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Side effects in education: Taxonomy of educational outcomes

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Abstract

Outcomes in education are complex and numerous. Seemingly simple instructional choices can have far reaching implications for a student’s interest in a subject, their social network, and even their psychological well-being. These types of outcomes are rarely studied however. Interest in short-term instructional outcomes is far more prevalent, as made evident by the popularity of yearly high-stakes testing. Combatting this trend will require educators and policy makers to consciously investigate the various outcomes, even if only informally. This article offers a taxonomy of educational outcomes to help with this process. The taxonomy assists stakeholders at all levels understand the potential impact of their decisions. The article discusses a variety of delineations to help readers examine potential outcomes, including instructional and educational, short and long-term, and cognitive and non-cognitive. Finally, it provides a series of guiding questions with examples taken from the research literature to facilitate the process of exploring these outcomes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Office of Special Education, Austin Independent School District, 4000 S. I-H 35 Frontage Rd., Austin, TX, 78704, USA

    Daniel Yiorgios Rigney

  2. University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia

    Yong Zhao

  3. 419 JRP, School of Education and Human Sciences, University of Kansas, 1122 W Campus Rd., Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA

    Yong Zhao

Authors
  1. Daniel Yiorgios Rigney
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  2. Yong Zhao
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Correspondence to Yong Zhao.

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Rigney, D.Y., Zhao, Y. Side effects in education: Taxonomy of educational outcomes. Prospects 52, 33–39 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-021-09574-6

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