Regional Cooperation in Educational Research

Abstract

A research study generally refers to an investigation that is taken up to uncover novel facts and arrive at new conclusions by methodical inquiry of a subject or by engaging in a course of scientific pursuit. It subsumes the study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and compile information. Since the countries in a region face problems in their educational development that are altogether distinct from those of the countries in other regions, it is fundamental that a system of cooperation exists among the educational researchers of a particular region for undertaking collaborative research, collating information, and establishing facts. It is, however, observed that educational researchers in the Asia-Pacific region frequently work alone or in small teams without being aware of similar or related efforts taking place in other countries of the region. Often these researchers look to Europe and the United States for inspiration without showing regard for the local and regional problems. There are rapid educational changes occurring in the Asia-Pacific region, which are not based on dependable research evidence. Further, isolated research efforts carry little meaning for policy initiatives and practice. Greater collaboration among the researchers in the region is likely to reinforce them to situate their research in the local and regional context and will also greatly enhance the implementation of research findings in policy and practice. The twin goals of this paper are (a) to examine various policy initiatives undertaken to improve cooperation in educa­tional research in the Asia-Pacific region, and (b) to analyse the existing arrange­ment of collaboration among educational researchers in the region.