I am grateful to the Editor for giving me excuse to delve into the fossil record. I confidently hope that my article was written before most of The Australian Library Journal's present readership was born. I am happy to stay with my pragmatic attempt at a definition of research as an intensified search undertaken with the hope of finding something…

Educational action is a species of praxis in both an Aristotelian sense and a post-Marxian sense: in the first, it involves the morally informed and committed action of the individual practitioners who practise education; in the second, it helps to shape social formations and conditions for collectivities of people. In this paper, it is argued…

This book is a report of a systematic study based on interviews with 120 school principals that addresses questions about the utilization of knowledge from social research. It offers evidence that challenges allegations about the "awful reputation" of educational research and its supposed lack of impact. The Untested Accusation: (1)…

The use of five Australian research reports in formulating policy on user choice was examined in terms of the policy development process, distribution of power among stakeholders, and the culture of decision-making organizations. Factors influencing research use were identified: the reports were commissioned, the political climate changed, and…

Educational research has changed greatly in recent years, is more sophisticated, and is based on more appropriate theories than behaviorism was, with more direct relevance to practice. A new system of education using constructivist theories of learning such as Piaget's would promote the development of powerful learning strategies. (MSE)

This paper examines how educational comparisons might be used by the educational practitioners, and how the educator can contribute to the comparativists' work. Currently, it is argued, a gap exists between comparative educational study and the theory and practice of education. This leads to three areas of need. First, professional comparativists…

In Australia, Cooperative Research Centres strengthen linkages between universities as producers and industry as users of research. Shifting perspectives on the functions of universities, industry, and government are driven by the need for wealth creation, global competitiveness, and optimum linkages between research and commercialization. (SK)

The theoretical fields of adult developmental psychology and andragogy provide some principles or rules for action that may lead to useful improvements in course organization and teaching methodology. An analysis of the principles and the likely effects of their implementation has led to the following speculation: principles that are not likely to…

This article examines the relationship between research and service provision to persons with severe mental retardation, notes frequent methodological deficiencies in current research, and proposes establishment of Australian research centers to coordinate research efforts and link research to service delivery. (DB)

This paper examines the development of service policy for people with intellectual disabilities in Australia, noting the minor role of research and empirical enquiry. Research's significant role in monitoring policy during the implementation phase is, however, acknowledged. A coordinated research program contributing to both policy development and…

Issues in the impact of educational research on educational policy and practice in Australian schools are addressed in this paper, which provides an overview of the numerous research and evaluation projects being conducted in Australian education. Specific questions examined are the extent to which: (1) the research subjects (schools) benefit from…

Socially critical action research in education can be defined as being strategic and critical pedagogic action on the part of classroom teachers aimed at increasing social justice. Five characteristics of socially critical action research are examined: participation, direction, consciousness, constraints, and outcomes. (IAH)

In most developed countries a majority of the citizens benefit from extensive educational opportunities, yet there is a growing number of people in these same countries who are educationally disadvantaged because of their sociocultural backgrounds. There are four stages of educational disadvantage including: (1) limited experiences in early…

Australian implementation of competency-based training fails to recognize that mere competency statements are inadequate as a basis for teaching. Many vocational teachers lack sufficient background in psychology for successful implementation. Good curriculum documents can help by incorporating key research on skill learning, transfer, expertise,…

After looking at reasons why research on teaching has had limited impact, this paper suggests alternative ways to generate and use research to achieve more productivity and indicates implications for educational practice. The author contends that the Research, Development, and Dissemination model of educational change, with its implicit view of…