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The politics and ethics of educational research in England: contemporary issues

The politics and ethics of educational research in England: contemporary issues
The politics and ethics of educational research in England: contemporary issues
Government sponsored educational research is increasingly subject to contractual control over the design of the research, dissemination and publication and even the research process itself. This paper argues that this current policy context poses a threat to the quality of educational research and places severe limitations on the contribution it can make to the generation of public knowledge and the utilisation of research in educational policy-making and public debate. Focusing upon two contemporary issues—restrictive research contracts and conditions and the changing nature of ethical guidelines—the paper explores how the political context of recent years has led to changes in research contracts and ethical and political responses of formal associations. The paper concludes by examining a number of positions the educational research community can take in such a restrictive political climate, arguing, in particular, that professional organisations need to act both collectively and politically if they are to make any inroads into improving contractual conditions to protect quality research.
0141-1926
435-449
Simons, Helen
3f029b50-c852-4ba6-9cbf-2a3b6e2a5c33
Simons, Helen
3f029b50-c852-4ba6-9cbf-2a3b6e2a5c33

Simons, Helen (1995) The politics and ethics of educational research in England: contemporary issues. British Educational Research Journal, 21 (4), 435-449. (doi:10.1080/0141192950210401).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Government sponsored educational research is increasingly subject to contractual control over the design of the research, dissemination and publication and even the research process itself. This paper argues that this current policy context poses a threat to the quality of educational research and places severe limitations on the contribution it can make to the generation of public knowledge and the utilisation of research in educational policy-making and public debate. Focusing upon two contemporary issues—restrictive research contracts and conditions and the changing nature of ethical guidelines—the paper explores how the political context of recent years has led to changes in research contracts and ethical and political responses of formal associations. The paper concludes by examining a number of positions the educational research community can take in such a restrictive political climate, arguing, in particular, that professional organisations need to act both collectively and politically if they are to make any inroads into improving contractual conditions to protect quality research.

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More information

Published date: September 1995
Organisations: Southampton Education School

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 388364
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/388364
ISSN: 0141-1926
PURE UUID: 980639ce-d41a-4e9a-8666-61a1de556044

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Date deposited: 24 Feb 2016 11:21
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 22:56

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