Previous ed.: 2005.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Machine generated contents note: pt. I Preparing the ground -- 1. Approaches to research -- Action research and the role of practitioner researchers -- Case study -- Critics of case study -- Survey -- The experimental style -- Ethnography and the ethnographic style of research -- The grounded theory approach -- Narrative inquiry and stories -- Which approach? -- Further reading -- 2. Planning the project -- Selecting a topic -- Getting started -- The purpose of the study -- Hypotheses, objectives and researchable questions -- Working title and the project outline -- Timing -- Supervision -- Student-supervisor relationships -- Codes of practice for supervision -- Change of supervisor -- Keeping records of supervisory tutorials -- The research experience -- Writing as you go along and the research diary -- Planning the project checklist -- Further reading -- 3. Ethics and integrity in research -- Research contracts, codes of practice, protocols and the principle of informed consent -- Ethics committees -- Confidentiality and anonymity -- Safeguarding confidentiality and anonymity if disseminating information by computer -- Ethical research in practice, the problems of `inside' research and personal codes of practice -- Codes of ethical practice relating to intellectual ownership/property -- The ethics and integrity in research checklist -- Further reading -- 4. Reading, referencing and the management of information -- Reading -- Note-taking and guarding against plagiarism -- Referencing -- Creating, editing and storing references electronically -- The card index -- The management of information -- A lot of fuss about nothing? -- Reading, note-taking, guarding against plagiarism, referencing and the management of information checklist -- Further reading -- 5. Literature searching -- Defining the parameters of your search (search limiters) and keywords -- Focusing, refining and grouping your keywords -- Passwords, usernames and working from home -- Libraries, librarians-and books -- Scanning books into digital format -- Journals -- Citing sources from the Internet -- Evaluating sources -- Copyright and licensing restrictions when downloading items from web pages -- Time to move on -- The top ten guide to searching the Internet -- Further reading -- Appendix: Search engines and Internet Gateways -- 6. The review of the literature -- The `critical review' of the literature -- Theory and theoretical (or conceptual) frameworks -- The `critical review' in practice -- Reviewing the reviews -- The review of the literature checklist -- Further reading -- pt. II Selecting methods of data collection -- Introduction -- Constraints -- Reliability and validity -- Thinking about computer data analysis? -- Not thinking about computer data analysis? -- A reminder -- Further reading -- 7. The analysis of documentary evidence / Brendan Duffy -- The nature of documentary evidence -- Approaches to documents -- The location of documents -- The selection of documents -- The critical analysis of documents -- The analysis of documentary evidence checklist -- 8. Designing and administering questionnaires -- Exactly what do you need to find out? -- Question types -- Question wording -- Appearance and layout -- Drawing a sample -- Piloting the questionnaire -- Distribution and return of questionnaires -- Respondents' and your rights and responsibilities -- Non-response -- Analysis of data -- Designing and administering questionnaires checklist -- Further reading -- 9. Planning and conducting interviews -- The ethics of conducting interviews -- Advantages and disadvantages of the interview -- Question wording -- The interview schedule -- Group interviews and focus groups -- Recording interviews -- Bias-the old enemy -- Remember! -- Planning and conducting interviews checklist -- Further reading -- 10. Diaries, logs and critical incidents -- Representativeness -- The diary-interview method -- Piloting returns forms and instructions to participants -- The primary pupils' food diary -- The supply teachers' diary and time log -- The general practitioners' time log -- The asthma treatment diary -- The heads of department critical incidents and problem-portfolio logs -- The ethics of diary use -- A final word of warning -- Diaries, logs and critical incidents checklist -- Further reading -- 11. Observation -- Unstructured observation -- Participant observation -- Structured observation and keeping records -- Recording behaviour -- Content -- A few words of warning - again -- After the event -- Observation checklist -- Further reading -- pt. III Interpreting the evidence and reporting the findings -- Introduction -- 12. Interpreting the evidence and reporting the findings -- List questions -- Quantity and category questions -- Measures of central tendency -- Coding -- Grids -- Scales -- Verbal questions -- Conclusions -- Interpreting the evidence and reporting the findings checklist -- Further reading -- 13. Writing the report -- Getting started -- The final writing task -- Structuring the report -- The need for revision -- Any possibility of plagiarism? -- Evaluating your own research -- Writing the report checklist -- Further reading.