Title:
A voyage around the ideological islands of higher education research
Author:
Bruce Macfarlane
Published:
Higher Education Research & Development, 9 February 2022
Abstract:
This paper explores the ideological orientations of higher education (HE) researchers in the form of a visual map, including three principal ‘islands’ – Pragmatists Peninsula, Reformists Rock and Dystopians Retreat. The development of the HE research field in general, illustrated by the last 40 years of scholarship within Higher Education Research & Development in particular, is explained in relation to this metaphorical seascape. The analysis identifies a number of shifting publication patterns, such as the gradual radicalisation of HE scholarship, a growing dystopian literature and the reorientation of pragmatist research interests from micro- and departmental-level concerns to meso-level work directed at strategic, university-wide agendas.