Elearning Research: From EvidenceBased Policy to PolicySupporting Research

1
E-learning Research From Evidence-Based Policy
to Policy-Supporting Research

• Nicholas C. Burbules
• University of Illinois

2
Two models of research and policy

• Rational model Research comes first, policy
  remains agnostic without research to support it.
  Policy follows research
• Political model Policy comes first, research is
  used to justify and implement it

3
Lather and Davies

• Patti Lather (2004) I was aghast at the framing
  statement from a representative from the Office
  of Educational Research and Improvement about the
  need for policy research that supported the
  Bush administration policies.
• Bronwyn Davies (2003) It is typical of new
  managerialism that the objectives will come
  first and then the experimental research evidence
  will be generated to justify them.

4
What makes sense about policy-supporting research
(PSR)

• Appears to be more democratic
• Allocates scarce research money toward useful
  research
• Seems to adopt a realistic pragmatism
• Grows out of the low quality and
  indeterminateness of much educational research

5
Whats wrong with PSR

• Its underlying view of decision-making
• The kind of research it encourages
• Its conception of educational practice

6
PSR and decision-making

• Removes goals from critical assessment
• Narrows range of outcomes to be considered
• Neglect of unintended consequences, double
  effects, revenge effects
• Be careful what you ask for

7
PSR and research

• Reinforces randomized field trial model of
  scientific research
• Focuses on effects-oriented, comparative studies
• Neglect of Aptitude Treatment Interactions,
  Hawthorne effects, etc.

8
PSR and practice

• Reinforces what works/best practices approach
• Practices and methods
• Practice and contextual judgment,
  problem-solving, balancing considerations
• Why there cant be best practices

9
E-learning and PSR

• Focusing on questions, not of whether, but only
  of how
• University entrepreneurialism, competitiveness
• If you dont, somebody else will

10
E-learning decision-making

• Removes goals from critical assessment
• Narrows range of outcomes to be considered
• Neglect of unintended consequences, double
  effects, revenge effects
• Be careful what you ask for

11
E-learning research

• Reinforces randomized field trial model of
  scientific research
• Focuses on effects-oriented, comparative studies
• Neglect of Aptitude Treatment Interactions,
  Hawthorne effects, etc.

12
E-learning practice

• Reinforces what works/best practices approach
• Practices and methods
• Practice and contextual judgment,
  problem-solving, balancing considerations
• Why there cant be best practices

13
E-learning policy research

• Not which is better, but how are they
  different?
• Preserving room for critique about objectives
• Studies of unintended consequences, double
  effects, etc.
• Questioning the logic of inevitability