Ebook: Weaving Narrative Nets to Capture Classrooms: Multimethod Qualitative Approaches for Educational Research

If you’re the kind of reader who usually skips the Preface (I am), you can certainly do that. It’s probably valuable, though, for me to spend a little time describing the structure of this book to orient you to the way the argument unfolds. My intention was to try to find the best possible blend of theory and practice. I believe there are plenty of excellent books describing the theoretical underpinnings of qualitative research in education (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994, 2000; Eisner, 1998; Guba & Lincoln, 1989; Lincoln & Guba, 1985). A number of those books are cited here, and their arguments summarized. There are also books that report qualitative studies using narrative methods (Melko, 1998; Harold, 2000; Wolcott, 1973). There are fewer books that focus on describing in detail how to conduct these studies (Anderson, Kerr & Nihlen, 1994; Van Manen, 1990; Wolcott, 1990) for an audience that is not already familiar with both the methods and the philosophical commitments that underpin qualitative research. This book is intended to do all of these things to some extent, or to refer you to other authors who I think do them well, but its original contribution is in using as a concrete example a particular research study that I completed. This allows me to reflect on the processes and practices, and particularly the choices, involved in qualitative classroom research, and to illustrate those reflections in a very practical way.

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Weaving Narrative Nets to Capture Classrooms blends theory and practice in considering qualitative research in education. This book seeks to find an appropriate balance between deep, thoughtful consideration of issues related to qualitative research in education - methods, stances and standards - and practical 'how to' advice for beginning researchers.. The author uses a particular research study he has conducted as an example of the issues addressed and the decisions made in qualitative research. This study includes 'School Stories': a compelling, 56 page, research-based 'novel' of classroom life reflecting on a year in the life of a group of teachers and students.

This book is of interest to graduate students and faculty in educational research. Teachers who are inquiring into their own educational beliefs and practices in disciplined ways, often as part of a graduate degree, and those who supervise and support them, will find valuable, practical advice on conducting and writing research. The book raises questions to be addressed and issues for reflection, rather than making prescriptions.

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Weaving Narrative Nets to Capture Classrooms blends theory and practice in considering qualitative research in education. This book seeks to find an appropriate balance between deep, thoughtful consideration of issues related to qualitative research in education - methods, stances and standards - and practical 'how to' advice for beginning researchers.. The author uses a particular research study he has conducted as an example of the issues addressed and the decisions made in qualitative research. This study includes 'School Stories': a compelling, 56 page, research-based 'novel' of classroom life reflecting on a year in the life of a group of teachers and students.

This book is of interest to graduate students and faculty in educational research. Teachers who are inquiring into their own educational beliefs and practices in disciplined ways, often as part of a graduate degree, and those who supervise and support them, will find valuable, practical advice on conducting and writing research. The book raises questions to be addressed and issues for reflection, rather than making prescriptions.

Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xv
Disciplined Inquiry In Chaotic Contexts....Pages 1-4
Fitting Into The Field....Pages 5-13
But How Good Is It?....Pages 14-27
Measuring The Tale....Pages 28-33
Research Questions And Contexts....Pages 34-44
Expectations And Constraints....Pages 45-48
Constructivism And The Nature Of Science....Pages 49-62
Places To Stand, Ways To Look....Pages 63-134
Tales Of Different Kinds....Pages 135-143
The Real World?....Pages 144-163
Love And Life, Teaching And Learning....Pages 164-172
Where To From Here?....Pages 173-181
Back Matter....Pages 182-190