Education research Australia : a changing ecology of knowledge and practice

Processes of national research assessment, such as Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) are a type of audit technology that confronts and steers established institutional identities and traditions. This nexus between policy and practice drives boundary work that diffracts prevailing policy log...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Australian educational researcher 2013-11, Vol.40 (4), p.433-451
Main Authors: Seddon, Terri, Bennett, Dawn, Bennett, Sue, Bobis, Janette, Chan, Philip, Harrison, Neil, Shore, Sue
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic staff
Australia
Capacity Building
Careers
Communities of practice
Education
Educational policy
Educational Policy and Politics
Educational Psychology
Educational quality
Educational Research
Educational Researchers
Evaluation methods
Excellence for Research in Australia (ERA)
Foreign Countries
Funding
Higher education
Knowledge
Postsecondary education
Quality management
Research Methodology
Research policy
Research quality
Researchers
Strategic planning
Teaching and Teacher Education
Technology
Universities
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Summary:Processes of national research assessment, such as Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) are a type of audit technology that confronts and steers established institutional identities and traditions. This nexus between policy and practice drives boundary work that diffracts prevailing policy logics, organisational practices, and habits of mind. The authors use this notion of 'boundary work' as an analytical lens for understanding the nature and effects of ERA in the Australian educational research space. This article explains the methodology that informed the AARE-ACDE research reported in Strategic Capacity Building for Australian Educational Research. It documents the policy logic of ERA and the way it cuts across the established ecology of educational research, revealing social and symbolic work that is remaking the boundaries of educational research. The authors report on the historical trajectory of Australian educational research, the way ERA codes research outputs, and how educational researchers are repositioning in this shifting research space. The authors argue that there are specific loci of boundary work where capacity building in Australian educational research can make a difference to future educational knowledge building. [Author abstract]
ISSN:0311-6999
2210-5328
DOI:10.1007/s13384-013-0104-1