Research Methods and Methodologies in Education

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH METHODS AND METHODOLOGIES IN EDUCATIONHow This Book Can Help You - James ArthurThe Nature of Educational Research: Exploring the Different Understandings of Educational Research - Robert CoeFinding Your Theoretical Position - Michael WaringPART TWO: BASIC PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE IN CONDUCTING RESEARCHDesign of Empirical Research - Larry V. Hedges Planning Your Research - Laura Day Ashley Conducting Your Research - Robert J. CoeResearch Impact and Dissemination - Marilyn Leask PART THREE: KEY METHODSDimension 1: Research DesignsAction Research - Carol Munn-Giddings Naturalistic Research - Rob Walker Ethnographic and Representational Styles - Ghazala Bhatti Grounded Theory - Robert Thornberg Visual Methodologies - Jenni Karlsson Case Study Research - Laura Day-Ashley Issues of Truth and Justice - Ian Davies and Andrew Peterson Surveys and Longitudinal Research - Anna Vignoles Statistical and Correlational Techniques - Stephen Gorard Secondary Data - Emma Smith Impact Evaluation - Steve Higgins Interventions: Experiments - Peter Tymms A Systematic Review - Mark Newman and Kelly Dickson Mixed Methods - Gert Biesta Philosophical Research - Richard Pring Dimension 2: Data Collection ToolsObservation-Based Research - Michael V. Angrosino In-Depth Interviews - Carolyn L. Mears Techniques to Assist with Interviewing - Rosalind Hurworth Focus Groups and Group Interviews - Anita Gibbs Internet-Based Methods - Rhona Sharpe and Greg Benfield Doing Blog Research - Axel Bruns and Jean Burgess Documentary Methods - Gary McCulloch Systematic Reviews - Carole Torgerson, Jill Hall and Kate LightQuestionnaires - Peter Tymms Measurement and Validity - Ronald K. Hambleton Dimension 3: Analysis MethodsSoftware and Qualitative Data Analysis - Graham R. Gibbs Statistical Analysis Tools - Paul Connolly Discourse Analysis - Elaine Vaughan Media-Analysis - Michael Atkinson Visual Methodologies and Social Change - Claudia Mitchell Grounded Theory - Michael

Editor of the British Journal of Educational Studies. He has written widely on the relationship between theory and practice in education, particularly the links between communitarianism, social virtues, citizenship, religion and education.

'This work will be of immense value to those who are undertaking a significant post-graduate research study in Education at the M. Phil or PhD level. As well it will be helpful to commissioners of research who may have expertise in one method or another, but not the across-the-board insight when evaluating proposals that employ varied and innovative methods. Its array of impressive contributors writes in an accessible and clear manner and brings the attention of the reader to both technical and conceptual terms.



Not only does the handbook provide the reader with a range of research methods with their associated costs and benefits, but also draws attention to the need for careful and systematic planning at all stages of the inquiry. It cautions against employing any method without first evaluating its appropriateness to the questions being investigated, that is, the commensurability of the research to the purpose of the inquiry.



As a seasoned researcher I found myself refreshed and curious regarding the ongoing debates that continue to circulate around matters of validity and generalisability in increasingly complex contexts. It certainly will be an addition to my own reference library' -Susan Groundwater-Smith Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney