‘Rigour’, ‘discipline’ and the ‘systematic’ in educational research – and why they matter

Abstract

This paper addresses three central themes that run through the contributions to this special issue. The first of these is what it argues to be an inescapable connection between research and what might in some sense be regarded as the pursuit of truth, or at least of beliefs that are more deserving of belief and our confidence than others. Even forms of research like ethnography and phenomenography, those for which the pursuit of justice is the primary concern and those that seek to deconstruct the texts and discourses promoted by others – all rest on forms of inquiry driven in one way or another by this same commitment. The second theme is the relationship between research and discipline where discipline is seen as the set of rules and principles that serve to make a community of arguers possible, but also to support the processes that thought and experience indicate provide the best assurance of opinions deserving our belief. And since there is clearly available to us in the academy and elsewhere more than one way of providing such assurance, each with some distinctive logical and procedural features, we need to consider the disciplines that might serve such purpose, not just the generic principle of discipline. Finally, the paper engages with the terrain of ‘alternative epistemologies’ – terrain rendered more complex because, as described here, the term seems to encompass some rather different claims of a more or less problematic nature.

Implementation of Open Science Principles in Educational Research: Seen through the Prism of Teachers’ Engagement in Data Exchange

“…In different formulations and contexts, both Ukrainian and foreign scientists (Bridges, 2019;Fim'yar et al, 2019) express concerns about the current practice of conducting research. In particular, the analysis of about 3,000 scientific articles (Glewwe et al,156 Implementation of Open Science Principles in Educational … International Journal of Instruction, April 2023• Vol.16, No.2 2011, which described the results of educational research, has shown that the researchers focus on the factors influencing the quality of education which include only the availability of desks in the classroom, the teacher's presence, and their knowledge of the subject.…”

Disciplining thought: Between ideology and anything goes

“…When Bridges discusses the relation between the foundation disciplines and les sciences de l'éducation, Allgemeinewissenschaft, and pedagogik, he sets this out well. As we saw at the start, however, much of his discussion does relate to epistemological or other kinds of adherence to foundationalist beliefs, and here he positions himself 'neither with the social relativists or subjectivists nor with what are sometimes called the foundationalists, but rather, like Hammersley, with the fallibilist tradition in epistemology associated with, in particular[,] Peirce, Dewey and Wittgenstein' (Bridges 2018). The broad thrust of his position aligns with a Popperian fallibilism, a position that he acknowledges with reference to the work of Denis Phillips (see Popper 1968;Phillips 2008).…”

Перспективи Запровадження Інновацій В Освітні Дослідження (На Прикладі Гармонізації Досвіду Обміну Даними)

“…Одним із ключових питань для вчених, які працюють в сфері освітніх досліджень як за кордоном, так і в Україні, було і залишається питання про довіру до результатів емпіричних досліджень. У різних формулюваннях і контекстах, воно так чи інакше пов'язане з невдоволенням існуючою практикою та її критикою [1][2][3]. Актуальність даного дослідження полягає у розв'язанні суперечності між необхідними спільними зусиллями для підвищення якості освітніх емпіричних досліджень і недостатнім залученням викладачів вітчизняних ЗВО у обмін емпіричними даними.…”