ABSTRACT
Very little money is spent on research into education generally and into classroom teaching in particular. This is in stark contrast with what is done in other fields, where research and development are seen as vital components if the industry is to thrive. Many industrial and commercial concerns, particularly in a field like the pharmaceutical or defence industry, invest a significant percentage of their profits in research and development work in order to survive and compete. Parts of the American pharmaceutical industry invest 20 per cent of their profits in research, yet in education less than one-thousandth of the multi-billion dollar investment is spent on research (Biddle 1989). Indeed, most of the research in education nowadays is done by individuals, many of whom are studying for some kind of qualification, often higher degrees on a part-time basis, rather than by large-scale externally funded project teams. Of the relatively small sum spent on educational research, a great deal goes on such matters as pupil assessment. Very little cash is donated to studies of teachers at work in their own classrooms.
