The Role of Educational Research in Policymaking in Ireland
Author(s):
John O'Connor (presenting / submitting)
Conference:
ECER 2016
Network:
23. Policy Studies and Politics of Education
Format:
Paper

Session Information

23 SES 04 A, Policies and Practices of Evaluation of Quality in Education

Paper Session

Time:
2016-08-24
09:00-10:30
Room:
NM-Theatre Q
Chair:
Annette Rasmussen

Contribution

The rhetoric of evidence based policy has become pervasive in national and European education policy. (Ball 1998; Cook 2002; Feuer et al 2002; Hammersley 2003; Biesta 2007; Levin 2013; Witty 2006; Hostetler 2005; Hargreaves 1996; Nutley 2010; Lather 2004; Wiseman 2010) Evidence informed policy and practice in education is one of the immediate priorities of the European Commission's Strategic Framework ET2020. The Irish Department of Education and Skills claims as a central function, to provide the Minister and the Government with evidence informed policy advice.

However, evidence based or evidence informed education policy remains a contested and sometimes controversial subject. How educational research enters into and becomes used within a complex, dynamic and highly political policymaking process, is not well understood. The field is characterised by the absence of theoretical consensus explaining the phenomena of 'research utilisation in educational policy making'. While no empirical studies on the use of educational research in policymaking (research use) have been undertaken in an Irish context, the topic has attracted some insightful commentary (Ruane 2010; Sugrue 2009; Lynch 2012; Smyth and McCoy 2013; Galvin 2009). Clearly, there is a long road ahead towards understanding the complex relationship between research and educational policy in Ireland. Given that the demand for evidence informed education policy in Ireland looks set to continue, it is timely that educational research as evidence is the subject of closer scrutiny.

Linear models that suggest that the supply, transmission and application of educational research in policymaking is predictable or routine should be rejected. They fail to adequately address the complex interplay of individual, social, political and organisational processes at work in the interplay between knowledge and power.

This paper argues that the use of educational research, which is the dependent variable of interest, is a complex social process rather than merely an instrumental outcome or a product. Educational research can also serve conceptual and political purposes in the policy formation process. The production, accumulation and use of knowledge cannot be understood in isolation from Foucauldian notions of marginalisation and autonomy. How the supply and demand for research in a knowledge society or knowledge economy is controlled can be explored using Foucault’s concept of power/knowledge. (Foucault 1977, 1991; Butin 2006; Ball 1990)

Independent variables influencing research use, can be categorised as; push or supply side and include type of research, research discipline, researcher characteristics and institutional factors; pull or demand side which include the capacity of policymakers and the institutional culture of public administration; and a range of interaction variables including dissemination and accessibility of findings, interaction between researchers and policymakers and collaboration as a particular instance of interaction.

Research utilisation in education is a contested concept. While there is a long road of theory building ahead, many have proposed explanations and models of the phenomena (Amara, Ouimet and Landry 2004; Cherney et al 2012; Hemsley-Brown 2004; Huberman 1987; Knott and Wildavsky 1980; Oh and Rich 1986; Rich 1997; Weiss 1982; Gleeson et al. 2012). Much of the available theory that attempts to explain how and why educational research is used in policymaking, have been influenced by how research has been used in medical and health policy. The failure to appreciate the inadequacy of the medical model of research use explain research use in education, risks further disappointment and frustration on the part of policymakers and the academy. This paper questions the relevance and application of models and conceptualisations of research use in the natural sciences to the social sciences in general, and to education in particular.

Method

The Research Questions under investigation are: 1. To what extent, and in what ways does educational research impact on the policy making process in Ireland? 2. What factors influence the process of research utilisation in education policymaking in Ireland? 3. How can the process of research utilisation in education policymaking in Ireland be enhanced? Eighteen independent variables relating to research type, researcher characteristics, organisational factors, sources of funding, barriers to research use and enablers of research use were tested for their significance in explaining the likelihood of research use. The research purpose, questions and the context of this study determine the methodology selected rather than any pre-ordained methodological allegiance. This study assumes that knowledge claims about knowledge utilisation in educational policy making in Ireland are grounded in the pragmatic perspective. The utility of findings based on connections between theory and data, are valued over a search for the most accurate representation of a single reality.This study employed mixed methods to enable the exploration of interpretive and normative research questions. A purposive sampling technique was used where educational researchers working in Universities, Colleges of Education and in Research Institutes were identified. A non-probability sample of all identified educational researchers was used to minimise coverage errors and to enhance representativeness. A total of 174 educational researchers were identified and invited to participate in an on-line survey conducted between the end of October 2015 and the end of January 2016. A total of 69 researchers participate in the survey giving a response rate of 40%. Participants were invited to participate in a follow up interview. To date, follow up semi-structured interviews have been conducted with nine educational researchers from the Universities from ESRI and from the ERC. An exploratory sequential mixed methods design was employed to elicit the views of academic researchers. The procedure involved the collection of survey data in the first phase, analysing the data, and then following up with qualitative semi-structured interviews to achieve deeper insights into the survey responses. Policy elites were identified from personal contacts within the Department of Education and Skills and other Government Agencies with a policy remit in the area of education. A ‘snowballing’ technique was also used within the Department of Education and Skills and relevant agencies to identify appropriate contacts with experience relevant to the research questions.

Expected Outcomes

The study which is ongoing, is the first empirical study into the role of educational research in the policy making process in Ireland. Initial findings are emerging and suggest that the role of educational research in policy making in Ireland is underdeveloped. The study has uncovered practice and perspectives that have not been reported on previously in the Irish context. Expected outcomes include baseline data on the practice of research utilisation in educational policy making in Ireland. Contributing to the understanding of the process and outcomes of research utilisation, will hopefully add to policy learning opportunities for both policy makers and researchers. Both communities are characterised as having different and sometimes competing interpretations of research and policy and how one can better inform the other. This characterisation is often untested and unproven. The study by applying certain methodological approaches used to study the phenomenon of research utilisation in other jurisdictions and other fields of learning will allow for comparative analysis and conclusions. It is hoped that the study will challenge assumptions on the part of researchers and policymakers and hopefully will contribute to a national conversation on evidence based policy in education in Ireland and the role of educational research therein.

References

Amara, N., Ouimet, M. and Landry R. (2004) New Evidence on Instrumental, Conceptual and Symbolic Utilisation of University Research in Government Agencies. Science Communication Vol. 26 No. 1 pp 75-106 Ball, S. (1998) Big policies small world: An introduction to international perspectives in education policy. Comparative Education. Vol. 34(2), pp. 119-130 Ball, S. J. (1990) Foucault and Education: Disciplines and Knowledge (London, Routledge). Biesta, G. (2007) Why “What Works” Won’t Work: Evidence-Based Practice and the Democratic Deficit in Educational Research. Educational Theory, Vol. 57 pp 1–22. Cherney, A., Povey, J., Head, B., Boreham, P., and Ferguson, M. (2012) What influences the utilisation of educational research by policy-makers and practitioners? The perspectives of academic educational researchers. International Journal of Educational Research Vol. 56 pp 23–34 European Union (2009) Council conclusions of 12 May 2009 on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (‘ET 2020’) (2009/C119/02). Feuer, M.J., Towne, L & Shavelson, R.J. (2002). Scientific Culture and Educational Research. Educational Researcher, vol 31(8), pp. 4-14. Foucault, M. (1977b). Intellectuals and power. In D. Bouchard (Ed.), Language, counter-memory, practice (pp. 205-217). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Foucault, M. (1991) Remarks on Marx: conversations with Duccio Trombadori, translated by R.J.Goldstein & J. Cascaito (New York, Semiotext(e). Hammersley, M. (2003) 'Can and Should Educational Research be Educative?', Oxford Review Of Education, Vol 29, No 1, pp. 3-26. Hemsley-Brown, J.V. (2004). ‘Facilitating Research Utilisation: a cross sector review of the research evidence’ ‘International Journal of Public Sector Management’ Vol. 17, No. 6 pp 534-553. Knott, J., and Wildavsky, A. (1980) If dissemination is the solution, what is the problem? Knowledge, Diffusion, Utilisation Vol. 1 No. 4, pp 537-578. Levin, B (2004) Making research matter more. Education Policy Analysis Archives, Vol 12 No 56 Oh. C.H., Rich, R., F., (1986) Explaining use of information in public policymaking. Knowledge and Policy. Vol 9. Pp 3-55. Rich, R.F., (1997) Knowledge and Policy: The International Journal of Knowledge Transfer and Utilization. Volume 10, No 3 pp 11-24 Slavin, R., J. (2004) Educational Research Can and Must Address “What Works Questions”. Educational Researcher. Vol. 33, No. 1 pp27-28. Weiss, C.H., (1982) Policy Research in the Context of Diffuse Decision Making The Journal of Higher Education Vol. 53, No. 6, pp. 619-639 Witty, G. (2006) Education(al) research and education policy making: is conflict inevitable? British Educational Research Journal Vol. 32, No. 2, April 2006, pp. 159–176

Author Information

John O'Connor (presenting / submitting)
University College Dublin
School of Education
Dublin

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