Educational research: What (a) to do about impact

Abstract

There is a growing emphasis being placed on identifying the utility and value of social science research by government and other funders as they seek justification for its funding in the current economic climate. Even if this was not the case, however, educational researchers have been facing criticism about insufficient impact of their work from a variety of sources and for a variety of reasons since the mid-1990s. There are considerable and enduring challenges in demonstrating the value of educational research in terms of its impact on practice and policy, not least because of the complexity of the educational contexts it seeks to influence. This paper examines these challenges from the perspectives of the purposes and audiences that educational research serves, how it is perceived by government and in the media, and how the extent of its impact might be improved through addressing the needs of its various audiences.