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A Guide to Practitioner Research in Education
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A Guide to Practitioner Research in Education

First Edition


March 2011 | 280 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd

This book is a concise guide to research methods for practitioners. Written in friendly and accessible language, it includes numerous practical examples based on the authors' extensive experience in the field.

The authors provide information and guidance on developing research skills such as gathering and analyzing information and data, reporting findings and research design. They offer critical perspectives to help users reflect on research approaches and to understand the key issues in devising research questions.

This book is for undergraduate and graduate students, teachers, and practitioners in practitioner research development and leadership programs.


 
PART ONE: WHAT IS RESEARCH AND WHY DO IT?
 
What Is Research?
 
Why Do Practitioner Research?
 
PART TWO: WHAT DO WE WANT TO KNOW?
 
What Is a Research Question?
 
Getting It Right! Values and the Ethical Dimensions of Practitioner Research
 
PART THREE: WHAT DO WE KNOW ALREADY AND WHERE DO WE FIND IT?
 
What Do We Know Already?
 
How Do I Do a Literature Review?
 
PART FOUR: HOW WILL WE FIND OUT?
 
Questionnaires and Questionnaire Design
 
Interviews
 
Using Focus Groups
 
Observation
 
Other Methods
 
PART FIVE: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
 
Quantitative Data Analysis
 
Qualitative Data Analysis
 
PART SIX: HOW WILL WE TELL EVERYONE?
 
How Do I Write up My Research?

This book, with its focus on practitioner research in education, will certainly be of value to practitioner researchers who find the more generic books on social science research methods not tackling the specific challenges they face in sufficient detail.

Paul Davies
Lancaster University, UK
Educational Review

A very readable guide to carrying out research in the area of education. This book is suitable for students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Each section of research is carefully and logically dealt with, giving the reader a very clear indication of how to go about putting together a research project and writing the final dissertation.
Useful examples are provided throughout the book and there is also guidance on further useful reading.

Mrs Claire Owen
Faculty of Education, Newman University
October 19, 2016

This is a great introductory text for teachers/educators who want to start doing research that focuses on learning outcomes. We are using it with an international course as it is well presented with easy to understand sections, chapter summaries, references and helpful models.

Dr Phil Kirkman
Faculty of Education, Cambridge University
May 6, 2016

This book provides a very good introduction to practitioner research for teachers and other educators.

Dr Manuela Heinz
School of Education, National University of Ireland
February 8, 2015

Useful, practical, clear guide.

Sue Brindley
Faculty of Education, Cambridge University
April 17, 2013

Presented in a logical format, easy to understand and allows the student to grasp difficulty research concepts with ease. Some practical overviews, a hands on book!

Miss Emma Morris
School of Education, Newman University College
March 25, 2013

Very useful text and essential for those undertaking research within educational settings.

Mrs Anne Smith
MSc in PC Psychotherapy, Metanoia Institute
July 31, 2012

We have two year 2 compulsory Research Methods modules (one in semester 1 and the other in semester 2) on our BSc Education single and combined programmes which will start this October. The programmes will have many students who wish to go into teaching as a career and hence this text will be very useful in helping our students to think through development of their project ideas from a practitioner perspective and this will compliment other research methods texts which may have less of a practitioner specific focus. This will continue to be a very useful text when students are actually undertaking their dissertation in their final year.

Dr Julie Price
School of Education, Southampton University
July 30, 2012

Useful for the research task and for those going on to university.

Mrs Jan Roberts
Childcare, Herefordshire College of Technology
July 9, 2012

There are several books we recommend for research methods and guidance, and this will now be one of them. It is clear and informative, not too offputting for students. It meets the needs of our students who are new to practitioner research.

Karen Lockney
Faculty of Education (Carlisle), University of Cumbria
April 30, 2012

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter 1


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