Beyond applicability: Rethinking how educational research serves practice

Abstract

Educational research is increasingly expected to demonstrate value for practice, yet what such value actually entails remains under-specified. This editorial argues that the challenge lies less in a research–practice “gap” than in the absence of clear, shared criteria for judging practical relevance. It examines how practical value is often narrowly equated with actionability or prescription, overlooking other legitimate forms of contribution. Drawing on research utilization literature and a conception of practice as professional judgment under conditions of uncertainty, the article proposes a plural understanding of how research may serve practice. It invites greater reflexivity in editorial evaluation by articulating guiding questions that clarify intended practical contributions, conditions of appropriation, and implicit costs for practitioners, without imposing reductive standards.