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Why the nature of educational research should remain contested: A statement from the new editors of the British Educational Research Journal
Author(s) -
Aldridge David,
Biesta Gert,
Filippakou Ourania,
Wainwright Emma
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
british educational research journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.171
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1469-3518
pISSN - 0141-1926
DOI - 10.1002/berj.3326
Subject(s) - statement (logic) , educational research , sociology , pedagogy , library science , social science , political science , law , computer science
We are delighted to have been invited to edit the journal by the British Educational Research Association (BERA). As we begin our custodianship, we want to engage with a set of questions that emerges from the state of contemporary education: What counts as educational research? What, for that matter, counts as education? Is there a ‘gold standard’ of educational research? Who is best placed or best qualified to carry out educational research?Who are the readers of our journal and how do they read it? How can a journal focusing on the four nations of Britain also serve an international academic community? The journal that we are inheriting from the previous editorial team is in excellent shape, which puts us in a strong position to address the transforming international context of educational research, policy and practice. Our vision is that BERJ retains its hallmark of excellence and continues to showcase the best British and international research in education. At the same time, we hope that the journal will set the agenda for exploring the boundaries of educational research, how educational research relates to policy and practice, and who educational research is produced by and for. The editors of an academic journal in any field right now must also ask an additional set of questions: What is a journal and what is its role in the present academic and professional climate? What are the implications for a journal, and the field it serves, of open access, changes in forms of electronic publishing, and interaction with social media? Who reads an academic journal and how do readers find and access a particular article? The days when anyone ‘reads’ a single paper issue of a journal from cover to cover are surely numbered. Do we even need academic journals any more? We acknowledge that the field and disciplines of educational research, and the publishing practices that have traditionally served them, are in question. This presents challenges and opportunities for the journal. We believe that BERJ will maintain its brand of academic excellence throughout these transforming circumstances by being self-reflexive, and by encouraging submissions that question the nature of research and of the disciplines that contribute to our understanding of education. Our hope is