Education

The study of learning and developing knowledge, skills, values, and understanding through study, experience, and teaching.
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Middle aged teacher in casualwear standing by blackboard in lecture hall and looking at students
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Updated May 30, 2026

Overview

This section provides a brief introduction to education that explores the questions, topics, and fields that shape the study of teaching, learning, schools, and educational systems. It also highlights related subjects and resources for learning more about the field of education.

Education is the study of learning and teaching processes. It aims to understand how individuals acquire knowledge and skills. It also examines the roles of teachers, schools, and educational policies in shaping these processes. It is the academic field that studies how people learn and how teaching happens.

 

The field of education examines the methods, theories, and systems used in schools and other learning environments, as well as the social, cultural, and psychological factors that shape learning and instruction.

 

Education is among the most widely studied disciplines worldwide, with research spanning classrooms, universities, workplaces, online learning, and national education systems—making it both a social science and an applied profession. 

 

For an in-depth description of the field of education, see the article on education from the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Education studies cover a wide range of topical areas. However, most universities traditionally divide these topical areas into the following main areas of study:

 

  • Curriculum and Instruction
  • Early Childhood Education
  • Educational Policy
  • Educational Psychology
  • Educational Technology
  • Higher Education
  • International Education
  • Special Education

Education is an interdisciplinary field drawing from various academic disciplines, including:

 

  • Anthropology
  • Economics
  • History
  • Philosophy
  • Public policy
  • Psychology
  • Sociology

If you’re thinking about majoring in education, these resources can provide useful background information and help guide your next steps. They explain what to expect from the major and the wide variety of career paths available to you.

 

Literature Reviews in Education

After choosing a topic, conducting a literature review is the next step of the writing process for every social science discipline, including in the discipline of education.  These resources are designed specifically to help scholars quickly understand the key debates, theories, and major publications in a field. 

The Annual Reviews are peer-reviewed academic journals that publish comprehensive and critical literature review articles in many academic disciplines. Each year, a new volume consisting of a series of review articles written by leading experts in the field is released, providing overviews of the most important and influential research and scholarship in various disciplines.

Although the Annual Reviews does not offer dedicated reviews for communication, education, geography, or international relations, it does include bibliographies covering a variety of topics related to each discipline.

Oxford Bibliographies provides scholarly bibliographies in most social science disciplines, including anthropology.  Each bibliography includes authoritative books, journal articles, websites, and other materials selected and organized by academic scholars. These bibliographies can also help researchers begin building literature reviews by identifying important authors, major debates, foundational studies, and key publications on different anthropology topics.

When searching for literature reviews in your discipline, don’t overlook dissertations found in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses. Doctoral students are typically required to write extensive literature reviews that examine major debates, theories, methods, and key publications related to their research topic. These literature reviews can help you identify important authors, foundational studies, useful keywords, and gaps in the existing research.

Education Reference

Reference sources provide a convenient way to locate background information for research on critical education concepts, key people, or significant issues. This section lists major education reference materials by type. We provide links to either the publisher’s websites or Amazon for further details and descriptions.

Dictionaries are important for understanding and contextualizing words, concepts, and terminology. Various education dictionaries provide clarity when exploring complex concepts, systems, and theories, offering clear definitions of key education-related terms.

Subject encyclopedias are specialized reference works providing in-depth information on specific discipline topics. Unlike general encyclopedias that cover a wide range of topics, subject encyclopedias focus exclusively on one discipline, offering detailed and comprehensive entries written by experts. For a list of general and specialized encyclopedia databases, go to Getting Started – Reference Resources.

 

Handbooks provide authoritative overviews, in-depth analyses, and critical discussions of a particular academic field, discipline, or topic. The following are important general education handbooks.

Most education textbooks are structured for academic courses. The following "non-textbook" companions and introductions provide comprehensive yet understandable introductions to education studies. Written by experts, they present key ideas, theories, and debates in an understandable way that is ideal for readers new to the field of education, providing foundational knowledge without requiring prior expertise.

 

General Databases

Academic libraries subscribe to a diverse range of research databases of which EBSCO and ProQuest are two of the largest providers. Most colleges and universities offer access to one or both platforms. Here are some key insights about each:

  • Both are multidisciplinary research databases covering multiple disciplines.
  • Both provide access to dozens of subject databases with a single search interface.
  • Both provide a varied mix of e-books, scholarly journals, peer-reviewed journals, trade publications, magazines, images, and newspapers.

EBSCOhost is a major research database platform that allows users to search multiple EBSCO databases simultaneously. The difference between EBSCOhost and Academic Search is that Academic Search can be searched as part of the EBSCOhost platform or searched separately if your institution has a subscription. To check if your institution subscribes to EBSCOhost, use EBSCO’s Find your institution page.

ProQuest is a major database vendor and platform that provides access to hundreds of database collections. The ProQuest platform provides a multidisciplinary search with access to scholarly ebooks, journals, video and audio, newspapers, and more, all searchable simultaneously. ProQuest is unique in providing dissertations and theses, historical newspapers, and other primary sources.

Scholarly Databases

Scholarly research databases provide peer-reviewed academic journal articles, book reviews, and other scholarly resources authored by scholars, researchers, or academics who are experts in their fields. Unlike magazines (Time, Newsweek, etc.) focused on current events, news, and general-interest stories written by journalists, articles in scholarly journals undergo rigorous review before publication. The following is a list of the most important multidisciplinary scholarly research databases.

Google Scholar is a free academic search engine that helps researchers and students find scholarly literature across disciplines. It indexes journal articles, books, conference papers, theses, patents, and other resources from academic publishers, universities, and professional organizations.

The International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS), compiled by the British Library of Political and Economic Science at the London School of Economics, provides access to a vast collection of scholarly literature in the social sciences. Covering multiple disciplines, IBSS includes references to journal articles, books, newspapers, and dissertations, with records dating back to 1951.

JSTOR is an important scholarly research database for the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. It provides the full text of articles from thousands of influential academic journals. In addition to journal articles, users can access eBooks, book chapters, images, and primary source documents. JSTOR also provides an AI research tool that provides key points and arguments of articles.

Project MUSE offers online access to a vast collection of scholarly journals, books, and academic resources in the humanities, social sciences, and arts. As a leading provider of digital humanities content, it features high-quality, peer-reviewed publications from prestigious university presses, scholarly societies, and academic publishers.

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses is a database of dissertations and theses from universities worldwide. It provides access to millions of full-text works across many disciplines, including the social sciences, humanities, sciences, and business. Each dissertation includes an abstract or summary that provides a concise overview of the research, its methodology, and key findings.

ScienceDirect is a leading full-text scholarly scientific database that provides journal articles and book chapters from more than 2,500 peer-reviewed journals and more than 11,000 books. It covers over 24 major subjects in the physical sciences and engineering, life sciences, health sciences, social sciences, and the humanities.

Social Sciences Full Text provides access to a wide range of scholarly literature in the social sciences. It covers many disciplines, including sociology, psychology, international relations, political science, anthropology, economics, and education.

Web of Science is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary research and citation index that provides access to a wide range of scientific, technical, social science, and humanities research. It maintains rigorous criteria for the journals and publications it indexes, ensuring that only high-quality, peer-reviewed content is included. Web of Science includes 98 million papers dating back to 1900.

Education Subject Databases

Searching general or multi-disciplinary databases can sometimes give you too many results. To narrow your focus, try using a database dedicated to education research. The list below highlights key databases for education journals and articles. The following research databases specialize in subjects covering education and more.

Bloomsbury Education and Childhood Studies is an online subscription-based education database that focuses on how education systems and childhood experiences differ around the world. It organizes over 800 peer-reviewed articles, academic ebooks, policy reports, and country profiles around six stages of education and childhood, from early childhood through higher education. It also provides an interactive world map that lets users explore and compare education systems country by country.

The Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD) is a subscription-based online database focused on books and media for children and young adults, from pre-K through grade 12. It brings together over one million fiction and nonfiction titles along with professional reviews from more than 50 review sources, book award data spanning over 1,000 national and international programs, reading level indicators (such as Lexile and Accelerated Reader), and links to author/illustrator information and teaching guides.

Children’s Literature and Culture is a digital primary source collection published by Adam Matthew Digital that focuses on the history of children’s publishing and print culture from roughly the 1810s to the 1920s. It is a historical archive, containing over 8,600 digitized items, including rare books, illustrated stories, games, paper dolls, sheet music, ephemera, and artwork produced for or about children during this period.

Educational Administration Abstracts is a database focused on education leadership and management, providing bibliographic records covering all areas of educational administration. It provides articles on school administration, higher education leadership, and research on how educational institutions are organized and run.

Education Magazine Archive is a historical periodical collection published by ProQuest that brings together backfile issues of 26 education trade magazines and journals, spanning from 1910 through the mid-2010s. It is a digital archive of historical education magazines that lets you explore how teaching, policy, and schools have changed over time and how educational practice, policy, and culture have evolved over more than a century.  

ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) is an internet-based digital library of education research and information sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education, providing access to journal and non-journal literature from 1966 to the present. It provides articles, reports, and other materials on topics like teaching, learning, policy, and schools from early childhood through higher education, written by educators and researchers. We link to the free public version; however, subscription versions are available through EBSCO (EBSCOhost), ProQuest, and Ovid.

LearnTechLib (The Learning and Technology Library) is a nonprofit, subscription-based digital library focused specifically on the intersection of technology and education. It brings together over 130,000 peer-reviewed documents, including journal articles, conference papers, ebooks, dissertations, reports, videos, and presentation slides,  all focused on educational technology and e-learning.

Professional Development Collection is a subscription full-text education EBSCO database that provides access to hundreds of education journals, many of them peer-reviewed, along with educational reports and other professional resources focused on teaching, learning, curriculum, and school administration.

Education Video Databases

Educational videos give students and scholars a clearer window into teaching and learning.  They show real classrooms, student interactions, and instructional strategies in ways that textbooks cannot. Seeing a concept modeled in action makes it far easier to grasp than reading about it alone. 

ATLAS (Accomplished Teaching, Learning and Schools) is a unique online library of video case studies showing real National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) at work in their classrooms. It features expert teachers, along with their reflections, lesson materials, and explanations of their teaching strategies. Each case includes a classroom video, the teacher’s written commentary, instructional materials, and indexing to teaching and learning frameworks. ATLAS was created by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

Videatives is a streaming video library focused on early childhood education and child development. Founded in 2003, it offers a collection of over 360 short video clips and written commentary that show young children engaged in play, problem-solving, and learning in real classroom and care settings. The videos are designed to help teachers, students, and researchers observe and interpret how children think and learn, grounding the footage in constructivist child development theory.

Education Policy

Education policy refers to the laws, rules, decisions, and practices that shape how education systems operate. This includes policies related to schools, teaching, curriculum, funding, testing, access to education, student rights, and educational standards.

General Policy Databases

General public policy databases provide access to education policy documents. Overton, Policy Commons, and Policy File each aggregate thousands of reports, working papers, and policy briefs from governments, think tanks, and research organizations worldwide. These databases are especially useful for locating grey literature that does not appear in traditional academic journals.

Overton is the world’s largest database for tracking the influence of research on public policy. Overton provides policy documents, official reports, guidelines, and parliamentary records from governments, think tanks, and international organizations worldwide. It has the largest collection of policy-related material, hard-to-find resources, and gray literature linked to academic research.

Policy Commons is a public policy database that provides access to policy reports, working papers, briefs, and other publications from think tanks, NGOs, research institutes, and international organizations. It contains millions of documents covering topics such as economics, governance, environment, health, and international affairs. It also includes archived content from organizations that no longer maintain their own websites.

Policy File Index is a ProQuest database that provides public policy research and analysis produced by think tanks, nongovernmental organizations, research institutes, and university centers. It covers topics such as economics, foreign policy, security, environment, education, and social issues. It also includes materials such as policy briefs, reports, and working papers, which are primarily published in the United States.

Major U.S. Education Policy Think Tanks

Think tanks such as the RAND Corporation and the Brookings Institution are valuable starting points for locating free education policy research. Here is an alphabetical listing of the  Top Education Policy Think Tanks as listed by the last Global Go To Think Tank Index Report published by the Lauder Institute of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Each offers freely accessible reports, briefs, and working papers on a wide range of education topics.

Education News

Education news sources and magazines highlight emerging research topics, issues, and trends in the field, sparking ideas for research questions and assignments. Remember that magazines are written for the general public and lack peer review.  Here are the education sections from major online news sites and magazines.

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Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning is an education journal for current issues in colleges and universities. Published six times a year, it provides articles that explain new trends and ideas in higher education, such as teaching methods, student learning, and education policy.

The Chronicle of Higher Education is a news website that covers colleges and universities. It publishes articles on topics such as campus life, teaching, education policy, and jobs in higher education. It is one of the most highly read and respected news sources, read by professors and administrators.

Higher Ed Dive is a news website that covers issues in colleges and universities. It provides up-to-date stories on topics such as education policy, online learning, leadership, and campus trends.

Higher Education Digest is a free online magazine and website that is focused on the higher education sector. It provides stories, ideas, and trends about colleges and universities around the world. It features articles from education leaders, highlights different schools, and explains new developments in higher education.

Inside Higher Ed is an online news source that provides up-to-date information about colleges and universities, including topics such as education policy, government impact on higher education, business, campus life, technology and innovation, teaching, and student success. It also combines daily news with opinion pieces, career advice, and job listings.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit education news organization that provides in-depth reporting on schools, education policy, teaching, and student issues across the United States. Its coverage focuses on local communities and aims to make education news easier for families, educators, and the public to understand.

eSchool News is a K–12 education news source that focuses on how technology is shaping teaching and learning in schools. It provides easy-to-read updates on topics like digital tools, online learning, classroom innovation, school leadership,and how technology is used in real classrooms and districts.

EdSurge is a nonprofit education news and research organization that covers topics such as teaching, learning, education technology, higher education, and education policy. It publishes news, analysis, and commentary that explore how technology and innovation are shaping education.

Education Week is a nonprofit news organization that covers K–12 education, including teaching, learning, education policy, school leadership, and student issues in the United States. It publishes news, research, and analysis that help readers understand major developments and debates in education.

Edutopia is a free education media organization created by the George Lucas Educational Foundation that shares articles, videos, and teaching strategies focused on what works in K–12 education. Its coverage highlights classroom innovation, student engagement, educational technology, and practical approaches to teaching and learning. Its core focus areas include project-based learning, comprehensive assessment, integrated studies, social and emotional learning, teacher development, and technology integration.

K-12 Dive is an education news site that covers business, policy, and major issues and trends affecting the operational side of K–12 schools in the United States. Its reporting focuses on topics such as education policy, school leadership, curriculum, technology, and professional development, providing news and analysis for educators and school administrators. It targets administrators rather than classroom teachers, distinguishing it from practitioner-focused sites like Edutopia.

The 74 is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization founded in 2015 that covers major issues affecting K–12 education in the United States. It is primarily focused on investigative and accountability journalism in K-12 education, its name referencing the roughly 74 million children in the American school system. Its reporting includes education policy, school reform, student achievement, technology, and data-driven analysis designed to inform public conversations about education.

NAFSA: Association of International Educators is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit membership organization serving professionals who work in international education — including international student advisers, study abroad coordinators, admissions staff, and campus administrators. NAFSA publishes International Educator Magazine, which provides practical ideas, trends, and real-world insights about global education. It focuses on topics like student mobility, study abroad, campus internationalization, and the people who make international education happen. 

Times Higher Education (THE) is a UK-based news outlet and data platform covering higher education worldwide. Founded in 1971, it publishes news, opinion, in-depth reporting, and career resources aimed at academics, university administrators, and higher education policymakers. It reports on universities, research, and higher education policy around the world.

UNESCO News on Education is the education news section of UNESCO’s website (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), aggregating news articles, press releases, stories, and reports related to UNESCO’s global education work. Content covers a broad range of topics, including early childhood education, literacy, teacher training, education in emergencies, higher education policy, digital learning, gender equity in education, and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 (quality education for all).

Education Journals

Journal Citation Reports (JCR) is widely regarded as the leading subscription-based resource for identifying high-quality, peer-reviewed journals and assessing the impact, influence, and quality of scholarly journals across disciplines, including anthropology. To learn more about JCR and journal impact, go to Journal Databases.

To review the JCR list of highly cited educational journals, go to Journal Citation Reports and choose Categories > Social Sciences, General > Education. Listed below are the top ten education journals that receive the highest number of citations from other scholars in 2024.

Computers and Education

Computers & Education is a peer-reviewed journal that explores how technology shapes teaching and learning and the pedagogical uses of digital technology. It publishes research on digital tools, online learning, artificial intelligence, and classroom innovation.

Journal Site

BMC Medical Education

BMC Medical Education is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal that focuses on how doctors and other health professionals are trained. It publishes research on teaching methods, curriculum design, assessment, and clinical training. The journal highlights practical ways to improve medical education and prepare healthcare providers for real-world practice.

Journal Site

Teaching and Teacher Education

Teaching and Teacher Education is a peer-reviewed international journal dedicated to advancing knowledge on teaching as a professional practice, teacher education, and teachers’ development across all educational stages. It examines how teachers are prepared, supported, and developed throughout their careers. It publishes research on teacher training, classroom practice, professional growth, and education policy.

Journal Site

Education and Information Technologies

Education and Information Technologies is a peer-reviewed academic journal and the official publication of the IFIP Technical Committee on Education. It explores the relationship between education and information technology and publishes research on topics such as online learning, educational technology, digital teaching tools, artificial intelligence in education, and the use of technology to improve teaching and learning across different educational settings.

Journal Site

Review of Educational Research

Review of Educational Research is a peer-reviewed journal that provides studies on different aspects of education. Published since 1931, it features interdisciplinary articles on educational issues and related fields, such as economics, psychology, sociology, history, philosophy, political science, computer science, statistics, anthropology, and biology.

Journal Site

Education Sciences

Education Sciences is a monthly, peer-reviewed, open-access education journal that publishes research on all aspects of learning, teaching, and educational systems. It covers topics like curriculum, policy, technology in education, teacher education, and how schools and programs work.

Journal Site

Higher Education

Higher Education is a peer-reviewed, international journal that publishes research on colleges and universities around the world. It covers developments in teaching, learning, policy, governance, and institutional change in both public and private higher education. 

Journal Site

Studies in Higher Education

Studies in Higher Education is a peer-reviewed education journal that publishes research on how colleges and universities operate. It covers teaching and learning, student experiences, leadership, funding, and policy. The journal focuses on evidence-based insights that help improve higher education systems around the world.

Journal Site

System: An International Journal of Educational Technology and Applied Linguistics

System: An International Journal of Educational Technology and Applied Linguistics is a peer-reviewed education journal that publishes research on language learning and teaching, especially in second and foreign language contexts. It explores classroom practice, teacher development, learner motivation, and the use of technology in language education.

Journal Site

British Journal of Educational Technology

The British Journal of Educational Technology is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes research on how digital tools and media are used in teaching and learning. It examines online learning, classroom technology, instructional design, and emerging innovations. 

Journal Site

Education Statistics

Education statistics are essential for understanding the state of learning at every level, from individual classrooms to national systems. The following resources provide data on things such as enrollment, graduation rates, achievement gaps, funding, and teacher qualifications.  

U.S. Education Statistics

The United States publishes a wealth of education statistics through federal agencies. These data sources track a broad range of indicators across K-12 and higher education.

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal agency for collecting and reporting data about education in the United States. Dating back to 1867, it collects and publishes data from early childhood through adulthood, including the widely cited NAEP assessments and national school district databases. It provides statistics, surveys, reports, and tools covering topics such as student achievement, school enrollment, higher education, literacy, and educational outcomes from early childhood through postsecondary education.

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) is a national data collection system maintained by the National Center for Education Statistics that gathers information from colleges, universities, and other postsecondary institutions in the United States. It provides data on enrollment, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, faculty, and institutional finances, helping researchers and policymakers study higher education trends and outcomes.

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center is the research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse, a nonprofit founded in 1993 that aggregates enrollment and completion data from roughly 3,600 colleges representing nearly all U.S. postsecondary enrollment. It provides data and reports on student enrollment, persistence, transfer patterns, and degree completion in higher education across the United States.

The U.S. Census Bureau – Education Information provides statistics and data about education in the United States, including school enrollment, educational attainment, literacy, and demographic trends. The U.S. Census Bureau’s education data is a broad, population-level resource rather than a dedicated education agency. Drawing primarily from the American Community Survey (ACS) and the Current Population Survey (CPS), it covers educational attainment, school enrollment, school district finances, and field of degree — broken down by demographics like age, race, sex, and geography.

International Education Statistics

Several international organizations provide reliable and comprehensive statistical data. Listed below are the most important international education statistical resources.

EdStats (Education Statistics) is a World Bank initiative that provides data and analysis on a different education topics. It is the World Bank’s primary platform for global education data. It provides statistics, indicators, and country-level data about education systems around the world, including enrollment, literacy, school completion, government spending, teachers, learning outcomes, and gender equity in education.

 The IIE Open Doors Data Portal is a major source of statistics and reports on international education in the United States. Produced by the Institute of International Education, the platform provides data on international students studying in the U.S., U.S. students studying abroad, international scholars, and intensive English programs. provides a wide range of statistics and trend data about international education in the United States. 

NAFSA: Association of International Educators – Policy Trends and Data provides data, policy analysis, reports, and trend information related to international education, global mobility, immigration policy, and study abroad.

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a global study conducted every three years by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that measures how well 15-year-old students across roughly 80 countries in reading, mathematics, and science apply skills to real-world problems.

The UIS Data Browser is an interactive data platform from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics that provides internationally comparable statistics on education, science, culture, communication, and sustainable development. Users can explore, visualize, filter, and download global datasets by country, region, indicator, and year, making it a valuable resource for research on education systems, literacy, enrollment, research and development, and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators.

Education Methods

The following resources provide in-depth information on various research design concepts, methodologies, and techniques specific to education.
Do You Know
The Pygmalion Effect is the idea that people often perform better when others expect them to succeed. In education, this means students may improve academically when teachers hold high expectations and provide encouragement, attention, and support. The concept suggests that positive expectations can influence behavior and outcomes. Learn More...
Pygmalian Effect
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