Educational development as a field: are we there yet?
- 16 May 2012
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in Higher Education Research & Development
- Vol. 31 (3), 311-323
- https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2011.631520
Abstract
This paper contributes to the critical engagement about educational development and its status as a field. The critique focuses in particular on our knowledge and the nature of our knowledge-building. The paper argues that unless we strengthen our knowledge base we will not emerge as a professional field able to engage rigorously and systematically with the problems of higher education. Drawing on social realist work that builds on the ideas of Basil Bernstein, a framework is offered for conceptualizing knowledge differentiation and the implications of different types of knowledge for knowledge-building. The paper concludes with suggestions on how educational development might strengthen its knowledge-building capacity.Keywords
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