Long description:

"Where does hunch end and evidence begin? Too much is written and said about school improvement - about improvements in teaching and learning - with far too little attention to this question. This book provides vivid discussion from distinguished protagonists and antagonists about what gets called 'evidence-based practice'. Reading it, all involved in education - policymakers and practitioners alike - can proceed more confidently."- Professor Tim Brighouse, London Schools Commissioner

The movement to evidence-based practice in education is as important as it is controversial, and this book explores the arguments of leading advocates and critics.

The book begins with an explication of evidence-based practice. Some of the ideas of its proponents are discussed, including the Campbell Collaboration, and the application to education of Cochrane-style reviews and meta-analyses.

The thinking behind evidence based practice has been the subject of much criticism, particularly in education, and this criticism is aired in the second part of the book. Questions have been raised about what we mean by evidence, about how particular kinds of evidence may be privileged over other kinds of evidence, about the transferability of research findings to practice, and about the consequences of a move to evidence-based practice for governance in education.

Given that the origins of the interest in evidence-based practice come largely from its use in medicine, questions arise about the validity of the transposition, and contributors to the third part of the book address this transposition.

The issues raised in the book, while primarily those raised by educators, are of relevance also to professionals in medicine, social work and psychology.

"Where does hunch end and evidence begin? Too much is written and said about school improvement - about improvements in teaching and learning - with far too little attention to this question. This book provides vivid discussion from distinguished protagonists and antagonists about what gets called 'evidence-based practice'. Reading it, all involved in education - policymakers and practitioners alike - can proceed more confidently."- Professor Tim Brighouse, London Schools Commissioner

The movement to evidence-based practice in education is as important as it is controversial, and this book explores the arguments of leading advocates and critics.

The book begins with an explication of evidence-based practice. Some of the ideas of its proponents are discussed, including the Campbell Collaboration, and the application to education of Cochrane-style reviews and meta-analyses.

The thinking behind evidence based practice has been the subject of much criticism, particularly in education, and this criticism is aired in the second part of the book. Questions have been raised about what we mean by evidence, about how particular kinds of evidence may be privileged over other kinds of evidence, about the transferability of research findings to practice, and about the consequences of a move to evidence-based practice for governance in education.

Given that the origins of the interest in evidence-based practice come largely from its use in medicine, questions arise about the validity of the transposition, and contributors to the third part of the book address this transposition.

The issues raised in the book, while primarily those raised by educators, are of relevance also to professionals in medicine, social work and psychology.

Table of Contents:

CONTENTS

Chapter 1. Introduction: evidence and practice.
Gary Thomas

Part 1. What is evidence-based practice?

Chapter 2. Systematic reviews and the Campbell Collaboration.
Philip Davies

Chapter 3. Developing evidence-informed policy and practice.
Judy Sebba

Chapter 4. Systematic research synthesis.
David Gough

Part 2. Evidence-based practice in practice

Section a: in education

Chapter 5. Between Scylla and Charybdis: the experience of undertaking a systematic review in Education.
Richard Andrews

Chapter 6. Teachers using evidence: using what we know about teaching and learning to reconceptualise evidence-based practice.
Philippa Cordingley

Section b: in medicine and allied fields

Chapter 7. Practice-Based Evidence.
Michael Eraut

Chapter 8. Reflections from medical practice. Balancing evidence-based practice with practice-based evidence.
Ed Peile

Section c: problems in practice

Chapter 9. Educational research, philosophical orthodoxy, and unfulfilled promises: the quandary of traditional research in U.S. special education.
Deborah J. Gallagher

Part 3. Questions

Chapter 10. Some questions about evidence-based practice in education.
Martyn Hammersley

Chapter 11. The relationship between research, policy and practice.
Phil Hodkinson, and John K. Smith

Chapter 12. Evidence-based practice, action research, and the professional development of teachers.
John Elliott

Chapter 13. Using action research to generate knowledge about educational practice.
Harry Torrance

Chapter 14. Conclusion: Evidence-based Policy and Practice.
Richard Pring

References