Searching for causality to develop and test theoretical models of educational effectiveness research

Educational Effectiveness Research (EER) addresses the question of what works in education and why. Because the topic of causality is rarely addressed explicitly in the field of education, in this chapter we discuss its meaning by looking at different orientations within the research methodology and examine the potential importance of searching for causality within EER. This chapter also refers to different research methods that have been used to demonstrate causal relations within EER and seeks to identify the strengths and methodological limitations of demonstrating causality through cross-sectional studies and experimental studies. Emphasis is also given to the use of international educational evaluation studies in developing and testing the theoretical framework of EER