EERJ Roundtable 2003

The recent OECD Examiners' Report on Educational Research and Development in England is of interest to educational researchers across Europe. OECD was invited to assess the policies, organization and resources of educational research in England. The key focus of the Report was on the relation between educational improvement and 'effective' research, and how knowledge about educational improvement could be applied to practice.

The Report shows particular interest in the development of sustained scientific reviews and dedicated research centres in education, both of which are present in the English situation. It is a reasonable assumption that this report will prove to be a model for future research audits across Europe, and that educational research will be focused more on research capacity building and evidence-based practice, for the purpose of delivering educational improvements.

For some time, discussions about the purposes and features of a European educational research observatory have been present within EERA. Council members have had a series of formal and informal discussions with EU Commission officers about educational research policies and infrastructure. There is a strong interest within EERA about the changing nature of educational research and the collection fo comparative data about performance in research. There is a strong interest in the idea of research audits - who does them, for what purpose, and how.

The Roundtable will begin with a short introduction to the OECD Report by one of its Examiners, Stefan Wolter. This will be followed by comments about the present and future of educational research in Europe by Hannele Niemi, Sverker Lindblad and Donatella Palomba. The purpose of the Roundtable is to use the OECD Report to ask questions about the direction of educational research in England!