The relationship between educational research and policy making has been the subject of much debate. This presentation seeks to unpack the relationship by using a case study of research on lower secondary education in Ireland and how it has fed into policy reform measures. It also suggests the need for research to seek to inform policy and practice at multiple levels – system and school.

In providing a case study of the research-policy relationship, the discussion draws on the Post-Primary Longitudinal Study, which followed a cohort of young people in twelve case-study Irish schools from first year of secondary education to the end of upper secondary level. The study placed a strong emphasis on student voice, exploring school organisation and process from the perspective of young people themselves. The presentation focuses on three key issues which emerged from student accounts: what they see as good teaching; the nature of teacher-student relations; and whether they see their schooling as adequate preparation for the future. The presentation discusses the challenges in informing policy using mixed methods research and describes the way in which the findings fed into the lower secondary (junior cycle) reform agenda.

The proposed model of lower secondary reform promised an emphasis on the kinds of active teaching and learning methods which students find engaging and much more flexibility at the school level to engage in course design. However, it has encountered strong opposition from the teacher unions, especially on the issue of whether assessment should be school-based. The discussion traces the nature of the debate and the lessons which can be learned from trying to effect system change. From a more positive perspective, it argues that, even in a highly centralised system, schools have considerable autonomy over the kinds of practices which influence student outcomes and argues for the importance of disseminating research to school leaders and teachers to facilitate ‘bottom-up’ change.