THEORY, METHODOLOGY AND KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION
This group is making a major contribution to the development of theory in applied social research.
This group of internationally renowned theorists and methodologists share an interest in the production, use and control of research knowledge, and the relationships between research, policy, practice and the public interest. Its members are leaders in national and international policy debates about research quality, ‘evidence-based practice’, and the nature of the theories and methods needed to understand and intervene in contemporary conditions of educational and social change. The theoretical approaches embraced by the group span action research, evaluation theory, poststructuralism, psychoanalysis, discourse analysis, critical realism, ethnography, complexity theory, case study and multi-methods research.
Members of the group edit the leading UK research journal, the British Educational Research Journal (Ian Stronach & Harry Torrance), the international Educational Action Research Journal (Bridget Somekh), the Open University Series Conducting Educational Research (Harry Torrance), and the international Sage handbook, Research Methods in the Social Sciences (Bridget Somekh & Cathy Lewin). The Group has also produced a number of influential monographs on theory and method. These include Discourse in Educational and Social Research (Maggie MacLure, OU Press, winner of the Critics Choice Award from the US Educational Studies Association); Theory and Practice in Action Research (Bridget Somekh & Co-authors, Sumposium); Regulative Discourses in Education, A Lacanian Perspective (Tony Brown et al, Peter Lang); Interviewing and Representation in Qualitative Research (John Schostak, OU Press); Action Research and Postmodernism (Tony Brown & Liz Jones, OU Press); Understanding, Designing and Conducting Qualitative Research in Education (John Schostak, OU Press).
The group regularly convenes high-profile international seminars on new directions in theory and methodology. They are key participants in international colloquia, providing keynote lectures and featured symposia to bodies such as the Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, the American Educational Research Association, the Australian Association for Educational Research, the European Educational Research Association, the British Educational Research Association, the Scottish Educational Research Association, the Collaborative Action Research Network, Discourse, Power, Resistance, and the Council of Europe.
The group are committed to supporting the next generation of educational and social researchers. Members have hosted advanced research training workshops and expert seminars for the Economic and Social Research Council and the British Educational Research Association.