Over the past decade there has been an ongoing debate in the UK regarding the notion of evidence-based practice as applied to education. Mirroring debates in the US and elsewhere, concerns have centered on the increasing influence of a ‘what works?’ discourse and the growing significance placed on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in education. For many, RCTs have been seen to reflect a crude and positivist model of science, derived from medicine.
Unfortunately, many of the criticisms leveled at RCTs over this past decade have tended to betray a limited knowledge and understanding of RCTs in practice. Whilst continuing to argue that RCTs in education are inappropriate and, for the most part, just not possible, there has been little recognition of the significant increase in their use over this time. The Centre for Effective Education at Queen’s University Belfast, for example, has successfully completed over 30 trials during this period, whilst the Education Endowment Foundation has commissioned over 100 trials in England over the last few years.
It is therefore timely to undertake a more informed and thorough assessment of the use of RCTs in educational research in the UK. Through a systematic review of the literature presenting the findings of RCTs in the UK over the last 30 years, this talk will explore the actual use and reporting of RCTs in practice. Alongside debunking some of the common and enduring myths surrounding RCTs, the talk will also identify a number of key challenges in relation to the future use of RCTs in education.