Teaching: Based on Evidence or Committed to ‘Bildung’?

Author(s):

Magnus Levinsson

Conference:

ECER 2009

Network:

21. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)

Format:

Paper

Session Information

SES D8, Pre Conf Parallel Session

Time:

2009-09-25

15:00-16:30

Room:

HG, HS 16

Chair:

Meinert Arnd Meyer

Contribution

The ‘evidence-movement’ has recently gained ground and become a matter in debate within the field of education. Advocates have called for a transformation of both educational research and practice in order to realize education as an ‘evidence-based’ practice. In response, and in hope of improving the quality of educational practice, governments around the world have taken action in reforming their educational research and development systems. But in Sweden, for some reason, there is no agenda-setting from the government favouring evidence-based research and the entire ‘evidence-movement’ seams to have passed the public educational debate almost unnoticed. A fact that, from one point of view, might be seen as quite remarkable since evidence-based practice has been discussed all over the world, not least in the Nordic neighbour countries, and the idea has a rather strong hold in other professions in Sweden. But the present state might also from another, and presumably more realistic, point of view be seen as quite in order. In particular if individual countries, such as Sweden, and their educational systems are presupposed to be both “uniquely similar” and “similarly unique”. At one hand countries are “uniquely similar” in the way that they are all facing worldwide trends of evidence-based practice pushing national educational systems in the same direction. One important and powerful organisation in this respect is the OECD. The OECD has launched several national reviews on educational R&D systems and brings “good examples” forward from which other countries can learn. On the other hand, each country is “similarly unique” in the sense that it has specific educational histories, politics and traditions that may alter the influence of an emerging evidence-movement. Firstly, this paper will demonstrate in what ways Sweden is “similarly unique” and it will argue that the idea of evidence-based practice, for several reasons, is being passed over in silence and adopted by practitioners, policymakers and researchers at a local level. Secondly, this paper will examine the characteristics of evidence-based practice, mainly put forward by the OECD, understood as evidence-based teaching. Thirdly and finally, what is implied about teaching in the idea of evidence-based teaching will be compared to and critically considered in the light of an established perspective of teaching, Didaktik, laying at the very heart of teacher education and teaching in Sweden. An important question in this matter is whether teaching should be based on evidence or having a strong commitment to ‘Bildung’?

Method

Hermeneutics

Expected Outcomes

This paper illustrates in what ways Sweden is unique, when it comes to the case of evidence-based practice in education, in comparison to other countries. This paper also provides an interesting comparison and a possibility to critically consider the perspective of teaching apparent in the in the idea of evidence-based teaching in the light of an established perspective of teaching, Didaktik, having a strong commitment to ‘Bildung'.

References

Biesta, Gert (2007). Why “what works” won’t work: evidence-based practice and the democratic deficit in educational research.: Educational Theory, 57 (1) pp. 1-22 Education and Science, Ministries of (2005) Oversigt over anbefalinger i OECDs evaluering af forskning I uddannelse og forslag til opfølgning [Summary of recommendations in OECD’s review of educational research and recommendations for following up]. http://presse.uvm.dk/nyt/pm/atu.pdf Hammersley, Martyn. (2002). Educational Research: policymaking and practice. London: Sage. Evidence and Policy Research Hargreaves, D. H. (1996). Teaching as a research-based profession: possibilities and prospects (printed version) Teacher training agency annual lecture 1996 (London, Teacher training agency) Hargreaves, D. H. (1999). The knowledge-creating school. British journal of educational studies, 47(2), 122-144. Hopmann, Stefan (2007). Restrained teaching: the common core of Didaktik, European Educational Research Journal 6 (2), 109–124. Hopmann, Stefan (2008). No child, no school, no state left behind: schooling in the age of accountability. Journal of Curriculum Studies 40 (4), s. 417-456 Keiner, Edwin. (2004). Educational Research between Science and Policy, European Educational Research Journal, 3(2), pp. 513-518. http://dx.doi.org/10.2304/eerj.2004.3.2.6 Moos, Leif (2006) A Real Change or a Change in Rhetoric? Comments to Two OECD Reviews on Educational Research: United Kingdom in 2002 and Denmark in 2004. Educational Research Journal, 5(1), pp. 63-67. . http://dx.doi.org 10.2304/eerj.2006.5.1.57 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (1998) Education Catalogue. Paris: OECD. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (2002) Educational Research and Development in England, Examiners Report. CERI/CD/(2002)10. Paris: CERI. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (2003) New Challenges for Educational Research. Paris: OECD. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (2004) National Review on Educational R & D: Examiners’ Report on Denmark. EDU/CERI/CD(2004)10. Paris: CERI. Rinne, R., Kallo, J., and Hokka, S. (2004), “Too Eager to Comply? OECD Education policies and the Finnish response”, European Educational Research Journal, 3 (2) pp. 454-484 Schuller, Tom. (2006). Reviewing OECD’s Educational Research Reviews. Educational Research Journal, 5(1), pp. 57-61. http://dx.doi.org 10.2304/eerj.2006.5.1.57 Schuller, Tom. (2004). International Policy Research: Evidence from CERI/OECD. Roundtable paper. European Conference on Education Research SOU (2005:31). Stödet till utbildningsvetenskaplig forskning. Statens offentliga utredningar (SOU).Utbildningsdepartementet: Utredningen om utbildningsvetenskaplig forskning Wolter, Stefan, Keiner, Edwin, Palomba, Donatella & Lindblad, Sverker (2004) OECD Examiners’ Report on Educational Research and Development in England, European Educational Research Journal, 3(2), pp. 510-526. http://dx.doi.org/10.2304/eerj.2004.3.2.6

Author Information

Magnus Levinsson

Univeristy of Gothenburg

Education

Göteborg

186

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