This article outlines the planning towards a research design to learn about leadership as it is constructed, experienced and developed in schools. It is intended that the research would go beyond an individual's account to gain an insight into the relationships and social dynamic within the organization. The hypothesis is that the degree of…

In this article we explore a number of issues arising from the papers in this special issue of "Environmental Education Research." The papers focus on current examples of childhood environment research in the UK together with research reviews from the UK, the US and Australia. In order to provide a framework for considering and…

People with a learning disability, the experts of their own experience are increasingly involved in research. We will be discussing in this paper their centrality in the development of a psychological therapy outcome measure for people with learning disabilities. Their involvement needs to go beyond giving their views to being included in the…

In an increasingly competitive economy, the capacity for self-motivation, problem-solving skills and an ability to think critically are core graduate attributes. However, the capacity to create an educational environment that develops and harnesses such skills is a distinct challenge as resources become increasingly restricted. Geographical Skills…

There have been numerous attempts in the past few years within education research--and social science research more generally--to alter the character of research practice(s). In particular, there has been a systematic effort to address perceived shortcomings in research practice through a series of "research-capacity building"…

Historically the voices of children in research have been silent. They are often seen as victims or beneficiaries of research rather than co-researchers or partners. This is beginning to change with growing awareness that involving children in the design, delivery and evaluation of services can make services more accessible to them and their…

The communication of information and ideas is an important and challenging part of any researcher's brief. No matter how learned the argument, if the delivery is muddled or inaudible, the visual aids unclear and the supporting material unavailable then the presentation, and the research, will fail to reach its audience. How much more challenging…

This paper reflects on a collaborative project between Manchester City Art Gallery and Manchester Metropolitan University (2003-2004). The project's aim was to attract very young children and their families to the gallery. This paper will not report directly on the research methods used or the outcomes of the project but, rather, will explore…

A new research approach, related to action research and new paradigm research, has been emerging in recent years. This is (service) user-controlled research. It challenges positivist values of "neutrality", "distance" and "objectivity" in research and explicitly values subjectivity and experiential knowledge. The…

This article critically explores the value of ethnography for enhancing context-sensitive approaches to the study of academic writing. Drawing on data from two longitudinal studies, student writing in the United Kingdom and professional academic writing in Hungary, Slovakia, Spain, and Portugal, the author illustrates the different contributions…

This article offers an evidence-based argument for exempting the majority of LGBTTIQ youth from parental consent requirements in research studies. The argument is grounded in international research ethics principles and social science research studies of risks to the well-being of LGBTTIQ youth. A schema derived from consent concepts used in…

This article explores how supervisors of teachers preparing dissertations can create a space for the imagination in the tutorial setting. The imagination is seen as "opening up to possibility," where the student is taking a step into the unknown. The article discusses how the tutor can best support this, taking the theme of "holding…

The levels of drug use amongst school-aged young people have risen over the past decade. Prevention initiatives have been developed using empirical evidence obtained from school-based surveys. The empirical evidence base of drug use amongst young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) attending special education…

In engaging in research we draw upon and develop meanings and concepts that help to frame what we do, how we do it and the meaning we make of it. In the process of framing, we exclude other possibilities from our research practices. To do research, then, is to engage in the fashioning of conceptual boundaries. This article explores the dilemmas of…

This essay discusses themes in the historical literature on education produced in Britain over the last decade and sets these in a broader temporal, intellectual and geographical context. It is argued that the enormous expansion of the British field over the 15 years from the mid-1960s was checked in the 1980s and that, in turn, this triggered…