Pedagogies, student- or teacher-centred, from one cultural environment may be highly inappropriate in another. In many ways, the methodology for identifying culturally appropriate teaching styles is more important than the theory. The way forward for applied and policy research is methodology that elicits teaching and its improvement as culturally embedded acts, providing a constructive direction for the development of culturally effective teaching styles. One path is grounded, mixed method, multidisciplinary research that takes an eclectic approach to academic fields and to research methodology. Analytical insights generated by research designs for field experiments on teaching styles provide a foundation for research on the effectiveness of classroom practices, teacher education, and curriculum design as independent variables and student achievement as dependent variable. The discussion covers familiar ground for researchers but is presented as clearly as possible to assist decision makers who are consumers of educational research. The discussion therefore leads to consideration of administrative decision-making about teaching styles.