Skip to Main Content

Psychological-Educational Studies
2021. Vol. 13, no. 4, 162–176
doi:10.17759/psyedu.2021130410
ISSN: 2587-6139 (online)

Evidence-Based Education: Critical Analysis of Current Discussions

629

N.P. Busygina, T.G. Podushkina, V.V. Stanilevsky

PDF (RUS)
Online translation in english
GS
Information
in Google Scholar

Abstract

The article analyzes the current discussions on how to define evidence and implement evidence-based practice in education. Despite their frequent use, the terms “evidence-based practice”, “evidence-based education” etc. remain something like “empty signs” the meaning of which still needs to be defined. The authors highlight several discussion topics regarding research for evidence-based practice and evidence-based process: hierarchical versus pluralistic conception of evidence; theoretical reasoning as evidence; top-down evidence-based practice versus bottom-up evidence-informed practitioner judgment; conception of research use as linear process of uptake or dissemination versus as bidirectional process by which research and practice mutually inform each other. It is presumed that although historically evidence-based approach was associated with an appeal to science primarily as an institution of prescription, in its actual versions the relationship between science and practice is much more complex.

General Information

Keywords: evidence-based education, evidence-based practice, evidence-informed practice, research for evidence-based practice, conception of evidence, evidence-based process, research use

Journal rubric: Psychology of Education

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/psyedu.2021130410

Funding. The reported study was funded by the Ministry of Education of Russia, project No. 073-00041-21-03 dated 06.11.2021 «Development of methodological foundations for the formation of a unified national approach to the definition of evidence-based practices in social sphere and education».

Received: 10.12.2021

Accepted:

For citation: Busygina N.P., Podushkina T.G., Stanilevsky V.V. Evidence-Based Education: Critical Analysis of Current Discussions [Elektronnyi resurs]. Psychological-Educational Studies, 2021. Vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 162–176. DOI: 10.17759/psyedu.2021130410. (In Russ., аbstr. in Engl.)

References

  1. Busygina N.P., Podushkina T.G., Stanilevsky V.V. Dokazatelnyi podkhod v sotsial’noi sfere: osnovnye ponyatiya i printsipy, istoriya, perspektivy [Evidence-Based Approach in the Social Area: Basic Concepts and Guidelines, History, Prospects]. Sotsial’nye nauki i detstvo = Social Sciences and Childhood, 2020. Vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 8–26. DOI:10.17759/ssc.2020010101 (In Russ.).
  2. Diakov A.V. Predislovie perevodchika [Translator's Foreword]. In Latour B. Paster: Voina i mir mikrobov [Pasteur: War and Peace of Microbes]. Saint Petersburg: Publ. Evropeiskogo universiteta v Sankt-Peterburge, 2015, pp. 7–24. (In Russ.).
  3. Latour B. Nauka v deistvii: Sleduya za uchenymi i inzhenerami vnutri obschestva [Science in Action: How to Follow Scientists and Engineers Through Society]. Saint Petersburg: Publ. Evropeiskogo universiteta v Sankt-Peterburge, 2013. 414 p. (In Russ.).
  4. Latour B. Paster: Voina i mir mikrobov [Pasteur: War and Peace of Microbes]. Saint Petersburg: Publ. Evropeiskogo universiteta v Sankt-Peterburge, 2015. 316 p. (In Russ.).
  5. American Psychological Association, Presidential Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice Evidence-Based Practice in psychology. American Psychologist, 2006. Vol. 61, pp. 271–285. DOI:10.1037/003-066X.61.4.271
  6. Anjum R.L., Kerry R., Mumford S.D. Evidence Based on What? Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 2015. Vol. 21, pp. 11–12. DOI:10.1111/jep.12493
  7. Bellamy J.L., Bledsoe S.E., Traube D.E. The Current State of Evidence-Based Practice in Social Work: A Review of the Literature and Qualitative Analysis of Expert Interviews. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 2006. Vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 23–48. DOI:10.1300/J394v03n01_02
  8. Biesta G.J.J. Why ‘What Works’ Still Won’t Work: From Evidence-Based Education to Value-Based Education. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 2010. Vol. 29, pp. 491–503. DOI:10.1007/s11217-010-9191-x
  9. Bluhm R., Borgerson K. Evidence-Based Medicine In F. Gifford (Ed.). Philosophy of Medicine. New York, NY: Elsevier, 2010, pp. 203–237.
  10. Brown C., Zhang D. Is Engaging in Evidence-Informed Practice in Education Rational? What Accounts for Discrepancies in Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Evidence Use and Actual Instances of Evidence Use in Schools? British Educational Research Journal, 2016. Vol. 42(5), pp. 780–801. DOI:10.1002/berj.3239
  11. Davies P. What Is Evidence-Based Education? British Journal of Educational Studies, 1999. Vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 108–121. DOI:10.1111/1467-8527.00106
  12. Diery A., Knogler M., Seidel T. Supporting Evidence-Based Practice Through Teacher Education: A Profile Analysis of Teacher Educators’ Perceived Challenges and Possible Solutions. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 2021. Vol. 2, no. 2. DOI:10.1016/j.ijedro.2021.100056
  13. Diery A., Vogel F., Knogler M., Seidel T. Evidence-Based Practice in Higher Education: Teacher Educators’ Attitudes, Challenges, and Uses. Frontiers in Education, 2020. Vol. 5:62. DOI:10.3389/feduc.2020.00062
  14. Earl L. Reflections on the Challenges of Leading Research and Evidence in Schools. In Brown C. (ed.), Leading the Use of Research & Evidence in Schools. London: IOE Press, 2015, pp. 146–152.
  15. Farley-Ripple E., May H., Karpyn A., Tilley K., McDonough K. Rethinking Connections Between Research and Practice in Education: A Conceptual Framework. Educational Researcher, 2018. Vol. 47(4), pp. 235–245. DOI:10.3102/0013189X18761042
  16. Greany T. How Can Evidence Inform Teaching and Decision Making Across 21,000 Autonomous Schools? Learning from the Journey in England. In Brown C. (ed.). Leading the Use of Research & Evidence in Schools. London: IOE Press, 2015, pp. 11–28.
  17. Hammersley M. What Is Evidence for Evidence-Based Practice? In Otto H.-U. (eds.). Evidence-Based Practice – Modernising the Knowledge Base of Social Work. Opladen: Budrich, 2009, pp. 139–150.
  18. Latour В. The Pasterization of France. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1988. 292 p.
  19. Lovasz N., Clegg J.W. The Social Production of Evidence in Psychology: A Case Study of the APA Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice. In O’Doherty K.C. (eds.). Psychological Studies of Science & Technology. New York, NY: Palgrave MacMillan, 2019, pp. 213–235.
  20. Parkhurst J.O., Abeysinghe S. What Constitutes “Good” Evidence for Public Health and Social Policy-Making? From Hierarchies to Appropriateness. Social Epistemology, 2016. Vol. 30(5–6), pp. 665–679. DOI:10.1080/02691728.2016.1172365
  21. Pellegrini M., Vivanet G. Evidence-Based Policies in Education: Initiatives and Challenges in Europe. ECNU Review of Education, 2020, pp. 1–20. DOI:10.1177/2096531120924670
  22. Reddy L.A., Forman S.G., Stoiber K.C., González J.E. A National Investigation of School Psychology Trainer’s Attitudes and Beliefs About Evidence-Based Practice. Psychology in the Schools, 2017. Vol. 54(3), pp. 261–278. DOI:10.1002/pits.21999
  23. Slavin R.E. Evidence-Based Educational Policies: Transforming Educational Practice and Research. Educational Researcher, 2002. Vol. 31(7), pp. 15–21. DOI:10.3102/0013189X031007015
  24. Slavin R.E. Evidence-Based Reform in Education. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), 2017. Vol. 54, pp. 178–184. DOI:10.1080/10824669.2017.1334560
  25. Slavin R.E. How Evidence-Based Reform Will Transform Research and Practice in Education. Educational Psychologist, 2020. Vol. 55(1), pp. 21–31. DOI:10.1080/00461520.2019.1611432
  26. Slavin R.E., Cheung A.C., Zhuang T. How Evidence-Based Reform Could Advance Education. ECNU Review of Education, 2021, pp. 1–18. DOI:10.1177/2096531120976060
  27. Solomon M. Making Medical Knowledge. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2015. 278 p.
  28. Stengenga J. Down with the Hierarchies. Topoi, 2014. Vol. 33, pp. 313–322. DOI:10.1007/s11245-013-9189-4
  29. Thyer B. What Is Evidence-Based Practice. In Roberts A.R. (eds.). Foundations of Evidence-Based Social Work Practice. Oxford University Press, 2006, pp. 35–46.
  30. Tonelli M.R., Williamson J. Mechanisms in Clinical Practice: Use and Justification. Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, 2020. Vol. 23, pp. 115–124. DOI:10.1007/s11019-019-09915-5
  31. Upshur R.E.G., Van Den Kerkhof E.G., Goel V. Meaning and Measurement: An Inclusive Model of Evidence in Health Care. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 2001. Vol. 7(2), pp. 91–96. DOI:10.1046/j.1365-2753.2001.00279.x
  32. Ward T., Haig B.D., McDonald M. Translating Science into Practice in Clinical Psychology: A Reformulation of the Evidence-Based Practice Inquiry Model. Theory & Psychology. Article first published online: November 30, 2021. DOI:10.1177/09593543211059816
  33. Worrall J. What Evidence in Evidence-Based Medicine? Philosophy of Science, 2002. Vol. 69, no. S3, pp. S316–S330.

Information About the Authors

Natalya P. Busygina, PhD in Psychology, Assistant Professor, Department of Counselling and Clinical Psychology, Chair of Individual and Group Psychotherapy, Moscow State University of Psychology an Education, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2344-9543, e-mail: boussyguina@yandex.ru

Tatiana G. Podushkina, Head of the Sector «Center for Evidence-Based Social Design», Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, Moscow, Russia, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5966-8342, e-mail: poduschkina@mail.ru

Victor V. Stanilevsky, MS in International Affairs, American University, Washington, USA, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8808-7387, e-mail: victor.stanilevskiy@gmail.com

Metrics

Views

Total: 651
Previous month: 27
Current month: 17

Downloads

Total: 629
Previous month: 49
Current month: 20