Setting of borders or change through approach? On the tense relation between educational theory and empirical research on education

Abstract

Against the background of the debate on the relation between educational theory and empirical research on education, the author examines the following questions: 1) What is at stake? 2) What is meant by educational theory or by empirical educational research and which strengths or weaknesses are attributed to these two approaches, respectively? 3) What is the nature of the relation between these two approaches ou what should it be like? And 4), which attempts have been made to link educational theory and empirical educational research? He argues that a strict demarcation between the two approaches is unproductive and that, indeed, a combination of educational-theoretical reflection and empirical research should be aimed at, based on a mutual recognition of the differences.