Category Archives: RRW1

Bend it like Bhaskar

Bhaskar, R. & Danermark, B. (2006). Metatheory, interdisciplinarity and disability research – A critical realist perspective. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 8, 278-297. In this paper, Bhaskar and Danermark argue that historically dominant models of disability are reductionist. Reductionism has … Continue reading

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Motivation and momentum

We’ve had three face-to-face sessions now on the EdD (in addition to the induction day), and I’m finding that I lose motivation for a few days afterwards… which is weird! I assumed I would get enthused by seeing the rest … Continue reading

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Disability, curriculum and social justice

Last week I attended a half day course on Disability Awareness, which was interesting because it connected with a lot of the ideas we’re reading and talking about on the EdD. During the session, the course facilitator presented the social … Continue reading

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Lees 2007: Embracing complexity for social justice

In this, the second of the readings we were given with the title ‘Beyond Positivism’, Patrick Lees argues for ‘hybrid spaces’ where different ways of thinking about education and research exist for mutual benefit, and an acceptance that standardised educational … Continue reading

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Buchanan 1998: Being human

This was a very persuasive article. It almost lured me into believing that human life is so very very different from everything else in the natural world – to the extent where we can claim to be separate from it. … Continue reading

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By jove, I think she’s got it

Sayer, A (2000) Realism and Social Science, London: SAGE, 67 – 80 I could have moved on from critical realism now… there is other reading material I need to get through by the end of the month (on post-positivism, humanism … Continue reading

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Pring 2000: Concepts and conflicts

“Maybe the distinction will seem clearer on reading the other introduction to Critical Realism we’ve been given (Pring 2000).” – Me, November 1st. …No, it didn’t really help, not yet. I understood the conclusion fine, but found myself getting really … Continue reading

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Drake and Heath (2008): A tale of woe

According to the authors, this chapter (from Sikes & Potts’ Researching Education from the Inside) begins to explore ‘some of the strengths and limitations of being an insider researcher’. Strengths?! It’s a catalogue of misery; a relentless battering of challenges, … Continue reading

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Anderson (2002) and Anderson and Herr (1998) – Status and Legitimacy of Practitioner Research

The later, shorter article of these two – both published in Educational Researcher – was the one on our reading list for Researching the Real World, but I ended up dragging up the earlier one in order to find out … Continue reading

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Crotty 1998: Introduction to the research process

Halfway through this one I thought, “oh damn… I should have read this before the Morrison chapter…”. However, it does set the scene of social research more clearly and definitely than the first reading, and for that reason I think … Continue reading

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Morrison 2007: What do we mean by educational research?

This second chapter of Coleman & Briggs’ Research Methods in Educational Leadership & Management is essentially a warning about practitioner researchers crashing in and trampling all over deeply rooted research traditions with their big, clumsy, uneducated feet. I definitely felt it … Continue reading

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First workshop: Researching the Real World

I confess… I wasn’t in the mood for learning anything on the first morning of the EdD. I was hungry after a long run, and an insubstantial, sickly-sweet breakfast had left me feeling on the verge of tears and ready … Continue reading

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