Primary research in education and social sciences is marked by a diversity of methods and perspectives. How can we accommodate and reflect such diversity at the level of synthesizing research? What are the critical methodological decisions in the process of a research synthesis, and how do these decisions open up certain possibilities, while…

In this article the authors discuss the impact of research on a neophyte researcher and the research supervisor. The methodology which is applied throughout this article is autoethnographic narrative. It represents retrospective reflection on the part of the authors and thus to some extent is about retrospective meaning making. It centres upon the…

This paper introduces key debates in the contemporary practice of disability research and examines how these apply to conceptualising, designing and conducting research with people with intellectual disability. Specifically, it describes a collaborative action-oriented reflexive approach to researching the lived experience of people with…

This article explores the practical relevance of pragmatism as a research paradigm through the example of a piece of pragmatic research that not only used both quantitative and qualitative research methods but also exploited the inherent duality of the data analyzed. Thus, the article aims to make the case that pragmatism as a research paradigm…

The scientificalization of educational research methods was always the most predominant in the two tides of educational experiment in China in the twentieth century, the result of which was unexpectedly dissatisfactory, because researchers misunderstood the connotation of scientificalization in such a degree that resulted in the worship for…

Action researchers often generate large amounts of textual material in the form of notes and transcripts, failing to account for those thoughts that we and our research participants silently voice. As such, action research that attempts to engage practitioners in self reflexivity and textual analysis is a fertile site for a consideration of how…

The field of research in environmental education has experienced several changes in orientation in its first 25 or so years. In the period of the 70s and 80s, the most visible approach to environmental education research was clearly applied science in nature. From the late 80s/early 90s there has been a period of intense debate about research in…

Is reflexivity the condition of taking account of the personality and presence of the researcher within the investigation? Some argue that it is and it is necessary because self-examination is commonplace in society today. Improving and building are common goals, and within education we are committed to questioning in order to examine, build, and…

In this second of four articles discussing the introduction of action research to a class of pre-service teachers, Julian and Dianne state the purpose and context of our work, and revisit in detail the intense discussions we had prior to undertaking our two-tiered action research adventure. Specifically, we elaborate on the beliefs, values and…