The Triple “Addition” in Innovating Educational Research Methods: Problem + Method, Theory + Data, Technology + Collaboration: An Interview with Professor Herb Marsh, the First Recipient of the “Global Innovation in Educational Research Methods Award”

doi:10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2025.10.001

Abstract

Abstract:

In the era of “big science,” academic research and technological innovation face unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Against this backdrop, deepening the innovation and application of educational research methods is paramount for promoting paradigm shifts in educational research in China and building an independent knowledge system. How to achieve a positive interaction between educational research methods, theories, and practices to meet the challenges of future educational research has become a pressing issue for Chinese educational researchers to address collectively. To address this issue, a team of faculty and students from the Department of Educational Management at East China Normal University invited Professor Herb Marsh, one of the first recipients of the Global Innovation in Educational Research Methods Award, for an in-depth conversation. Drawing on his research experience in the field of self-concept, Professor Marsh demonstrated how the collaboration between substantive and methodological approaches can drive the innovation of educational research methods. He elaborated on the triple “addition” in educational research methods innovation: the “problem + method” approach to continuously driving innovation in educational research, the “theory + data” approach to fostering the renewal of educational research, and the “technology + collaboration” approach to addressing new challenges in educational research.

Key words: educational research methods, substantive-methodological synergy, self-concept, big-fish-little-pond effect

Chenya Wang, Mengmeng Yan, Hui Dong, Herb Marsh. The Triple “Addition” in Innovating Educational Research Methods: Problem + Method, Theory + Data, Technology + Collaboration: An Interview with Professor Herb Marsh, the First Recipient of the “Global Innovation in Educational Research Methods Award”[J]. Journal of East China Normal University(Educationa, 2025, 43(10): 1-9.

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