Title: The Transformation of Educational Research in Kazakhstan: How Kazakhstani Researchers Conceptualize the Nature, Purposes, and Functions of Educational Research
Stream: Educational Research, Development & Publishing
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Authors:
Marya Bekova, Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan
Elaine Sharplin, Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan
Laura Karabassova, Zhubanov University, Kazakhstan
Abstract:
Education as an autonomous field of research in Kazakhstan has been emerging in the last decade. The social sciences were undervalued and predominantly approached as desktop research or quasi-experiments in the Soviet-and post-Soviet Kazakhstan. Since gaining its independence in 1991, Kazakhstan has gone through substantial reforms in education with an eye toward a more Western-oriented system. A new generation of researchers using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research designs are emerging. It is not clear however how they define the purposes, nature, and impact of educational research. Moreover, misconceptions and skepticism about the role and even legitimacy of education research, specifically, qualitative research exist. This qualitative study employed individual in-depth interviews with twenty researchers to explore the nature, role, and functions of educational research and to generate an understanding of how educational research is conceptualized in Kazakhstan. The findings suggest that research influenced by the Soviet research paradigms is descriptive and disconnected from real-world applications. Researchers report that bureaucracy, a lack of connection with policymakers to implement research results into practice, and a lack of clarity about the impact of research impede the development of educational research in Kazakhstan. The findings reported in this paper relate to one of three groups of participants. Further research is being undertaken to explore this issue with policymakers and practitioners. The findings will be used to improve the nexus and transfer from research to policy and practice.
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