Research on Educational Research Networking and International Publishing

• In Event: On Knowledge Organization of Educational Research: Comparative and International Mapping of Research Contributions and Publishing

Abstract

The current paper has as an overarching purpose to further research on knowledge organisation and research communication (Luhmann & Behnke, 1994) in educational research. Given this, the ambition is to reflect on previous studies and to structure an agenda for future research.
The objectives are (1) to present a review of previous studies, and (b) to discuss ways of organizing empirical research in this field of study. The paper is organized in that order.
Current reviews of knowledge organisation in educational research (e.g. Furlong & Lawn, 2010; Gretler, 2007; Author 1-5) are presenting somewhat fragmented views with disparate nodes and nets (Author1) in combination with strong contextual influences in the configuration of the field (Author5, also pointed out in more general terms considering higher education institurions by e.g Wagner & Wittrock, 1990). This is in turn putting forwards increasing demands to deal with knowledge organisation as well as challenges in the making of international research cooperation.
Thus, there is a need to further analyse the field of educational research and knowledge organization in different national and international contexts. An example is here Gretler (2007) carried out a European study of educational reserch in European contexts, performed in cooperation with EERA member associations in the 1990s. His study is discussed and possibilities to carry out a similar study 30 years later is discussed.
Based on a research review studies on educational research publishing and knowledge organization are analyzed, and by that opening up for a discussion considering further research of this field of study. A point of departure is that educational research is organizing itself in different configurations of such a system and that this system is increasingly differentiated with risks of fragmentation (Luhmann & Behnke, 1994). The purpose for such research is then to describe such configurations and to explore their implications for the task to produce and organize knowledge contributions. How to deal with such challenges of significant importance for educational research and is the final question in this paper.

Author

• Sverker S:son Lindblad, University of Gothenburg