Editorial
As we embark on the Journal's 67th volume, we continue to reflect on its contribution to educational studies in the twenty first century. One key feature of its contribution is its understanding of the relationship between educational theories on the one hand, and educational practices and policies on the other. This was one of the major themes of the late Geoff Whitty, whose life and work we recognise in this issue. According to the Sunday Times obituary of Professor Whitty, his father, a primary school head teacher, was highly critical of the role of the Institute of Education in London for what he regarded as its 'hopelessly theoretical' approach, 'totally out of touch with the realities of everyday classrooms' (Sunday Times, 2018) Whitty's own research stressed sociological analysis as a way of engaging with policy and practice in education. Others have also highlighted the importance of philosophical and historical perspectives on these issues. The British Journal of Educational Studies has consistently broached the need to enlist theory in examining educational practices and policies. Far from being irrelevant, theory is essential for a full understanding of the realities of everyday classrooms. At the same time, the connections between theory, practice and policy should not be left tacit or assumed, but should themselves be examined in depth and at length. A number of recent articles in the BJES have appraised the significance of familiar theorists and philosophers of education in relation to current educational issues and have applied their ideas to specific educational situations. These include studies of Bernstein, Dewey, Foucault and Vygotsky. Bernstein is addressed, for example, through his concept of grammar to investigate aspects of educational research (in Jim Hordern's 2017 article) and in Charlene Tan's discussion of basic competency assessment in Hong Kong. Foucault is foregrounded in interpretations of student choice in classrooms, the influence of the Office for Standards in Education in the work of schools in Britain, and the pursuit of knowledge in higher education. New work led by David Kellogg sheds new light on Vygotsky's zone of proximal development while also applying it to a particular educational context in Korea. Malcolm Thorburn brings Dewey to bear on health and well being in schools. Other recent published articles in the Journal demonstrate connections between concepts or sets of ideas and the nature of educational practice. One such, by Stylianou and Scott, discusses the philosophy of critical realism British Journal of Educational Studies Vol. 67, No. 1, March 2019, pp. 1 2