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 work more effectively

Selected Contents: 1. Getting Theoretical 2. An Illustrated Tour of How Theory Works (and Doesn’t Work) in Educational Research 3. Framing Research Theoretically, Part One: Planning and Data Collection 4. Framing Research Theoretically 5.When Research Meets Research

Introduction: The power of social theory for educational research 1. Reading social theory 2. Social theory and the rhetoric of educational research 3. Framing research theoretically 4. Writing with social theory 5. Social theory and the production of general educational knowledge