A Contemporary Guide to Educational Research

Download or read book A Contemporary Guide to Educational Research written by Michael Grenfell and published by Open University Press. This book was released on 2009-04 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a comprehensive guide to educational research methods. It sets out to combine a discussion of policy, theory and practice of educational research and considers the history and background to contemporary educational research, showing the salient trends in educational research over the course of the twentieth century - what shaped it, why, and the consequences it has had for practice. The book then looks at each stage of conducting educational research in detail. Actual techniques are considered, together with a number of case examples by way of exemplification.However, the discussion is more than a straight 'how to' coverage. Conventional principles and practice are highlighted. In this way, the salient principles of practice in such research options as questionnaire, interviewing, action research, classroom observation, etc. are discussed for the would-be researcher. The book seeks to go beyond a straight description of what might be done. Many techniques are critiqued in the light of their limitations and the pros and cons of each are considered. In this respect, the book offers an integrated discussion with a coherent and unified approach linking the diverse strands throughout.