One hundred years of education trials: no significant difference?

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Presentation - One hundred years of education trials: no significant difference?

This event has now taken place. A recording of the event is available to view in the two YouTube videos below.

The origins of the randomised controlled trial (RCT) span at least as far back in education as in medical research. There were a few examples of random allocation in medicine in the 1920s and 1930s but in 1919, a Columbia University paper records random allocation of pupil groups to evaluate the impact of a teaching intervention. Many more trials have taken place in the last century, including a resurgence since 2002 in the US and more recently in England. Aspects of current education RCTs represent state-of-the-art research practice. However, RCTs in education are nowhere near as influential as in developing clinical practice. Recent research shows that many trials are not finding the size of effects that were expected, with several possible explanations. Are the interventions tested unrealistic in their promise; are the trials themselves too reliant on clinical templates to capture educational impacts; are the governance processes for trials ineffective in isolating the impact of the interventions?

To mark the centenary of the first recorded RCT in education, the RSS Social Statistics Section and the National Foundation of Educational Research (NFER) are bringing together leading figures in the field of education research to address the key challenges faced by education trials today. RCTs should be a gold standard for generating evidence about practice in education as they are in the medical field, with the latter having seen substantial investment in its trial ethics, governance and specific methodology research. This forum invites researchers and practitioners to celebrate the contribution trials have made to understanding what works in education to date, and to consider how they can have more impact in advancing practice and improving outcomes for learners.

Keynote speakers and panellists on the day include:

Welcome address
Carole Willis, Chief Executive at NFER

The history and future of randomised controlled trials in education
Professor Carole Torgerson FAcSS, Professor of Education at Durham University

The Use of Randomised Controlled Trials in Education: Opportunities and Challenges
Professor Paul Connolly, Queen’s University Belfast

Are rigorous educational trials producing useful evidence?
Dr Hugues Lortie-Forgues, Lecturer at University of York

Reflections on 8 years of commissioning education trials: What could we do different?
Camilla Nevill, Head of Evaluation at EEF

English Education RCTs in 2019 – how far have we come?
Dr Ben Styles, Head of Trials Unit at NFER

‘Unzipping’ the EEF toolkit: RCTs and the role of meta-analysis
Professor Steve Higgins, Professor of Education at Durham University

RCTs: what do they mean for teachers and school leaders?
Alex Quigley, National Content Manager at EEF and former teacher

Panel: Improving the quality of education RCTs
Professor Sheila Bird OBE (MRC Biostatistics Unit), Josh Hillman (Nuffield Foundation), Professor Jeremy Hodgen (UCL Institute of Education), and Dr Riikka Hofmann (University of Cambridge)

Registration alongside tea and coffee will be available from 1.30pm, and the event will be followed by a drinks reception from 6.30pm.