Resources

This page contains a wide range of resources to support your work as a practitioner/researcher, including articles, book chapters, activities for Face to Face sessions, video links, planning documents…

I have tried to attribute all sources but sometimes this is not possible.

If you have a suggestion add here please email me, remembering to add your source.

If you want some general reading on practitioner research then check out the links to the Gerald Pine chapter below.

For more specific descriptions of research methodology and data collection methods across the field of educational research, then look at the Cohen and Manion references and links:

Website Links

INDIRE – Italian education research based in Florence – see Activites section

School in the Cloud innovative research by Prof. Sugatra Mitra

Project Zero lots here from the well-established Harvard University programme – check out the Projects, Topics and Resources sections, especially Making Learning Visible – INDIRE link in here too.

The Sutton Trust Teaching and Learning Toolkit is an interesting starting point to see if your research idea has an evidence base and an impact measure. Not impact in the studies featured by Sutton Trust are on academic achievement – improvements in self-confidence and character education might lead to improvements in academic achievement (exam results towards qualifications for example) but there is not usually a direct one-step link.

For those interested in researching the benefits and potential of more outdoor and adventurous activities and character education (and see Sutton Trust above):

The Canyon

Roundsquare

Also worth a view Common Ground Collective

ARTICLES

ARTICLE 1 Journal article – An approach to research from one of our colleagues in a secondary school in Iceland. The Change Room Hjordis Article

ARTICLE 2 elegant tasks art action research Journal article – from a primary school teacher conducting an action research classroom project in Singapore

ARTICLE 3 Summary of John Hattie’s Visible Learning – significant research work and useful website into evidence based teaching: Visible Learning

ARTICLE 4 Sugatra Mitra’s SOLE Team - relevant to ICT but a useful model of research methodology
Classroom transformative pedagogy Research

UNDERSTANDING RESEARCH

1. New Scientist – 3 short pieces (opens in word); unpick the ‘research’ in these articles from New Scientist Weekly, October 2017 Activity for F2F1
New Scientist example 1 ParkinsonsNew Scientist example 2 appsNew Scientist example 3 Yoga

2. Learning the language – from methodology to methods…positivist to interpretivist and all camps in-between and beyond – it’s a tricky meta-language and usually best to get on and pick it up along the way!
Activity for F2F1: Understanding research meta-language

3. A bit about empirical research and using IMRaD to read/write journal articles:

Empirical research is based on observed and measured phenomena and derives knowledge from actual experience rather than from theory or belief.

How do you know if a study is empirical? Read the subheadings within the article, book, or report and look for a description of the research “methodology.” Ask yourself: Could I recreate this study and test these results?

Key characteristics to look for:

  • Specific research questions to be answered
  • Definition of the population, behavior, or phenomena being studied
  • Description of the process used to study this population or phenomena, including selection criteria, controls, and testing instruments (such as surveys)

Another hint: some scholarly journals use a specific layout, called the “IMRaD” format, to communicate empirical research findings. Such articles typically have 4 components:

  • Introduction: sometimes called “literature review” — what is currently known about the topic — usually includes a theoretical framework and/or discussion of previous studies

  • Methodology: sometimes called “research design” — how to recreate the study — usually describes the population, research process, and analytical tools

  • Results: sometimes called “findings” — what was learned through the study — usually appears as statistical data or as substantial quotations from research participants

  • Discussion: sometimes called “conclusion” or “implications” — why the study is important — usually describes how the research results influence professional practices or future studies

[Accessed via the WWW 07.03.19 from https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/emp  (Penn State Univ)]

4. Research Methodology – approaches to research – Life Story
I really like this approach as it reflects my interest in narrative and story writing. I have copied over correspondence from a recent research project I am a participant in considering early years practice and gender undertaken at Edge Hill University:

Phil, sorry for the delay, but I actually got some interesting books for you!
BRADFORD, R,. (2010) Life Writing: Essays on autobiography, biography, and literature. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
FRANK, W., A,. (2012) Letting stories breathe: A socio-narratology. The University of Chicago Press.
GOODSON, I,. and SIKES, P,. (2001). Life history research in educational settings. Open University Press.
GOODSON, I., (2008) Investigating the teacher’s life and work. Sense Publishers.
JOSSELSON, R., and LIEBLICH A., (1993). The narrative study of lives. SAGE
MILLER, R., (2000). Researching life stories and family histories. SAGE
SCILLIO, M., (2017). Making career stories. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN

These are the books I really found useful (and enjoyed reading 😄 ) thus far! 
Hopefully they will be of some help for your students (and you), as well! Needless to say, that each book contains a rich reference list at the end of each chapter, it will be then just the case to tailor further reading according to the researcher’s needs and personal taste!

I will be soon in touch with a date for our ‘final’ interview!
Have a lovely day!
Clarissa

PhD Researcher & Graduate Teaching Assistant
Faculty of Education

5. ETHICS  link to new page

4. Research Planning and Process

Elements in your practitioner research How can I improve elements

From big idea to specific question/s What is research? NFER

* A big chapter here from Gerald Pine, (Sage, 2009) lots and lots of guidance and practical support: Pine G ConductingTeacher Action Research

A Research Tool-Kit – short piece that does what it says: tool kit

A simple planning template – ACTIVITY for F2F1– you might find useful to complete with notes ready for our first 1:1 meeting: C2(i)inquiry plan

or use this version of a simple action plan