Educational Research in Practice : Making Sense of Methodology

by Swann, Joanna; Pratt, John

• ISBN13: 9780826453426
• ISBN10: 0826453422
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-12-01
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Academic

Summary

Offering valuable insights into the education and social research community, eight researchers representing contrasting approaches--from the United Kingdom, New Zealand and North America--explain what they do, why they do it, its methodological basis, and perceived outcomes. Main themes are then analyzed and discussed by the editors, both experienced teachers of research methodology and methods

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	vii
Part I: An Introduction to Educational Research in Practice	1	(8)
1 Why you should read this book	3	(6)
Joanna Swann and John Pratt
Part II: Different Approaches to Educational Research	9	(116)
2 A Popperian approach to research on learning and method	11	(24)
Joanna Swann
3 The postmodern prism: fracturing certainty in educational research	35	(16)
Elizabeth Atkinson
4 A Popperian approach to policy research	51	(16)
John Pratt
5 Critical approaches to research in practice	67	(17)
Michael Collins
6 Science in educational research	84	(14)
William E. Tunmer, Jane E. Prochnow and James W. Chapman
7 Research in a bicultural context: the case of Aotearoa New Zealand	98	(13)
Patricia Maringi G. Johnston
8 Case study research	111	(14)
Michael Bassey
Part III: Dialogues from a Research Community	125	(48)
9 Decision-making in the real world: postmodernism versus fallibilist realism	127	(14)
Elizabeth Atkinson and Joanna Swann
10 Research and social improvement: critical theory and the politics of change	141	(11)
Michael Collins and Joanna Swann
11 Culture, race and discourse	152	(12)
Patricia Maringi G. Johnston and John Pratt
12 How general are generalizations?	164	(9)
Michael Bassey and John Pratt
Part IV: Educational Research in Practice	173	(21)
13 Doing good research	175	(19)
John Pratt and Joanna Swann
Glossary: a Popperian view of some important research terms and their usage	194	(27)
Joanna Swann and John Pratt
Contributors	221	(4)
Index	225