Future developments of educational research in the Asia-Pacific Region: Reforms, paradigm shifts and networks

In facing up with the challenges of globalization, IT, economic transformation, and international competitions in the new century, there are numerous educational reforms in many countries in the Asia-Pacific region. In these reforms, there is strong demand for a comprehensive knowledge base for educational innovation, policy development and practical improvement, supported by a wide range of research at different levels. This address aims to highlight the changing role of educational research in the emerging paradigm shifts in policy concerns and practical implementation in the nine trends and three waves of educational reforms in the Region. From analyzing the critical issues and challenges in the life cycle of policy development, the speech proposes a framework to draw implications for the future developments of educational research in the coming decade. In particular, the case of teachers and the teaching profession is used to illustrate what key issues that are challenging both policy development and educational research in the Asia-Pacific Region. At the end, it elaborates how educational research should be organized to support educational reforms and paradigm shifts in practice at the national, local, site and operational levels. Various types of local, national, regional and global research networks should be formed across areas and countries in the Region to create critical mass of multi-disciplinary research forces that can support high-level research for educational developments in the Region and other parts of the world. APERA should play a critical role in organizing and developing such networks.