Drawing upon ongoing research exploring lived experiences of sensory overload, meltdown, and shutdown in autism as a framework, this article reflects on the challenges and benefits of employing participatory methods in doctoral research. In particular, the process of establishing and working with a Research Advisory Group to co-create a…

Until now, the conventional approach using two distinct groups, experimental and control, continues to dominate research, especially education research. Researchers, particularly those who are active in this domain, readily recognise this pattern when surveying literature. This article explores the use of the Solomon four-group design as a…

Educational research enquiries differ based on philosophical beliefs and assumptions regarding researchers' explicitly stated views. This paper critically explores the most dominant philosophical stances in social research sciences, namely positivism, interpretivism and pragmatism. It begins with an overview of the role of the aforementioned…

This paper examines the contributions of mapping research to critical qualitative research methodology. Mapping research is introduced, along with its history, the prevalence of geo- and socio-spatial theoretical frameworks used with the methodology, and the predominant framing of mapping research in the field of education. The main goal of this…

This paper argues for three aspects of tolerance with respect to QCA research: tolerance with respect to different approaches to QCA; producing QCA research with tolerance (work that is resistant to criticism); and for QCA researchers to be clear about the tolerance of the solutions they present -- especially in terms of calibration and truth…

In the complex world of educational policy, causal inferences will be debated. As we review non-experimental designs in educational policy, we focus on how to clarify and focus the terms of debate. We begin by presenting the potential outcomes/counterfactual framework and then describe approximations to the counterfactual generated from the…

This methodological article expands the conversation about the contribution of joint displays in theoretically driven mixed method research in psychological fields. The author makes a distinction between basic displays that align qualitative and quantitative data or findings side-by-side from more dynamic displays that are used as analytical…

Meta-analyses play an instrumental role in informing second language (L2) theory and practice. However, current (i.e., classic) approaches to meta-analysis are limited in their ability to do so because they often fail to capture the complexity inherent in primary studies' research designs. As we argue in this article, when complex L2 studies are…

As wider social and societal changes have led to moves towards equality as a response to a better understanding of inequalities, ethical considerations in research are now more consciously focussed on power dynamics. As a consequence, participatory research methods have gained traction. Simultaneously, artistic and creative methods are used within…

This paper scrutinizes the increasing trend of using international large-scale assessment (ILSA) data for causal inferences in educational research, arguing that such inferences are often tenuous. We explore the complexities of causality within ILSAs, highlighting the methodological constraints that challenge the validity of causal claims derived…

This paper explores the concept of adaptive research design, in which topic, theoretical framing, method, and data are "in principle" open to adaptation during the research process. The main premise is that adaptations in one element of the research process can trigger changes in other elements. Both positive and negative reasons for…

Digital learning platforms (DLPs) can transform educational research by serving as infrastructure that bridges the gap between practice and research. This white paper examines the progress of DLPs in SEERNet, a multi-year initiative funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), which aims to advance research infrastructure. Through…

This article delineates the process through which a quantitative study in the context of Pakistan was adapted into emergent mixed methods research due to COVID-19-related complexities. The in-process data collection was halted abruptly as schools were closed and lockdowns were imposed across Pakistan in the early 2020s due to COVID-19. In…

This article addresses the debate on pre-evaluative choices of impact depictions and the forms of responses between applicants and funders. By adopting a reflexive perspective on the social impact of social sciences, this article explores researchers' vocabularies in the research proposals and mid-term reports of consortiums during the Strategic…

Criteria are briefly proposed for final conclusions, research problems, and research hypotheses in quantitative research. Moreover, based on a proposed definition of applied and basic/general research, it is argued that (1) in applied quantitative research, while research problems are necessary, research hypotheses are unjustified, and that (2) in…