The relationships between research and decision-making in education: an empirical investigation

In recent years vocational education and training (VET) has increased links to other areas of public policy. In Australia, as in many other countries, globalisation and increased international competition have led to the closer integration of education and training policies with industry, science and technology, competition, trade and foreign policies. Many of the main drivers of VET policy originate outside VET. Research and development not specifically directed at VET can significantly affect VET policy and practice. This paper investigates whether research actually influences educational policy and decision-making in, and if so, how the relationship between the two can be enhanced. While the study focused on three levels, policy and planning, practice and performance and community relations, this paper focuses on the policy level. Examining the question from five perspectives, relevant literature was gathered and reviewed. Secondly, a symposium was held, to enable key issues to be identified and to draw on different perspectives and approaches. At the symposium it was argued that most key VET policy decisions over recent years have occurred through a pragmatic negotiated political approach and that a relatively small role has been played by full public consultation and the systematic use of research. Two quantitative surveys were conducted by the Research Centre for Vocational Education and Training (RCVET), with results showing that many of the VET decision-makers surveyed identified the complex, changing and time-pressured nature of their operating environments as an important factor in not directly considering research evidence before making important decisions. Timeframes of research were seen to outlast those of policy-making, so that research results were often too late. Nine case studies explored the influence of the factors identified in the literature and the symposium, in the context of particular situations. Finally, the preliminary findings were circulated to ten informed overseas experts in North America, the United Kingdom and continental Europe. Show less