How often are theories developed through empirical research into higher education

Bibliographic Data

ID4097550
AuthorsPaul Ashwin (0000-0001-7630-1748, Lancaster University, corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume37
Issue8
Pages941-955
Publication date2012-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueStudies in Higher Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0307-5079 • E-ISSN: 1470-174X
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/03075079.2011.557426
OpenAlexW1983880881
LanguageEN
Citations received18
References cited33

This article reports on a review of empirical research published in selected higher education journals in 2008, which was focused on examining how often theories are developed through research. This review found relatively little evidence of theory development. Drawing on the notions of internal and external languages of description, it is argued that this is partly due to the lack of explicit conceptualisation of the object of research in the writing-up of higher education research, and the lack of a discursive gap between the ways in which research objects are conceptualised and the ways in which data are analysed in accounts of empirical research into higher education. In conclusion, four ways of promoting such a discursive gap in the reporting of research are discussed

Educational research · Empirical research · Epistemology · Higher education · Linguistics · Pedagogy · Political science · Research methodology · Research Object · Sociology · Educational Theory and Curriculum Studies · Evaluation of Teaching Practices · Higher Education Governance and Development · Philosophy

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