How can we unfold the reality of student learning, if there is a reality: Pitfalls – and bridges – of educational research

Abstract

This paper discusses some of the recurrent issues which the authors have noticed in educational research. These might be concerned with the nature of social science research, such as its representation of the reality of student learning, the role for replication studies, and the tolerance for disagreements. There are also issues related to the researching process, including the scope of prior research that should be reviewed, the purpose of triangulation, the need to be data-sensitive, the value in the complementarity of quantitative and qualitative information, relationships between theory and data, researchers' statistical literacy levels, and over-dependence on software-generated results. The fluid multi-cultural context in which education and pedagogy are situated has also meant that accessibility to knowledge is language-mediated and social reality, ever-evolving.