USING SOCIAL THEORY IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH A PRACTICAL GUIDE

"USING SOCIAL THEORY IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH" IS ORGANISED TO HELP PRACTISING EDUCATORS AND NOVICE RESEARCHERS WHO HAVE LITTLE FAMILIARITY WITH SOCIAL THEORY TO BE INTRODUCED TO MAJOR SCHOOLS OF SOCIAL THEORY, THEIR BASIC CONCEPTS, AND THEIR GENERAL APPLICABILITY TO EDUCATIONAL ISSUES; DEVELOP AN UNDERSTANDING OF AND APPRECIATION FOR ITS POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE THEIR OWN PRACTICE; GAIN PRACTICAL INSIGHT INTO HOW THEORY CAN FUNCTION AS A WARRANT, OR SUPPORT, FOR DATA INTERPRETATION THROUGH THE USE OF MULTIPLE PRACTICAL EXAMPLES, LEARN HOW TO INTEGRATE THEORY INTO THEIR OWN; AND, WORK MORE EFFECTIVELY. THE SELECTED CONTENTS INCLUDE GETTING THEORETICAL; AN ILLUSTRATED TOUR OF HOW THEORY WORKS (AND DOESN'T WORK) IN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH; FRAMING RESEARCH THEORETICALLY, PART ONE PLANNING AND DATA COLLECTION; FRAMING RESEARCH THEORETICALLY; AND, WHEN RESEARCH MEETS RESEARCH.