Reflective Practice in Educational Research

I looked through the list of books to review for ESCalate and picked this one because I am due to write a Post Graduate module for a distance education programme on research procedures and methodologies. I have to admit to not expecting much because so many books on educational research are, to be quite frank, as dull as ditchwater. This book, then, came as both a surprise and a revelation. I found it not only thought provoking but - dare I say it - enjoyable to read.

The book addresses major and current issues in educational research: that most of it is not of very good quality and that it has little impact on policy and practice. However, this is not a diatribe against research and researchers. Rather it is a reasoned rationale for the need to pay attention to critical issues in the research process. The author uses her own professional development as a researcher and her own research data and findings to illustrate how rigour can be applied to qualitative research in an educational context. The book covers the entire research process from the initial process of clarifying concepts and data gathering through the analysis of data to the construction of theory.

The style of the book is easy to access and the author speaks directly to the readers posing questions and inviting them to engage in activities in order that they may get a flavour of the processes she describes. Because the author was herself a teacher prior to becoming a researcher the book is particularly relevant to teacher researchers.

This is a book about being and becoming a good researcher and as such is relevant to beginning and experienced researchers alike. I certainly intend to have this on the reading list for my new module.