Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ When Education Research Training Is Like Giving a Power Saw to a 5th Grader

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

I've had my issues with education researchers too, but I don't think I've ever taken my criticism to this level. The issue, writes Frederick Hess, is that "Too many grad students are training to be education policy scholars in programs that cultivate expertise in research methods but not in the stuff of education." He should know, I guess. He studied at Harvard. "Putting impressive-sounding, attention-getting analytic tools in the hands of education researchers who don't understand education is like putting a power saw in the hands of a fifth-grader. That saw is more likely to lead to an emergency room visit than to elegant carpentry. Competent education policy researchers need expertise in both methods and substance."

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Nov 04, 2024 3:10 p.m.

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