For many teachers and teacher education students, research is an initially daunting prospect. This accessible and engaging text will introduce students to the broad field of educational research demonstrating how to use research to think about issues arising from classroom settings, organisations, or wider professional activities. It provides students with the confidence to address firstly the basic principles, imperatives and theoretical approaches, and then explains how to tackle the necessary processes and procedures.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Introduction PART I Thinking Research 1. 'Seeing' research What is research? Why do it? Contexts of formal research Research scholarship 2. What does research entail? Some philosophical considerations Some responsibilities Defining the key terms 3. Research and the practitioner Practitioners as researchers Researching practice Three approaches to research The underpinning significance of human experience 4. Methodologies and methods Descriptive and interpretive research Interventionist methodologies-bringing about change through research Third-space methodologies-for description, interpretation and ongoing change PART II Doing Research 5. Making a start Starting points Developing the proposal or submission Ethics approval 6. The literature Accessing the literature Making a start How to read Retrieving and documenting the literature Internet and other sources Research site resources 7. Dealing with data Collecting and generating data Negative data and silent voices Background data Participant data Experimental data Documenting data 8. Data analysis and synthesis A note of encouragement and an outline Preparing the ground for analysis Analysis in action Analysis after action Analysing the data-quantitative Analysing the data-qualitative Mediating and mediated data Data synthesis 9. Reporting research Planning your report Aesthetics and style Dynamic reporting Publishing research Epilogue References Index