Navigating the Terrain: A Qualitative Exploration of Educational Research Praxis in Ethiopia

Educational research in Africa is pivotal for informing contextually relevant pedagogical and curricular reforms. However, the praxis—the integration of theory, methodology, and practice—within specific national contexts remains under-examined, particularly in settings with evolving higher education and research ecosystems. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences, perceived challenges, and enabling factors shaping the praxis of educational researchers working within the higher education sector. It sought to understand how researchers navigate methodological, institutional, and epistemological terrains in their work. A qualitative, phenomenological design was employed. Data were generated through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a purposively sampled group of educational researchers from various public universities. Thematic analysis was conducted using an iterative, inductive coding process. A predominant theme was the tension between adopting globally recognised research methodologies and addressing locally relevant educational problems. Approximately two-thirds of participants described significant institutional constraints, including heavy teaching loads and limited access to contemporary literature, which directly impeded their research capacity and output. The praxis of educational research is characterised by a complex negotiation between global academic expectations and local systemic realities. This dynamic fundamentally shapes the production and potential impact of research on curriculum and pedagogy. University leadership should implement structured mentoring programmes and reduce administrative burdens for early-career researchers. National policy should incentivise locally focused research agendas through dedicated funding streams. research praxis, educational research, higher education, qualitative inquiry, Ethiopia, academic practice This paper provides a novel, empirically grounded analysis of the structural and agential factors that constitute educational research praxis, offering a refined conceptual model for understanding research activity in comparable national contexts.