European Educational Research – Constraints and Possibilities

Abstract

In this article the current development toward standardisation of national education systems in Europe is addressed. This development pushes educational research into an instrument for the provision of knowledge about better and more effective education. If education is thought to serve a wider objective than that of qualification of a work force, my argument is that educational researchers have to use the already complex and diverse research approaches within the field as
a strength. This presupposes communication and a self-reflexive critique between all the different strands of educational research. This is a difficult task. A possible place for this to develop is the space provided by the European Conference on Educational Research (ECER)