Contemporary educational researchers vary markedly in their philosophical and epistemological viewpoints. Despite this diversity, the positivist model for evidence-based education (EBE) is being promoted by certain powerful groups of politicians and educators in the USA and the UK. In the last decade, some of the major political changes in Australian higher education system have been influenced by the contemporary trends in countries like the USA and the UK. Hence, it is vital for Australian educators to engage with the relevant current debates in these countries. This paper critiques the positivist model for EBE and proposes an epistemologically inclusive model for EBE.

Keywords: epistemological pluralism, evidence-based policy, evidence-based practice