image by Frank M. Rafik

image by Frank M. Rafik

I am currently in negotiations with a book publisher regarding a potential book series on the topic: Theory as method in education research. I am keen to talk to those of you who are interested in this topic and have ideas/plans for publishing in this area – that includes those of you who are nearing completion of doctoral theses as well as more established academics. The series has enormous potential for breaking new theory/method ground and I am open to suggestions from all areas of social theory, methodology and research topic. Please have a read of the short summary below and if you are interested in discussing this further, please get in touch with me, Mark Murphy via mark.murphy.2@glasgow.ac.uk (don’t forget the .2!)

All the best, Mark

Summary:

This series is designed to provide a set of books exploring various applications of social theory in educational research design. Each book will provide a detailed account of how theory and method influence each other in specific educational research settings, such as schools, early years, community education, further education colleges and universities. The series will represent the richness of topics explored in theory-driven education research, including leadership and governance, equity, teacher education, assessment curriculum and pedagogy and policy studies. It will also provide a timely platform for highlighting the wealth of work done in the field of social theory and education research a field that has grown considerably in recent years and has made the likes of Pierre Bourdieu and Michel Foucault familiar names in educational discourse.

It is envisaged that the series will include a variety of texts, including single/co-authored monographs, edited volumes and potentially readers/anthologies

Key features and benefits:

  • Explicit connections between theory and research practice
  • Accessible and illuminating accounts of applied social theory
  • Provides innovative ways of thinking about methodology in educational research design

Pedagogical features

Embedded in the design of the series is a strong pedagogical component – with a focus on the ‘how’ of applying theory in methods and an emphasis on operationalising theory in research. This pedagogical remit will be addressed explicitly in all texts – the responsibility of addressing this will fall to the authors and editors, but can take the form of case studies, learning activities, ‘focus’ sections and glossaries detailing the key theoretical concepts utilised in the research.