Educational Explanations. Christopher Winch

the research in question in each case itself generates findings that have a bearing on philosophical reflection. The mutuality of interest here is richly developed.

It is important that Winch comes to the writing of this book on the strength of a wealth of relevant earlier publications. His Teachers’ Know-How: A Philosophical Investigation, also in this series (2017), argued not only that substantial philosophical work needed to be done in order to intelligibly formulate questions amenable to empirical educational research (a stance shared by many philosophers of education), but also that teacher education and teachers’ practice should be informed by the kind of systematic understanding that such research might generate (a view that partly conflicts with the craft-like conception of teaching that is generally more favoured among philosophers). The present text also builds on Winch’s philosophical and empirical work on knowledge, skills and competence in the European labour market, as it does on his influential research on expertise. His experience as an empirical researcher has, no doubt, led to his appreciation of the importance of collaboration and teamwork, while his practice as a philosopher and teacher has enhanced his understanding of the different ways in which ethical considerations have a bearing on the roles of the teacher and the researcher, on the policy-maker and the academic. As the book shows, the prospects for such teamwork may well be diminished where research training underestimates the degree of philosophical engagement required to construct coherent conceptual frameworks for research and a proper appraisal of the ways in which ethical considerations weigh within these.

      Educational research seeks explanations of problems, and there is a need to understand not only the differences in kind between explanations but how they can work in complementary ways, in conducting reason-based explanations appropriate to the task at hand. This book provides a clear and engaging account of how this can be done. Winch has provided a clear guide to show how those involved across the range of research into education can work together better in furtherance of this aim.

Paul Standish (Series Editor)

Preface

      The present writer has been active in the philosophy of education for over thirty five years and an empirical education researcher for thirty. Although I am by no means unique, the combination of the roles of philosopher and empirical educational researcher is fairly uncommon. Despite the widespread critique of empirical educational research within the philosophy of education community I am convinced that I have gained much in knowledge and understanding from both these enterprises and indeed one of the arguments of this book is that they are more closely related than is often supposed. No-one will be convinced of this stance if those who defend it are not prepared to engage in a careful accounting of the strengths and weaknesses of empirical educational research as it is conducted and in a critical appraisal of its presuppositions. This the present book attempts to do.

Without the resources available to philosophy of education, educational policy and practice is likely to remain blind, assuming philosophical positions without being aware of doing so, let alone adopting a critical stance towards them. Philosophy of education, if it ignores the methods and findings of empirical educational research, however flawed or incomplete these may be, has to rely on a ‘commonsense’ vision of educational reality, either based on personal experience or on unexamined assumptions about the way the educational world works. With a few notable exceptions, to be found for example in the work of Richard Pring, D.C. Phillips and Tone Kvernbekk, constructive engagement with empirical educational research on the basis of a willingness to assess its value and to profit from it when it does have valuable insights or findings, is rare. Too often the philosophical arguments against empirical educational research are unconvincing and lack either engagement with or sympathy for what empirical researchers are trying to accomplish. For their part (and partly in reaction to the attitude of some philosophers of education) empirical educational researchers too often neglect the philosophical presuppositions of their work or disregard the possibilities of an empirical investigation of conceptual variation. They often fail to adopt a coherent conceptual framework for thinking about educational issues.

      There are good reasons, therefore, for revisiting this troubled academic relationship and to try to effect a more fruitful engagement between the two research communities to the mutual profit not just of them but of educational practices and those who benefit from them. I am well aware of the difficulties of moving individuals from entrenched positions, but, among other things, this book is an attempt to do so.

      There are a number of tasks which this book aims to accomplish. First, to establish that empirical educational enquiry should seek after truth wherever possible. Second, to show that empirical educational enquiry aims to present explanations for how and why educational institutions exist and educational processes occur. Third, the nature of educational explanation as a truth-oriented but pragmatic rather than absolutist enterprise is advocated. Fourth, the importance of understanding in terms of conceptual structure, internal meanings and reasons are emphasised as prerequisites of satisfactory educational explanations. Fifth, the preceding four theses are defended through the examination of four case studies of empirical educational research programmes. Sixth and finally, the implications of this account of educational explanation are drawn out for future research programmes and the preparation of teachers.

1 Introduction: What Is the Question?

      THE PRINCIPAL CLAIMS OF THE BOOK

Millions of pounds are spent on educational research each year in the UK alone.¹ By far the greatest proportion of this expenditure is on research which is thought to have practical relevance to educational problems, and the vast majority of this is spent on empirical educational research (EER), that is educational research which examines and seeks explanations for actual or proposed educational practices or the kinds of activities, institutions or policies that prepare young people for life (Pring 2015, p. 27). Invariably, the aim of such research is not merely to gain understanding of these practices but to improve or replace them with better ones. This practical aspect of educational research exercises most commentators, although it should not be forgotten that educational research can be carried out in a relatively disinterested manner, out of intellectual curiosity (Hammersley 2006). There are two related issues to be considered here: (1) Is it possible to gain knowledge of how educational practices work? (2) Is it possible to use such knowledge to improve existing practices, replace existing ones with better ones or introduce practices which will improve the overall practice of education? In this book, both these questions will be addressed. If the answer to (1) is negative, then it is futile to address (2). By implication then the answer to (1) will be positive. The answer to (2) will not be negative, but there are degrees of positivity attached to a positive answer and what those degrees are will be crucial to the ultimate claims of the book.

      It is no exaggeration to say that in recent decades educational research has undergone a crisis of confidence, particularly but not exclusively within the world of educational policymaking. Dissatisfaction has been expressed both with the quality and the usefulness of such research. Conceptual research on education tends to be regarded with some suspicion as something that is either of little practical value or which undermines existing practices. But empirical research fares little better, with scepticism expressed both about its quality (Tooley and Darby 1998) and about its applicability (Hillage et al. 1998). More recently there have been moves to tie funding to preferred approaches to empirical research such as intervention studies and randomised control trials (RCTs) and to disseminate in accessible form what the findings of such studies are and how they are relevant to the improvement of educational practice. In the UK alone we see organisations such as the Educational Policy Institute (EPI), the Educational Endowment Foundation (EEF), and the Sutton Trust, not to mention meta-researchers Robert Slavin and John Hattie gaining a significant amount of influence in the propagation of studies of ‘what works’ in educational practice. One should also mention the rising interest in the deliverances of educational research from within the teaching profession, such as ResearchEd in the UK, which betoken a wish by teachers to become more active consumers of and even participants in educational research and also to have a say in what