Quality criteria in educational research: Is beauty more important than popularity?

Abstract

As noted by Scott, during the past decade, following the lead of moves in the USA and UK, national governments have scrutinised more closely the cost effectiveness and impact of research funding within higher education. Direct criticism of the overall quality of educational research has emerged, particularly in terms of its scientific rigour, its utility for practitioners, and the manner in which it is assessed. This contribution to the Companion explores the reasons why the quality of educational research has come to be so questioned, and examines a key discussion framework for assessing quality that has emerged from this debate. It then considers the merits of possible internal and external criteria for the worth of educational research, and the links between these criterial sets and the function and purpose of qualitative and quantitative approaches to educational research. Finally, the question of whether educational research is an art or a science is addressed.