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Educational Research as Science? A Critical Question

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A Companion to Research in Education

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Abstract

‘Educational research as science?’ is a question that has been the subject of much heated debate. This short article aims to consider some of the key ideas we might invoke when attempting to conceive of educational research as science and in turn demonstrate that by considering the philosophy of science, and in particular Rowbottom’s piece, we can broaden our understanding of what counts as ‘scientific’ research.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For example, Bredo (2009) notes that many students adopt a bipolar view of research methods.

  2. 2.

    Performance in GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) Examinations in Vocational Subjects (GCSEvs), Invitation to Tender, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, 2005.

  3. 3.

    Feuer et al. 2002 referring to the work of Stranges, Lakatos and Musgrave and Popper.

  4. 4.

    The idea that theoretical ideas emerge out of one’s data.

  5. 5.

    See Joanna Swann (2003) for a Popperian discussion of this issue.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong

    Sarah Aiston

Authors
  1. Sarah Aiston
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Correspondence to Sarah Aiston .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia

    Alan D. Reid

  2. Faculty of Education, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

    E. Paul Hart

  3. Hamilton Campus, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

    Michael A. Peters

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Aiston, S. (2014). Educational Research as Science? A Critical Question. In: Reid, A., Hart, E., Peters, M. (eds) A Companion to Research in Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6809-3_20

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