Pavel Zgaga

Educational research is not an end in itself (even if this goal should not be completely disregarded). Educational research today is a very broad field of which one could say that it is primarily concerned with seeking and establishing a "diagnosis" for various phenomena in education, be they individual or social and cultural. Of course, it can only do this successfully if it is not primarily an "end in itself" (e.g., searching for and developing its own theoretical and methodological framework). The public is generally not interested in this; the expectations of the public and, above all, of decision-makers are usually focussed on the "impact" and "effectiveness" of research.

When educational research produces a "diagnosis" of phenomena in education, it also directly – and more often indirectly – produces an action plan, i.e. recommendations on what to do in a particular situation. In this respect, educational research moves into policy development, i.e. the development of a plan of action. When such a plan is developed, a transition from plan of action to power in action is required, i.e. a transition from policy to politics.

The relationship between research and politics has been very often articulated – today and in the past – as a conflictual relationship. The forms and intensity of this conflict vary from place to place and from time to time. In our presentation we will be interested in both the variations and the constants in the articulation of this relationship. After a brief historical overview, the focus will be on the relationship between educational research, policy and politics in the present.