Educational Research Social Justice: Getting off the Fence (Doing Qualitative Research in Educational Settings)

For researchers in educational settings whose research is motivated by considerations of justice, fairness and equality, this text addresses questions they may face. Such questions considered are; will a prior political or ethical commitment bias the research?; how far can the ideas of empowerment or "giving a voice" be realized?; how can researhers who research communities to which they belong deal with the ethical issues of being both insider and outsider? The text provides a set of principles for doing educational research for social justice. These are rooted in considerations of methodology, epistemology and power relations, and provide a framework for dealing with the practical issues of collaboration, ethics, bias, empowerment, voice, uncertain knowledge and reflexivity, at all stages of research from getting started to dissemination and taking responsibility as members of the wider community of educational researchers. Theoretical arguments and the realities of practical research are brought together and interwoven. Thus, the text should be of relevance to all researchers, and research students designing and writing up their theses and dissertations.