This article studies the development of educational research in Brazil over time, relating it to the social and historical context, working on such issues as theory and method, hegemony of the research groups and institutional questions. The 1980s stand out as a time when vigorous debates were engaged based on which problems intrinsic to research procedures and their validity came to light. The article discusses under what conditions we can speak of the social impact of educational studies on educational action and policy, analyzing the possible fallibility of knowledge derived from such research and also asking whether methodological consistency plays some role in this fallibility.