Two solitudes: Educational research and the pedagogical realm

Abstract

There is much to be positive about in the current field of educational research. Now a burgeoning research domain in many European countries, diverse national and international studies are currently officially supported both politically and economically. However, on closer examination the actual effect of many prominent studies is sobering. The general claim that our research domain is full of pseudo-questions is probably unfair and unacceptable, yet it is worth considering how often educational research truly deals with educational questions. The gap between pedagogical thought and educational research has achieved grand proportions. The ideal of mutual profit between the two realms is now arguably simplistic, naïve, and functional.