This paper addresses the desideratum identified by Törner (2018), that researchers' beliefs are rarely addressed in the research literature dealing with beliefs. For this purpose, firstly a suitable theoretical framework is outlined that links the concept of belief with the research perspectives of researchers. Secondly, examples are given of how…

Educational researchers often need to construct precise and reliable measurement scales of complex and varied representations such as participants' written work, videoed lesson segments and policy documents. Developing such scales using can be resource-intensive and time-consuming, and the outcomes are not always reliable. Here we present…

Causal inference is a central topic in education research, although oftentimes it relies on observational studies, which makes causal identification methodologically challenging. This manuscript introduces causal graphs as a powerful language for elucidating causal theories and an effective tool for causal identification analysis. It discusses…

Background: Beliefs are a complex research construct with deep connections to innumerable different research areas and agendas. Engineering education researchers are increasingly studying beliefs, and synergy across these efforts can lead to a greater impact in translating beliefs research into educational practice. Purpose: Our purpose was to…

Education researchers often encounter scenarios where an abrupt policy change occurs within or across jurisdictions or populations that affect key student outcomes. Difference-in-differences is a research design analysts can use to estimate causal effects of these "natural experiments." This article introduces education researchers to…

Background: The National Science Foundation Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (RIEF) program aims to increase research capacity in the field by providing funding for technical engineering faculty to learn to conduct engineering education research through mentorship by an experienced social science researcher. We use collaborative…

Systematic reviews have witnessed significant growth across many fields, including education. In this article, we outline the background of this growth, highlight the tendency to focus on methodological considerations, and propose a framework to support education researchers in preparing systematic reviews with broad impact. We draw on our…

The COVID-19 pandemic caused tremendous upheaval in schooling. In addition to devasting effects on students, these disruptions had consequences for researchers conducting studies on education programs and policies. Given the likelihood of future large-scale disruptions, it is important for researchers to plan resilient studies and think critically…

I dedicate this paper to my friend and colleague, Mike Fetters, who served as senior co-editor of the "Journal of Mixed Methods Research" (JMMR). In this paper, I discuss key mixed methods developments over the last 35 years, my fortunate involvement in them, and my collaboration with Mike Fetters in several of them. The discussion…

Educational researchers continue to polarize into 'qualitative' and 'quantitative' camps, with these terms often functioning as global identity markers, rather than as styles of research that are available to anyone. Many scholars have lamented the drawbacks of researchers being siloed into opposing, apparently incommensurable research paradigms,…

The landscape of educational research necessitates sophisticated approaches to scholarly communication, demanding researchers to adeptly navigate diverse methodological traditions. This article provides systematic guidelines for academic writing that transcend methodological boundaries, offering practical strategies for crafting clear, ethical,…

There is a well-established historical background of research on mathematical giftedness that can be traced back to the early 1900s. An overarching purpose of this research was to review and explore the existing research and its evolution since its emergence in educational and psychological studies. Thus, we examined the past, present, and future…

Initially launched in 2013, researchED claims to be a 'grassroots' organisation which disseminates the best educational research to classroom practitioners. During the last 10 years, it has played a pivotal role in cementing the 'new science' of educational research as the primary route to educational effectiveness. ResearchED events are popular…

Diffracting a research project in a UK primary school, this paper concerns feminist materialist orientations to odd-ness as a relational, distributed, and affective form of "thinking-feeling". It suggests that attuning to affect as it moves through a context resistant to disruption, involves becoming "bad researchers"; bad for…

Educators and administrators in secondary and higher education in Kazakhstan have experienced significant reforms since 2010. New policies, curricula, pedagogy, assessment practices, accountability mechanisms, and legislation were implemented in an education revolution, to modernize Kazakh education and build human capital for economic prosperity.…