Whose research? Whose reality? The identity politics of education science

Abstract

John Schostak argues that qualitative research methods give voice to the experiences and interests of under-represented groups in society, and therefore have greater emancipatory potential than quantitative methods. He highlights the political significance of the link between positivist-influenced ideas of what counts as valid educational research and the exclusion of qualitative studies from major government-funded programmes. Greater socio-political justice is a worthy aim shared by many educational researchers, and for this reason the chapter makes a valuable contribution. This response examines the links drawn by Schostak between debates at the philosophical and political levels, finds some to be overstated, and argues that social science research invariably reflects the perspectives and ethos of the researcher. In this sense, the emancipatory potential of educational research depends more on its scholarly orientation, or academic identity, than on the empirical methods it employs.