A topic in research methodology
"…methodological decisions in educational research are informed by axiological as well as ontological and epistemological considerations"
Taber, 2014: 1863
Values in research
Values are at the heart of work in fields like education, and need to be central to research.
"A…term you may see in your reading is 'axiology', which relates to the basic values we bring to our research. All researchers need to be concerned that their research is undertaken ethically…However, some researchers working in education go beyond this, and feel that research worth their time and attention has to be driven by such imperatives as challenging social inequalities or working towards a more democratic society.
Other educational researchers may well feel that education is inherently a good thing, and that any research that can inform educational work is therefore worth doing. Finding a better way to teach about quadratic equations or ancient Egyptian society is likely to excite some researchers in this latter group, but not those who feel that worthwhile educational work has to play a transformative role in changing people's lives and the society they live in. Some of these researchers may well feel that schools have an important role in maintaining social inequalities that are reproduced in part through the education system, and so that research that simply finds more effective ways to do the traditional work of schools is a distraction"
Taber, 2013: 47-48
Research ethics
A key consideration at all stages of research, and something that needs to be taken into account when making decisions about research design, is research ethics. Evaluations on whether research should be considered ethical are based on our values – ethical resarch is consitstent with our values. (This means, of course, that someone from a different value position may reach a different judgement on whether a study is ethical.)
Sources cited:
Taber, K. S. (2013). Classroom-based Research and Evidence-based Practice: An introduction (2nd ed.). London: Sage.
Taber, K. S. (2014). Methodological issues in science education research: a perspective from the philosophy of science. In M. R. Matthews (Ed.), International Handbook of Research in History, Philosophy and Science Teaching (Vol. 3, pp. 1839-1893). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.
My introduction to educational research:
Taber, K. S. (2013). Classroom-based Research and Evidence-based Practice: An introduction (2nd ed.). London: Sage.
