Michael Pettavel: Putting research into practice – there is no ‘right’ way

Currently there is little point in trying to make sense of early years policy, so I thought it best to leave it be and think about a different but not unrelated area. Please bear in mind the following is slightly tongue in cheek…

Over the past few months there has been some debate between research driven practice and non-evidence-based approaches resulting in a polarisation of opinion that I am not sure is helpful for developing daily practice. Research undeniably has an important place in what we do every day; where would we be without Vygotsky, Piaget and Bruner amongst the many others who help us understand what makes children tick? Some research studies are more rigorously evaluated than others, they use different controls and analysis, but every study inevitably has 'ifs' and 'buts', resulting in generalisations. If we place too much emphasis on research alone it can restrict our focus and lead to a narrowing of practice. The research itself may be quite neutral, but its application, without considering context, can lead to a belief that there is a 'right way'. It can also be focused on particular political priorities.