Scientific Research in Education

Researchers, historians, and philosophers of science have debated the nature of scientific research in education for more than 100 years. Recent enthusiasm for "evidence-based" policy and practice in educationa "now codified in the federal law that authorizes the bulk of elementary and secondary education programsa "have brought a new sense of urgency to understanding the ways in which the basic tenets of science manifest in the study of teaching, learning, and schooling. Scientific Research in Education describes the similarities and differences between scientific inquiry in education and scientific inquiry in other fields and disciplines and provides a number of examples to illustrate these ideas. Its main argument is that all scientific endeavors share a common set of principles, and that each fielda "including education researcha "develops a specialization that accounts for the particulars of what is being studied. The book also provides suggestions for how the federal government can best support high-quality scientific research in education.

In this paper I argue that there is a need to reconnect with the question of purpose in education, particularly in the light of a recent tendency to focus discussions about education almost exclusively on the measurement and comparison of educational outcomes. I first discuss why the question of purpose should always have a place in our educational discussion. I then explore some reasons why this question seems to have disappeared from the educational agenda. The central part of the paper is a proposal for addressing the question of purpose in education—the question as to what constitutes good education—in a systematic manner. I argue that the question of purpose is a composite question and that in deliberating about the purpose of education we should make a distinction between three functions of education to which I refer as qualification, socialisation and subjectification. In the final section of the paper I provide examples of how this proposal can help in asking more precise questions about the purpose and direction of educational processes and practices.

Good education in an age of measurement: on the need to reconnect with the question of purpose in education

'This book tackles some of the most important educational questions of the day... It is rare to find a book on education which is theoretically sophisticated and practically relevant: this book is.' From the Foreword by Hugh Lauder
What is it in the twenty-first century that we want young people, and adults returning to study, to know? What is it about the kind of knowledge that people can acquire at school, college or university that distinguishes it from the knowledge that people acquire in their everyday lives everyday lives, at work, and in their families? 
Bringing Knowledge Back In draws on recent developments in the sociology of knowledge to propose answers to these key, but often overlooked, educational questions. Michael Young traces the changes in his own thinking about the question of knowledge in education since his earlier books Knowledge and Control and The Curriculum of the Future. He argues for the continuing relevance of the writings of Durkheim and Vygotsky and the unique importance of Basil Bernstein’s often under-appreciated work. He illustrates the importance of questions about knowledge by investigating the dilemmas faced by researchers and policy makers in a range of fields. He also considers the broader issue of the role of sociologists in relation to educational policy in the context of increasingly interventionist governments. In so doing, the book: 

provides conceptual tools for people to think and debate about knowledge and education in new ways 
provides clear expositions of difficult ideas at the interface of epistemology and the sociology of knowledge 
makes explicit links between theoretical issues and practical /policy questions 
offers a clear focus for the future development of the sociology of education as a key field within educational studies. 
This compelling and provocative book will be essential reading for anyone involved in research and debates about the curriculum as well as those with a specific interest in the sociology of education.

Bringing Knowledge Back In: From Social Constructivism to Social Realism in the Sociology of Education

The first edition of this popular book explored new literacies, new kinds of knowledge and classroom practices in the context of the massive growth of electronic information and communication technologies. This timely new edition discusses a fresh range of practices like blogging, fanfiction, mobile/wireless communications, and fan practices that remix audio and visual texts. Revised and updated throughout, the book examines:

Popular practices and social networks associated with contemporary phenomena like Flickr and Wikipedia.
Blogging, podscasting and mobile/wireless communication practices.

Writing practices within online fanfiction and manga-anime communities.

The production of Anime-Music-Video artifacts and online multimodal 'memes'.

The authors look at how digital technologies and new forms of mobile communications have been embraced by young people and integrated into their everyday lives. They argue that schools ignore some of these trends at their peril, and discuss how wireless mobility might be integrated effectively into school-based pedagogies and due attention paid to new literacies in teaching and learning. The new edition is essential reading for undergraduates and academics within literacy studies and for policy writers working within the area of digital literacy, new technologies or ICT development within education.

New Literacies: Everyday Practices and Classroom Learning

Knowledge and the Curriculum

Introduction. 1 Philosophy. 2 Education. 3 Development. 4 The Curriculum. 5 Teaching. 6 Teaching and Personal Relationships. 7 Educational Institutions. Further Reading. Index of Proper Names. Subject Index.

The logic of education

1. Philosophy and Curriculum Planning 2. The Nature and Structure of Curriculum Objectives 3. Liberal Education and the Nature of Knowledge 4. Realms of Meaning and Forms of Knowledge 5. Language and Thought 6. The Forms of Knowledge re-visited 7. What is Teaching? 8. The Logical and Psychological Aspects of Teaching a Subject 9. Curriculum Integration 10. Literature and the Fine Arts as a Unique Form of Knowledge 11. The Two-cultures, Science and Moral Education 12. Morals, Religion and the Maintained School

Paul H. Hirst

Papers

Knowledge and the Curriculum

The logic of education

Knowledge and the Curriculum: A Collection of Philosophical Papers

Education and the Development of Reason

Liberal education and the nature of knowledge