Theories and methods in higher education research – a space of opportunities

ABSTRACT The issue of theories and methods in higher education research has been discussed for some time now. Earlier accounts have been mostly critical. Though we share this criticism, we also see promising perspectives. Higher education research can be seen as a space of opportunities, which is particularly well suited for allowing fruitful interactions with other research areas and society at large. Such interactions can lead to theory development and methodological advancements that might have an impact not only in higher education research, but in other research areas as well as society. The example of early organisation theory shows that such broader impact is possible. At the end of the introduction, current and future perspectives are mentioned.