en تخصصي Special پژوهشي Research <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Source Sans Pro;"><span style="line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="color:black">Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) play a vital role in education research by upholding ethical standards and protecting human subjects. However, critics argue that many IRBs lack the expertise to properly assess social science research and may favor quantitative methods. This article engages with the ongoing debate between empirical and theoretical literature in education, drawing on studies such as Carpenter et al. (2023), who analyzed the balance of these types of scholarship in academic journals. Research shows that theoretical and empirical works often cite within their own domains, highlighting their distinct but complementary contributions. The importance of practical, practitioner-focused articles is also emphasized, as they help bridge theory and real-world application despite sometimes lacking empirical data. Systematic and scoping literature reviews further contribute to educational knowledge through rigorous analysis and synthesis of existing research. Overall, a balanced, methodologically pluralistic approach that values both empirical and theoretical work in teaching and learning.</span></span></span></span></span></div> Academic Culture, Faculty Scholarship, Knowledge Exchange, Methodological Pluralism, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Institutional Review Board (IRB) 155 165 http://johepal.com/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1135-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1 David I. Hernández-Saca 10031947532846004085 10031947532846004085 Yes University of Northern Iowa Wu-Ying Hsieh 10031947532846004086 10031947532846004086 No University of Northern Iowa Mason Kuhn 10031947532846004087 10031947532846004087 No University of Northern Iowa Sohyun Meacham 10031947532846004088 10031947532846004088 No University of Northern Iowa Colleen Mulholland 10031947532846004089 0009-0009-8906-1996 No University of Northern Iowa Shelley Price-Williams 10031947532846004090 10031947532846004090 No University of Northern Iowa Nicole Skaar 10031947532846004091 10031947532846004091 No University of Northern Iowa Matt Townsley 10031947532846004092 10031947532846004092 No University of Northern Iowa