Issues in mounting randomized experiments in educational research and evaluation

Abstract

As the field of education becomes increasingly complex and demanding, researchers more than ever before need to work at the frontiers of knowledge in order to understand the current global issues and problems of education. This calls for rigorous research whose findings are to inform government decision and policy. Also, the effectiveness of any educational intervention needs to be evaluated to know what works and what does not work. The ultimate goal is to re-shape the system of education appropriately. In examining the use of randomized experiments in educational research and evaluation, this paper highlights its merits, methodological and ethical issues, and the problems involved in using randomized experiments in the school setting. It suggests the need for researchers to update their skills in the use of randomized experiments through capacity building to ensure that findings from educational research and evaluation are creditable and defensible.

KEY WORDS: Randomized experiment; Educational research; Evaluation; Research ethics; Methodological issues.