Preparation of Evidence for Educational Policy and Educational Decisions: Meta-analysis in Educational Research

This article discusses the promise and pitfalls of meta-analysis as a basis for evidence-based policy and practice in education. Referring to David Berliner's work (2002) it argues that educational research as opposed to research in the bio-medical field is much more restricted by the presence of powerful context effects and interactions, making rigorous experiments the exception as a basis for meta-analytical evidence. Therefore, an effectiveness-oriented use of meta-analysis of successful approaches of teaching and schooling is seen as more appropriate than an efficacy-oriented one. Finally, John Hattie's (2009) mega-analysis Visible Learning is discussed and evaluated against these caveats for the use of meta-analytical evidence in informing educational policy and practice.