Why has critical realism not been used more in educational leadership and management research? A critical realist exploration

Abstract

Critical realism is an established post-positivist philosophy applied by researchers in a number of fields and yet it is little used in educational leadership and management (ELM) research. This article responds to calls from the field for a more critical approach to educational leadership and management research by offering critical realism as a way to address these concerns and it explores why critical realism has not featured more in the field, particularly as it could provide that more critical approach. The use of critical realism as analytical approach as well as a content enables the linkage of the calls from ELM to critical realist features and then to some constraints upon its use in the field. Theory around the application of critical realism is advanced providing insights for researchers in its use, though no claim is made that critical realism is the only way to do so.

Gettingrealabout consumer poverty: Deep processes for transformative action

“…A deep conception of reality also attends to actual events occurring in the world (both those that we experience and those that we do not) while taking into consideration the underlying structures of social relations which can remain overlooked or hidden. In revealing the effects of constraining structures, importantly it asks what missing realities contribute to absent understanding of marginalized experiences (Thorpe, 2020), which are of particular relevance when examining impoverished contexts.…”