Providing a space to enable alteration in educational research
pp. 61-66
in: Alan , E. Paul Hart, Michael A. Peters (eds), A companion to research in education, Berlin, Springer, 2014Abstract
Ramaekers provides a strong argument to go beyond a "what works' approach, pointing out that for educational research to be truly educational, a more engaged commitment to truth is essential. In this piece, I explore how we might conceive the truth of educational research in relation to our agreement in judgements, and thus, the implications of this work in helping transform our sense of responsiveness and responsibility as writers and readers of educational research. Elaborating on the conceptualisation of truth in terms of agreement in judgements, it is argued that educational research is constitutive rather than descriptive. Educational research redefined along these lines does not appear as a representation of reality, but as a cultural moment. Its task is to actively endow reality with meaning, stimulating its reader to become engaged in a discussion of what is worth pursuing, instigated by what the researcher provides. As such, educational research contributes to the permanent adaptation and transformation of our culture to the new demands of the present.