Also available: Richard Pring: Philosophy of Educational Research David Scott and Robin Usher: Researching Education Joanna Swann and John Pratt (eds): Improving Education: Realist Approaches to Method and Research Jerry Wellington: Educational Research: Contemporary Issues and Practical Approaches Bill Gillham: The Research Interview Bill Gillham: Developing a Questionnaire Bill Gillham: Case Study Research Methods Roy Preece: Starting Research A. N. Oppenheim: Questionnaire Design Doing Qualitative Educational Research A Personal Guide to the Research Process Geoffrey Walford wir i CONTINUUM London and New YorkContinuum The Tower Building 370 Lexington Avenue 11 York Road New York London SEL 7NX NY 10017-6503 © 2001 Geoffrey Walford All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. First published 2001 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0-8264-4701-5 (hardback) (0-8264-4702-3 (paperback) Typeset by YHT Ltd, London Printed and bound in Great Britain by T] Internatonal, Padstow, Cornwall Contents Preface Introduction Gaining access to research sites First days in the field Research role conflicts and compromises Interviews Researching yourself Political commitment 9 Ethics 10 On analysis and theory 11 Publication 12 Conclusion Bibliography Index Choice of research site and problematic access “4 at 50 62 81 98 4 134 M7 160 178 184 197Preface Over the past fifteen years I have edited a series of books in which well known educational researchers have presented personal descriptions of the process by which they conducted particular pieces of research (Walford, 1987c, 1991a, 1994, 1998a). In each of these volumes | included a chapter that related to my own research, and I have written accounts of my research in some other similar volumes edited by other people. Along with new material, this ‘book brings together modified versions of some of these previously published writings and presents a personal view of many elements of doing qualitative educational research, It is not a comprehensive account of all of the elements of any qualitative research process, but provides a series of essays on various aspects of doing qualitative research about education. Together, these essays provide a coherent reflexive account of aspects of the research process built upon my own experience over more than twenty years as a university-based educational researcher. The overall aim of the book is to get ‘beneath the surface’ (Fletcher, 1974) of some of the ways in which research is currently conducted. It reflects not only upon the trials and tribulations, problems and promises of conducting particular pieces of research, but on the links between what is possible in research and personal idiosyncrasies and circumstances. Research is revealed as a much more complicated process than many would expect, sometimes more messy and disorganized, sometimes constrained in ways unexpected, but always challenging to the researcher and, hope- fully, to the reader. This book brings together in modified form several of my previous essays. | acknowledge permission given by the publishers to reproduce parts of the following: Preface vii ‘Research role conflicts and compromises in public schools’. In Geoffrey Walford (ed), Doing Sociology af Educatiny, Lewes: Falmer, 1987, pp 45-65 (Chapier 5) Researching the City Technology College, Kingshurst’. In Geoffrey Walford (ed), Daing Educational Research, London: Rowledge, 1991 pp. 82-100 (Chapter 2) “Bthies and power in a study of pressure group politics’. In. Geoffrey Walford (ed), Researching the Powerf 1 Esueton, London. UCL Press, 1984 pp. 81-88 Chapter 9) al commitment in the study of the City Technology College, Kingshurst. In David Halpin and Barry: Troyna (eds) Researching Eiucation Policy: Ethical ond Methodological Issues, London: Falmer, 1994, pp. 94-106 (Chapter 8). ‘Compulsive writing behaviour: getting it published’. In Geoffrey Walford (ed. Doone Research about Faucation, London and Washington, DC: Falmer, 1998, pp. 184-98 (Chapter 11, ‘Research accounts count. In Geofirey Walford (ed.), Doing Research about Education, London and Washington, DC: Falmer, 1998, pp. I-10 (Chapter 12). “First days in the field: whose agenda?” Paper given atthe Ethnography and Education Conference, University of Oxlord, 7-8 September 18 (Chapter 4 Children learnings Ethnographers learning’ (with Alexander Massey). In Geoffrey Waliond and Alexander Massey (eds), Children Lewning i Contest, Stes in Educational Etinography, Volume 1, Stamford CT and London: JAI Press, 1998, pp. 1-18 (Chapter 1. Selling your way in: gaining access to research sites. In Alexander Massey and Geoflrey Walford (eds), Explorations Mthodolay, Studi in Educational Ethnography, Volume 2, Stamford, CT and London: JAL Press, 1999 (Chapter 3). “Polit The various research projects that are discussed in this book were funded by the ESRC, the Nuffield Foundation, the Spencer Foundation and the Universities of Aston and Oxford. | am most grateful for their support but the responsibility for any comment here is mine alone.