ERIC Number: EJ757009
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 18
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0741-7136
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Available Date: N/A
Studying the Complicated Matter of What Works: Evidence-Based Research and the Problem of Practice
Dirkx, John M.
Adult Education Quarterly: A Journal of Research and Theory, v56 n4 p273-290 2006
The demand for evidence-based research (EBR) in education has evoked considerable debate regarding the nature of knowledge practitioners hold, how they come to know, and the sociopolitical contexts in which that knowledge is generated. Proponents of EBR such as Michael Feuer stress the need for research that validly identifies solutions to important problems of educational practice. Critics such as Elizabeth St. Pierre decry such approaches to research on practice as epistemologically inappropriate and oblivious to their political and moral implications. Both positions illuminate important dimensions of improving practice, but what works seems to get lost in the rhetoric. In this article, the author suggests that we in adult education take seriously the question of what works in practice by developing a knowledge base grounded in research methods and strategies that give voice to the particularities of practice contexts, what he refers to as the "insider perspective."
Descriptors: Research Methodology, Educational Practices, Educational Research, Theory Practice Relationship, Scientific Research, Instructional Effectiveness, Knowledge Base for Teaching
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
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