Transforming the researchers who are researching education

In the spirit of wanting to ‘change the world’ and not merely to ‘interpret it’, this paper will argue that researchers of education ought to be transformed into being more politically active and willing to confront miseducative practices. It is the researchers themselves – rather than their research – which need to be transformed if education – and indeed society at large – are to improve. R. S. Peters (1966) has famously argued there are two aspects to educative learning – coming to understand and coming to care in a holistic sense. Similarly Dewey (2008, p. 346) has identified that educators ought to have an intense desire for three things: knowledge; growth; and an “interest in the improvement of society”. He contrasts this with the so-called educators who are selfishly motivated for personal advancement and recognition, who he describes as “a sorry spectacle”. In this context we can appreciate that if researchers are learning from educational research and not just ‘performing’ then this ought to enhance a sense of genuine care which convicts them of a certain commitment to action. Not only do researchers have outputs but they also ought to be more caring and more interested to improve things as a result of learning from research. However, it is contended here that we are currently witnessing a focus on a having mode compared to a being mode of existence (as per Barnett, Fromm, May, Marcel and Tillich). Consequently we give accolades to ‘corporate professors’ (Bauman & Donskis, 2013) who have won grants, awards and produce many worthy outputs, but we do not see recognition being given for academics and others who are driven by a moral care, conviction and commitment and who actively work to transform society for the better in ways other than only interpreting the world. This being mode of care is synonymous with interest, desire and will. These attributes of ontology have been allowed to be marginalised in our profession. We have come to accept a system which rewards the selfishly ambitious and overlooks those who intensely desire and have a worthwhile will and who actively work towards transforming some aspect of their environment for the better. This paper will be making the case that educational research ought to enhance this sense of care as part of the being of the researchers. Such care ought to lead to conviction and commitment which is required for courageous confrontation of policies and practices which are miseducative