Empirical Research Methods in Education

Abstract

This paper critically reviews conventional quantitative methods in educational research and asks the reasons for their inability to provide a basis for reliable policy advice on how to improve schooling outcomes of children. It then discusses methodological approaches that have been developed and used more recently and assesses their strengths and drawbacks. Two distinct focuses are apparent in educational research. Quantitative researchers are largely concerned with finding the causal relationship between inputs and outcomes in education. Qualitative researchers emphasise that student outcomes are uniquely tied to the educational setting (e.g., different ways in which textbooks are used or classes organised in different educational settings) so that in their view it seems pointless to try to draw general conclusions about the average effect of an input on an educational outcome. The current paper critically reviews research methods most commonly used by empirical researchers when analysing education policy issues. The review is confined to evaluations of the internal efficiency of schools and does not look at methods employed to study the external (e.g., labour market) impact of school policies.