Education Research

The field of education is rich with scholarship, leading to an extensive array of publications and writings for researchers to explore. Being clear about the specific types of articles and writings you need can streamline the research process and enhance your effectiveness as a student-researcher. Library search platforms and Google Scholar host a wide range of articles, including those aimed at practitioners as well as research-based studies. Understanding the distinction between these two types of articles is important when completing assignments.

Practitioner articles are found in trade publications targeted at professionals working in the education sector. These articles are typically authored by educators and, occasionally, by researchers, with the primary audience being fellow practitioners. Characteristics of practitioner articles include:

• Discussions and reflections on firsthand classroom experiences
• Provision of practical teaching strategies and innovative classroom solutions
• A conversational and professional writing style, usually concise in length

On the other hand, research-based articles are exclusively published in scholarly, peer-reviewed journals. These articles may adopt qualitative methods, providing descriptive insights, or quantitative approaches, focusing on statistical or data-driven analysis. The structure of research-based articles is often formulaic, employing a scientific tone and specialized terminology. Authored by scholars and researchers, these articles are intended for an academic audience, contributing to the theoretical and empirical foundations of the education field.

Distinguishing between practitioner and research-based articles is essential for navigating academic resources effectively, enabling researchers to align their inquiries with the most relevant and authoritative sources.

In addition to practitioner and research-based articles, action research represents a unique and valuable category within educational scholarship. Action research is a methodology that combines systematic inquiry with the goal of informing and changing practices in a particular setting, such as a classroom or school. It is typically conducted by educators themselves, who seek to improve their teaching strategies, address specific challenges, or enhance student learning outcomes. Action research articles document these efforts, detailing the problem addressed, the methodology employed, the actions taken, and the results of those actions. They often provide a reflective analysis of the process and outcomes, making them highly practical and directly applicable to educational practice. Unlike traditional research articles, action research studies are characterized by their cyclical, iterative process and their immediate relevance to classroom and educational settings, offering insights that are both research-informed and grounded in practical experience.