Intimate Accounts of Education Policy Research: The Practice of Methods

Scholars in education policy and governance research discuss how the practice of methods is messy, subjective, and provisional, and how this methodological openness can help to examine how research reproduces scholars' metaphysics, how research is a deeply embodied process, and how scholars' concerns interfere in the worlds they study. This book offers new approaches in education policy and governance research that are more generative, insightful, and sincere.

Format: Hardback
Length: 214 pages
Publication date: 30 September 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

When we engage in research on education policy and governance, we delve into the intricate and multifaceted realm of understanding how education systems are shaped and operated. Our goal is to unravel the complexities and intricacies of this field, to provide insights and solutions that can improve educational outcomes for all. However, the journey of research is not without its challenges. It is a messy and subjective process that requires us to navigate through a vast and often unpredictable hinterland.

In this volume, distinguished scholars in education policy and governance research come together to explore the messy nature of research methodologies. They acknowledge that the practice of research is riddled with tensions, doubts, troubles, and mundane decisions. Scholarship in this book shifts from simply documenting the methodological hinterland to utilizing it as a valuable resource for thinking about the researched world and about research itself.

By challenging the notion of smooth methodological accounts that seek to conceal the complex and provisional nature of research, this book offers new approaches that are more generative, insightful, and sincere. It encourages researchers to embrace the messiness of research, to recognize the deeply embodied nature of the process, and to acknowledge the ways in which their concerns and biases interfere with the worlds they study. At the same time, it recognizes the ways in which these concerns and biases also interfere with researchers themselves.

Through this methodological openness, the book provides valuable insights into how research reproduces scholars' metaphysics, how it is a deeply embodied process that encompasses all senses, how scholars' concerns intertwine with the worlds they study, and how these concerns and biases shape the research process. It offers new ways of thinking about research methodologies that are more inclusive, reflexive, and accountable.

This book will be of great interest to researchers, academics, and post-graduate students in the fields of education research and education theory, as well as social scientists interested in research methodologies more broadly. It serves as a valuable resource for those seeking to understand the complexities and nuances of research, to develop more effective and ethical research practices, and to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on education policy and governance.

Weight: 508g
Dimension: 164 x 242 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367642280