This article offers insights into the ethics of engagement and methodological issues and dilemmas in cross-cultural interpretation for researchers who are positioned at different points of the insider-outsider spectrum. The discussion uses examples from qualitative research with Sikh families in Britain and focuses on the design of the methodology…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the behavioural determinants of work-related benefits claimants' training behaviours and to suggest ways to improve claimants' compliance with training referrals. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 Jobcentre Plus staff and training providers, and 60 claimants.…

The article dwells on professional development of public school teachers as an inevitable constituent of education systems in the 21st century. In such economically developed countries as Great Britain, Canada and the USA, the problem of preparing teachers to a difficult and responsible task of upbringing and educating future citizens always…

This article critically examines the implementation of Exploratory Practice in an English for academic purposes (EAP) context in a British university. The innovation involved challenges as well as opportunities for uniting learning, teaching and research. Particular emphasis is given to two teachers, who are the focus of this article: the story of…

This article continues a theme of previous investigations by the authors and examines the focus of in-action reflection as a component of professional judgement and decision-making (PJDM) processes in high-level adventure sports coaching. We utilised a thematic analysis approach to investigate the decision-making practices of a sample of…

Quantitative metrics in research assessment are proliferating all over the world. The demand has led to an increase in bibliometric practitioners and service providers. Their professional roles and competencies have not yet been subject to systematic study. This paper focuses on one important service provider in evaluative bibliometrics--academic…

To date, qualitative research into occupational groups and cultures within academia has been relatively scarce, with an almost exclusive concentration upon teaching staff within universities and colleges. This article seeks to address this lacuna and applies the interactionist concept of "identity work" in order to examine one specific…

Considers some of the pros and cons of using group interviews in educational research. Illustrates some of these issues by examining a recent study in science education. (RKM)

Reports on the methodology of an evaluation of an industrial resource materials database intended for use in secondary science and mathematics courses. Due to time and budget constraints, the methodology involved the use of a postal questionnaire followed by telephone interviews. (Author/JDH)

This study examines the influence of culture on digital libraries of the first wave. The local cultures of innovation of five European national libraries (Biblioteca nacional de Portugal, Bibliotheque nationale de France, Die Deutsche Bibliothek, the National Library of Scotland, and the British Library) are reconstructed in case histories from…

Describes a study of General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ) science students (n=50) in which each student was interviewed 3 times throughout the school year. Interviews probed student attitudes toward science and analysis of the data explored the effectiveness of the grading criteria, a portfolio-based assessment tool. Results indicate…

The author's tertiary learning journey began as a research assistant reviewing educational literature. Among the mountain of lifelong learning literature, the author could find nothing that explained why people are or are not lifelong learners. Eventually he found the British work of Gorard and Selwyn (2005). Mindful of Osborne's (2002) caution…

Reports on 18 months of action research that examined the effectiveness of using the history of science to promote British students' understanding of the nature of science. Both quantitative and interview data offer substantial evidence of a strategic movement away from serendipitous empiricism and toward an appreciation of the interactive nature…

Samples 10 each of primary, secondary and special schools as a means of investigating the development of curricula for children experiencing learning difficulty. Describes the method of qualitative data analysis. Develops a model of the curriculum development process based on the interrelationships of the categories found in the analysis. (KO)

Discusses qualities necessary for good science education television, presents criteria that can be used by program makers and viewers to judge the outcomes, and describes study that used interviews with teachers and students to evaluate three British educational science programs aimed at 14- to 16-year-olds. (LRW)