The impact of basic research in the social sciences: The case of education

Recent expert evaluations of the condition and funding of educational research in the USA assume that basic research in the social sciences is a crucial factor in increasing our understanding and ultimately improving the practice of education (see, for example, the 1977 report¹ of the National Academy of Sciences' Committee on Fundamental Research Relevant to Education). Past tests of this assumption, however, have generally relied upon argument by example or anecdote. In the present study, we analyze citation patterns in the education literature to test the corollary proposition that basic research in the social sciences has had a substantial impact on the literature in education. Empirical data collected on citation patterns in the education literature are found to be largely consistent with this proposition.