Educational psychology practice as research: A little regarded aspect of Cyril Burt’s legacy

Abstract

The educational psychology profession has repeatedly, and perhaps to little real effect agonised over its purpose and manner of working. This paper wonders whether some of this continuing difficulty may arise from what the profession seems to pay little obvious attention to, an understanding of issues of truth, the nature of the world in which we live and how we can know about it, all of which have clear consequences for how we shape and carry out our professional duties.In 1964 Sir Cyril Burt, as Patron of the Association of Educational Psychologists, gave a speech to the Association’s conference. In it he covered many aspects of his work, including that which ultimately led to the widely reported and much discussed furore. Hidden deep within this speech is a phrase, which has much significance for the modern profession of applied educational psychology. Burt said: ‘… all my work … was of the nature of research. Even the individual cases … had each to form the subject of a small intensive investigation’.This article argues that educational psychology work, how it arises and is determined, can be considered through the lens Burt has provided in this short phrase, and that there are strong parallels between effective research practice and appropriate professional applied psychology practice. The aim of this paper is to share this thinking through considering how professional practice can be shaped by our views of what the world is, how we can know about it, what forms of practice that makes available for us, what we choose to do, and what it is to work ethically.