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SOME CRIMINAL (IF NOT YET CRIMINALISED) MISAPPLICATIONS OF “SCIENCE”, LOGIC AND POWER (ILLUSTRATED FROM THE FIELD OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION)

In this article I argue that the majority of studies purporting to offer evaluations of educational policies and programmes are seriously misleading; indeed, viewed from a wider perspective, they cannot be considered to constitute good science. As a result, they lead to, or support, policies which have many harmful consequences. These studies, and the policies associated with them, must therefore be considered unethical1. Worse, the failure of the researchers concerned to draw attention to the limitations of their work, or challenge the policies based upon them, must be considered unprofessional and unethical. This does not mean that those studies tell us nothing ... simply that they are not fit for purpose. Conversely, the thoughtways and social practices they recursively cement need to be radically reconsidered.