as teachers’ guides and study material for students, which may be put into practice in various ways. The second is to contribute to the development of educational science; for example, understanding conditions for learning of given topics under regular classroom conditions. This article concerns the latter objective and deals with the development of content‐oriented theories stating conditions that promote learning with long‐term understanding of given topics. We present one such theory, concerning evolution by natural selection, and describe the arguments and evidence that underlie the theory, which we regard as a well‐founded hypothesis. Some methodological problems associated with testing this type of theory are discussed, as well as the role of content‐oriented theories in strengthening science education research as an autonomous specialization within educational science.     

Media Representation of Research: The case of a review of ethnic minority education

Concern with the dissemination of research findings has increased in recent years, in the wake of critiques of research for failing to have an impact on policy‐making and practice. The most direct way in which research findings can be disseminated to a wide audience is via the mass media. However, coverage of social and educational research in the media is very limited. Furthermore, when it is covered researchers often complain that their work has been distorted. This article examines some of the media coverage of an Office for Standards in Education commissioned review of research on the education of ethnic minority children, published in 1996. Analysis of this media coverage is used as a basis for addressing questions about what is involved in media representation of research, how it should be evaluated, and what meaning can be given to the concept of distortion.     

The Attrition of Change: A Study of Change and Continuity

In this article models and theories on effective schooling are reviewed. Modelling is based on the various disciplinary oriented approaches to educational effectiveness. As such production functions, instructional effectiveness models and integrated, multi‐level educational effectiveness models are discussed. Various conceptual and formal representations of facilitation across levels are seen as the most interesting area for further model‐driven research. In the second part of the article four organization theories are discussed, all of which are seen as specific interpretations of the rationality paradigm: rational control theory and bureaucratic structuring; contingency theory; public choice theory; and retroactive planning. A fifth theoretical perspective, chaos theory, as applied to organizational functioning, looks more like a complete anti‐thesis of rationality, but can nevertheless be related to the emergence of ordered patterns and to organizational survival. Core mechanisms or theory‐embedded principles that follow from these theories are, respectively: proactive structuring; fit; market mechanisms; the cybernetic principle; and self‐organization. Further analysis of these principles leads to the conclusion that the cybernetic principle of evaluation feedback and reinforcement is the most interesting one, both from a theoretical and practice‐oriented perspective. Throughout the article hints and suggestions are provided for future, more theory and model‐driven educational effectiveness research.     

The politics of mourning in Cyprus and Israel: educational implications

This paper suggests the need for a critical analysis of the nationalization of mourning and its educational implications, especially in conflict‐ridden areas. Our thoughts are grounded in a comparative study on mourning that has been conducted as part of our long‐standing ethnographic research in schools in Cyprus and Israel during the last 10 years. Through this study on mourning, we highlight two ideas. First, we want to show how a comparison of our studies in Cyprus and Israel highlights the difficulties for alternative interpretations to be translated into educational policies and teacher practices in the absence of changes in political structures. Second, we want to show that despite the forces that nationalize mourning, there are educational openings for alternative interpretations about mourning and the encouragement of reconciliation pedagogies. To this end, the education literature on teaching controversial issues and examples of pedagogies for reconciliation might be relevant to provide concrete ideas for education theory, policy and practice on issues of mourning.     

论教育的实践性——来自于亚里士多德实践哲学的视角

实践在亚里士多德的实践哲学中具有特定的涵义。教育作为一种实践活动，对它的实践性的理解应超越与理论相对的简单判断，从实践自身的内涵以及它与理论和生产的相互关系中，可以将教育的实践性理解为：教育应该以其自身为目的；教育不是生产，但离不开生产的技艺；教育不是理论，但理论是最高的教育实践。     

Dialogic or dialectic? The significance of ontological assumptions in research on educational dialogue

This article explores the relationship between ontological assumptions and studies of educational dialogue through a focus on Bakhtin's ‘dialogic’. The term dialogic is frequently appropriated to a modernist framework of assumptions, in particular the neo‐Vygotskian or sociocultural tradition. However, Vygotsky's theory of education is dialectic, not dialogic. From a dialogic perspective the difference between voices in dialogue is constitutive of meaning in such a way that it makes no sense to imagine ‘overcoming’ this difference. By contrast, due to the implicit assumption that meaning is ultimately grounded on identity rather than upon difference, the dialectic perspective applied by Vygotsky interprets differences as ‘contradictions’ that need to be overcome or transcended. A case study of research on exploratory talk is used to illustrate the potential for a fruitful relationship between ‘high level’ theory and research that is relevant to classroom practice.     

"教育理论与实践紧张性"辩解

在教育理论和实践的发展中，双方内在都有“摆脱”对方的需要。教育理论和实践之间既亲密又疏远的关系保证了它们之间的相互呼应和反思、批判。教育理论和实践之间存在着“合法的脱离”。企图克服、否定、抛弃这种“脱离”是科学理性僭越在教育中的表现。教育理论和实践之间保持一种批判性的距离有助于解决教育理论和实践间的经院式的纷争。     

Environmental and sustainability education in a post-truth era. An exploration of epistemology and didactics beyond the objectivism-relativism dualism

This article focuses on environmental and sustainability education (ESE) in the context of the topical post-truth debate. It aims to progress theoretical research as well as empirical investigations on how ESE practices can avoid the pitfalls involved in an objectivist as well as a relativist approach to teaching and learning. After elaborating the problems implied in both these approaches, the article explores concepts developed in science and technology studies (STS) that have the potential to inspire ESE research and practice to move beyond this problematic dichotomy: Latour’s ‘matters of concern’ and ‘compositionism’ and Jasanoff’s ‘co-production’ and ‘socio-technical imaginaries’. Drawing on pragmatist educational theory the author develops a conceptual framework that serves as a theoretical model for investigations of how ESE subject matter and teaching methods can be introduced, handled and experienced in a way that moves beyond the dualism of objectivism versus relativism. Building on the work of scholars who have connected Dewey’s pragmatic, transactional perspective to the domain of didactical research, it is shown how this theoretical model can be operationalised for empirical studies with the help of well-chosen analytical methods. The article is concluded with some reflections on the limitations and potential of the presented framework.