ABSTRACT
In this Chapter the organization of educational research in Britain and the recent changes in methods and their justification are reviewed. Across the quarter of the century from 1960 there have been developments that have affected the nature of the evidence made available to decision-makers in classroom, county and town hall and central government. Even more important, there is a close link between the organization of the research enterprise, the logic behind the methods used and the evidence. It is useful to review the changes as an introduction to the issues raised by researchers and users of research that follow. But it is essential to examine the theoretical assumptions underlying educational research for these have changed to reveal new perspectives and old prejudices.
