Reflexive Mixed Methods Research In Comparative And International Education

Responding to both the increase of mixed methods research (MMR) and the lack of dialogue about its philosophical and methodological practices in comparative and international education (CIE) Reflexive Mixed Methods Research in Comparative and International Education: Context, Complexity, and Transdisciplinarity offers readers an overview of different philosophical approaches to mixed methods, as well as the practical processes to engage in MMR with reflexivity. Comparing reflexivity to a kaleidoscope, the author describes how it can be used throughout the research process to engage with different paradigms and methods, as well as to integrate findings and consider emerging interconnections. The book discusses various ways to reflexively adapt designs, methods, and analyses, and integrate findings in MMR to better contextualize knowledge in the field of CIE. It illustrates different approaches to MMR through various case summaries, and each chapter poses reflexive questions for researchers to consider during their research projects. It emphasizes a critical realist approach, particularly for how it involves epistemological pluralism while also offering contingent explanations to educational questions. Through a reflexive approach, the book offers possibilities for conducting better and more epistemically just MMR. This is fascinating reading for both new and more experienced researchers to expand the craft of researching with MM. Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams, as well as sole researchers, will find concrete research practices in the book for employing reflexive MMR to understand complex educational issues.

The field of comparative and international education has followed methodological trends in social science research since the merging of the “twin” field after World War II. With increase in the use of mixed methods research about three decades ago, comparative and international education journals and scholars have worked rigorously to be part of the mixed methods movement . Scholars have applied mixed methods to their comparative inquiry process and integrally explained the importance of using this method, with expectations that other scholars would apply this method as needed to their research. While there is an increase in the use of mixed methods research in the field of comparative and international education, the quality of reports generated from using this method is yet to be evaluated. In this study, I used a mixed research synthesis method to assess the extent to which 68 selected empirical articles from five comparative and international education journals (published from 2008 to 2018) approached the five mixed methods reporting quality domains: Transparency, integration, interpretive comprehensiveness, methodological foundation, and design quality; found in the developed Mixed Methods Reporting Quality Evaluative Protocol (MMRQEP)

This volume recognises how many researchers across the social sciences, and in comparative and international education in particular, see themselves as insiders or outsiders or, more pertinently, shifting combinations of both, in the research process. The book revisits and problematises these concepts in an era where the global mobility of researchers and ideas has increased dramatically, and when advances in comparative, qualitative research methodologies seek to be more inclusive, collaborative, participatory, reflexive and nuanced. Collectively, the chapters argue that, in the context of such change, it has become more difficult to categorise and label groups and individuals as being ‘inside’ or ‘outside’ systems, professional communities, or research environments. In doing so, it is recognised that individual and group identities can be multiple, flexible and changing such that the boundary between the inside and the outside is permeable, less stable and less easy to draw. The book draws upon an exciting collection of original research carried out in a diversity of educational systems from British, European, Latin American, Indian Ocean, South Asian, African and Chinese contexts and cultures. This develops a deep and innovative reconsideration of key issues that must be faced by all researchers involved in the planning and conduct of in-depth field research. This is a challenging and stimulating methodological contribution, designed to advance critical and reflective thinking while providing practical and accessible guidance, insights and support for new and experienced researchers within and beyond the field of comparative and international education.

This collection presents an international perspective on issues of training and accreditation at the Master’s level of course provision in the initial and continuing professional development of teachers, coining the phrase ‘masterliness in education’. It provides a comparative background to inform the debate about the level at which teachers’ knowledge bases make them most effective in terms of both pedagogic expertise and pupils’ outcomes. The book examines and illustrates the relationship between master’s level education and professionalism through the lenses of reflective evaluation, narrative inquiry and critique. Discussion of issues of professionalism and acculturation of teachers exemplifies the tension that arises in modern educational systems across the world between teacher accountability and teacher autonomy and argues that masterliness in education can only be acquired through the professional freedom afforded by teacher autonomy within empowering frameworks of professional development. Several chapters deliberate the relationship between the roles of schools and higher education institutions in both initial and continuing teacher education at master’s level, providing argument and evidence to show that this partnership is crucial to the effectiveness of the professional development that supports improved outcomes for learners. This book demonstrates that masterliness in education, an aspiration of initial and continuing teacher education internationally, is a state of advanced professional critical thinking linked to action and informed by research and evidence. Through the exercise of this criticality teacher empowerment, expertise and autonomy increase as masterliness develops. There is considerable convergence in the provision of these elements of Masters’ level courses internationally, and this enables the debate to highlight good practice and to exemplify those essential characteristics of masterliness in teaching that lead to the continued improvement of learning in the world’s schools. This book was originally published as a special issue of Journal of Education for Teaching.

Approaches and methods in comparative education are of obvious importance, but do not always receive adequate attention. This second edition of a well-received book, containing thoroughly updated and additional material, contributes new insights within the longstanding traditions of the field. A particular feature is the focus on different units of analysis. Individual chapters compare places, systems, times, cultures, values, policies, curricula and other units. These chapters are contextualised within broader analytical frameworks which identify the purposes and strengths of the field. The book includes a focus on intra-national as well as cross-national comparisons, and highlights the value of approaching themes from different angles. As already demonstrated by the first edition of the book, the work will be of great value not only to producers of comparative education research but also to users who wish to understand more thoroughly the parameters and value of the field.

When learning how to read, analyze, and design one's own research, it is useful to review examples of similar research. Understanding and Evaluating Qualitative Educational Research uses published research articles to teach students how to understand and evaluate qualitative research in education. Each example within a category of qualitative research - ethnography, grounded theory, phenomenology, case study, action research, narrative, and mixed methods - is accompanied by commentary from the editor regarding why the particular approach was used and how and why the various aspects of the example relate back to the approach taken. This commentary guides students in learning how to read, analyze, and create their own qualitative research studies. Included in the text is a series of "Issues and Concepts" that are at the forefront of the changing field. This text gives students in qualitative educational research a well-rounded and practical look at what qualitative research is, along with how to read, analyze, and design studies themselves.

Advances in Mixed Methods Research provides an essential introduction to the fast-growing field of mixed methods research. Bergman′s book examines the current state of mixed-methods research, exploring exciting new ways of conceptualizing and conducting empirical research in the social and health sciences. Contributions from the world′s leading experts in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches are brought together, clearing the way for a more constructive approach to social research. These contributions cover the main practical and methodological issues and include a number of different visions of what mixed methods research is. The discussion also covers the use of mixed methods in a diverse range of fields, including sociology, education, politics, psychology, computational science and methodology. This book represents an important contribution to the ongoing debate surrounding the use of mixed methods in the social sciences and health research, and presents a convincing argument that the conventional, paradigmatic view of qualitative and quantitative research is outdated and in need of replacement. It will be essential reading for anyone actively engaged in qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research and for students of social research methods. Manfred Max Bergman is Chair of Methodology and Political Sociology at the University of Basel.

This text outlines and explains in detail the necessary steps in designing, conducting, implementing, and reporting an action research study with a solid mixed methods foundation.

This revised and updated second edition of Comparative and International Education: An Introduction to Theory, Method and Practice provides a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to the key themes, definitions and approaches in this important field. It covers the history, theory, and methods of comparative and international education, as well as the relationship with education and national development, and outlines what we can learn from comparative studies. Clear explanations are complemented with examples of real research in the field including work on policy borrowing, learner-centred pedagogy and university internationalization.

The Mixed Methods Research Workbook by Michael Fetters is the perfect tool for doctoral students and researchers who want support throughout their research project, as well as a practical way to apply the knowledge they have learned. With this text, students can tackle their mixed methods research project with confidence.