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Has Research on 'What Works' in Education Been Looking at the Wrong Interventions? Revisiting 'Why 'What Works' Won't Work'

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Title: Has Research on 'What Works' in Education Been Looking at the Wrong Interventions? Revisiting 'Why 'What Works' Won't Work'
Language: English
Authors: Gert Biesta (ORCID 0000-0001-8530-7105)
Source: Educational Theory. 2026 76(1):16-24.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 9
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Descriptive
Descriptors: Educational Research, Educational Practices, Educational Philosophy, Evidence Based Practice, Medicine, Democratic Values, Instructional Effectiveness
DOI: 10.1111/edth.70063
ISSN: 0013-2004
1741-5446
Abstract: In this invited article, I revisit my 2007 essay "Why 'What Works' Won't Work: Evidence-Based Practice and the Democratic Deficit in Educational Research." I provide a summary of the key arguments in the essay, explain why I used the phrase "democratic deficit," examine what I have observed regarding the discussion about "evidence" in education since the publication of the essay, and show, through an exploration of the educational placebo effect, why the comparison between education and medicine remains problematic. I suggest that this may have important implications for the design of educational research. It also raises the interesting question to what extent existing evidence about educational effectiveness has been looking at the right interventions. Against this background, I reiterate my call for a broader spectrum of research approaches than only those that focus on the question of "what works." This is as much a call for researchers as it is a call for policymakers and educational practice.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1495009
Database: ERIC
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  Data: In this invited article, I revisit my 2007 essay "Why 'What Works' Won't Work: Evidence-Based Practice and the Democratic Deficit in Educational Research." I provide a summary of the key arguments in the essay, explain why I used the phrase "democratic deficit," examine what I have observed regarding the discussion about "evidence" in education since the publication of the essay, and show, through an exploration of the educational placebo effect, why the comparison between education and medicine remains problematic. I suggest that this may have important implications for the design of educational research. It also raises the interesting question to what extent existing evidence about educational effectiveness has been looking at the right interventions. Against this background, I reiterate my call for a broader spectrum of research approaches than only those that focus on the question of "what works." This is as much a call for researchers as it is a call for policymakers and educational practice.
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