Researching Education from the Inside: Investigations from within

by Sikes; Pat

• ISBN13: 9780415435932
• ISBN10: 0415435935
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781134076963
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-03-27
• Publisher: Routledge
• More Book Details

Summary

Researching Education from the Inside focuses on research projects that are undertaken by people who already have an attachment to the institutions or social groups on which their investigations are based. They can, therefore, be considered to be 'insiders'. In some cases their insider positioning is primarily important because it gets them access to the particular people and/or the phenomena that they want to investigate. At other times, however, aspects of their own 'insidership' will, in itself, come under scrutiny. Insider researchers need to consider five distinct stages that can lead to ethical dilemmas, namely: Entering the field, Being in the field, Leaving the field, Writing, and Disseminating the results. This book covers these stages whist considering important issues such as: Access, Choice of research methods, Field relationships, Involvement ofinformants, Confidentiality and anonymity, Interpretation of findings including validity and reliability. Failure to properly consider these key factors can lead to disastrous consequences for any research but it can be a special problem for insider investigators. These vital issues are discussed by an impressive range of contributors in this ground-breaking book, making it an invaluable resource for anyone participating in Insider Research.

Table of Contents

General issues

Introduction: what are we talking about and why?

Philosophical and theoretical issues

Some philosophical and other related issues of insider research

Credibility issues in research from within organisations

Insider research in schools

Insider historical research

Researching leadership preparation from the inside: a Canadian perspective

Researching gender in schools

Is it all about me? How Queer!

Researching educational governance and control: LEA and OFSTED

Insider research in universities

Teaching professional doctorates

Researching research cultures in new universities

Researching academic staff in colleges and universities

Conclusion

Closing Thoughts

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