Critical Approach to the Contribution Made by Education Research to the Social Construction of the Value of Teaching Work

Current changes affecting education systems have impacted teaching work as a whole. The concept of teachers’ and establishments’ effectiveness was introduced to operationalise an approach that is dominated by the cost-benefit model. This article uses this premise to suggest an analysis of the social value of teaching work, and more specifically the contribution made by education research in developing this value. The article outlines the most significant trends in education research in conjunction with teaching work – that is, work on the effectiveness of teachers and establishments – and applies a critical approach (methodology, theory and axiology) to indicate its limits. The article concludes with a clarification approach to enable education research to fully fulfil its social, critical and heuristic functions and renew its contribution to the definition of the social value of teaching work.