Scientification or political legitimation? Tracing the concepts of evidence and context in Nordic school reforms

Abstract

Presenting education reforms as evidence-based has become a global trend. This article investigates how evidence is selected and utilised, focusing on the role of academic research in recent school reforms in Denmark, Finland, and Norway. By analysing a dataset of fifteen interviews of policymakers and applying Sobe, Noah. W., and Jamie A. Kowalzcyk's (2012. “The Problem of Context in Comparative Education Research.” ECPS Journal 6:55–74), concept of Context, the findings reveal that experts and committee members selected different types of evidence for various reform topics based on their professional backgrounds, roles, positions, and the specific issues at hand. The decision-making processes were complex negotiations involving people from diverse networks and professions who interpret global ideas within local contexts. Consequently, the choice of evidence was shaped by and shaped further the unique Context of each reform, despite the shared commonalities among the three countries.