One of the trends in educational research has been towards more sophisticated understandings about which research methods are appropriate to answer particular research questions. For example a question such as ‘which of two methods of teaching reading is the most effective in improving reception children’s decoding of print?’ is likely to be best addressed through an experimental trial. But the question, ‘how effective is the national curriculum in England?’ is more difficult to address. Dominic Wyse is Professor of Early Childhood and Primary Education at the University College London (UCL), Institute of Education (IOE), and Head of the Department of Learning and Leadership.

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