From Rationality to Criticality: Reorienting Policy Research for Inclusive Education in Malawi

Abstract

This policy analysis study examines how education policy research has been framed in recent decades, and its implications for inclusive education. The study draws on Ball's (1993) conceptualisation of policy effects, which distinguishes between first-order effects that focus on policy outcomes and evaluation, and second-order effects that address unintended consequences and foundational assumptions. Policy research focused on first-order effects takes a rationalist approach, while policy research manifested in second-order effects takes a critical approach. Rationalist approaches, which prioritise evidence and evaluation, have dominated education policy research but fail to challenge the underlying logic of policy frameworks. In contrast, critical policy analysis approaches emphasise problematisation rather than problem-solving. To illustrate this situation, this study employs Bacchi's (2009) problematisation theory and "What's the Problem Represented to Be" methodological approach to analyse the inclusive education policy for Malawi. The critical policy analysis asks key questions about problem representation, manifestation, and reframing. The study argues that taking a rationalist approach to analyse policy frameworks leads to constructing inclusive education as a solvable issue rather than a complex socio-political challenge. The study demonstrates how rationalist assumptions obscure deeper systemic inequities and advocates dialectical or transformative policy research approaches that centre learners, teachers, and their ecosystems. The study concludes that reorienting education policy research towards critical perspectives can help to inform and promote more equitable and inclusive education systems.