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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Main Authors: Seddon, T., Bennett, Dawn, Bennett, S., Bobis, J., Chan, P., Harrison, N., Shore, S.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Australian Association for Research in Education 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/37663
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author Seddon, T.
Bennett, Dawn
Bennett, S.
Bobis, J.
Chan, P.
Harrison, N.
Shore, S.
author_facet Seddon, T.
Bennett, Dawn
Bennett, S.
Bobis, J.
Chan, P.
Harrison, N.
Shore, S.
author_sort Seddon, T.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description 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. We 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 paper 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. We 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. We 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.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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publishDate 2013
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-376632017-09-13T14:03:55Z Education research Australia: A changing ecology of knowledge and practice Seddon, T. Bennett, Dawn Bennett, S. Bobis, J. Chan, P. Harrison, N. Shore, S. research assessment boundary work knowledge-based regulatory tools educational research era social ecology 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. We 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 paper 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. We 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. We 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. 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/37663 10.1007/s13384-013-0104-1 Australian Association for Research in Education restricted
spellingShingle research assessment
boundary work
knowledge-based regulatory tools
educational research
era
social ecology
Seddon, T.
Bennett, Dawn
Bennett, S.
Bobis, J.
Chan, P.
Harrison, N.
Shore, S.
Education research Australia: A changing ecology of knowledge and practice
title Education research Australia: A changing ecology of knowledge and practice
title_full Education research Australia: A changing ecology of knowledge and practice
title_fullStr Education research Australia: A changing ecology of knowledge and practice
title_full_unstemmed Education research Australia: A changing ecology of knowledge and practice
title_short Education research Australia: A changing ecology of knowledge and practice
title_sort education research australia: a changing ecology of knowledge and practice
topic research assessment
boundary work
knowledge-based regulatory tools
educational research
era
social ecology
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/37663