Educational Innovation: Challenges of Conducting and Applying Research in Schools

Abstract

Our school students’ world is constantly changing, driven from both inside and outside the educational arena. Although teachers in schools are accustomed to having to accommodate such change, however difficult it might be for them to resolve it within the classroom context, researchers within this field are required to search for ways to minimise the impact whilst maximising the effectiveness of educational change so that they add meaning and provide specific assistance for teachers. Rather than standing still, this challenges us to be innovative and to make learning ever more relevant, challenging, inclusive, and rewarding. In this context, educational innovation refers to application of contemporary educational research to classroom curriculum and pedagogical practice. At the same time, it is appropriate to acknowledge that often teachers are not the researcher as their own school world provides little breathing space for the academic challenge needed, even though they are always at the forefront of any data collection and of putting ideas into practice. Hence researchers may be formulating information without being at the cutting edge of where their work will be utilised; that creates many issues of its own. Educational researchers within the school context, whether teachers or not, are required to have data-driven and evidence-informed solutions to resolve the issues so that teachers can get on with the job of leading learning. The challenge is how to continue to encourage and support teachers, who are at the heart of the educational system, to be responsive to the needs and demands of their multiple stakeholders.