Research Methods for Educational Dialogue: (Bloomsbury Research Methods for Education)

Research Methods for Educational Dialogue provides an overview of the range of possibilities for researching various forms of educational dialogue, underpinned by a coherent theoretical foundation. The authors, Kershner, Hennessy, Wegerif and Ahmed offer an integrated understanding of different methodological approaches in this fast-growing area of education. The book includes critical discussion of a variety of methods for investigating the characteristics and quality of dialogues for individuals and groups of participants in different educational contexts. These include student-student, teacher-student and wider professional dialogues, conducted face-to-face, online or mediated by classroom technologies. The authors argue for the integration of ethical and methodological principles, and consider the potential for innovative research methods that are dialogic in themselves. Including chapter commentaries from invited experts in the field, authentic research examples and a glossary of terms, this is essential reading for anyone looking to research in the area of educational dialogue.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction 2. Foundations for Research on Educational Dialogue 3. Orientations and Ground Rules: A Framework for Researching Educational Dialogue, Rupert Wegerif, with commentary by Antonia Larrain 4. Methodological Developments in Research on Educational Dialogue: Mapping the Field 5. Dialogic Participation and Outcomes: Evaluation and Assessment, Ayesha Ahmed, with commentary by Gordon Stobart 6. Analytical Coding Schemes for Classroom Dialogue, Sara Hennessy, with commentary by Adam Lefstein and Matan Barak 7. Methods for Researching Technology-Mediated Dialogue, Sara Hennessy, with commentary by Manoli Pifarré Turmo 8. Researching Online Dialogues: Introducing the 'Chiasm' Methodology, Rupert Wegerif, with commentary by M. Beatrice Ligorio 9. Dialogue, Participation and Social Relationships, Ruth Kershner, with commentary by Antti Rajala 10. Researching Dialogue in Educational Decision Making, Ruth Kershner, with commentary by Sherice Clarke 11. Dialogic Forms of Research Engagement, Reporting and Dissemination, Ruth Kershner, Sara Hennessy and Ayesha Ahmed, with commentary by Christine Edwards-Groves 12. Concluding Remarks Reference Index

About the Author :
Ruth Kershner is Lecturer in Psychology of Education and Primary Education, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, UK. Sara Hennessy is Reader in Teacher Development and Pedagogical Innovation, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, UK. Rupert Wegerif is Professor of Education, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, UK. Ayesha Ahmed is Senior Teaching Associate, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, UK.

Review :
Provides an invaluable and stimulating resource for both novice and established researchers and for teacher educators, coaches and mentors. This innovative book on methods for researching educational dialogue is very timely. Co-authored by a group of leading scholars drawing on their extensive experience of researching educational dialogue, it also features high quality inputs from their network of international experts, research students and educational practitioners. [T]his book offers a practical and beautifully multi-layered introduction to research on educational dialogue. Students will find the book to be a helpful introduction to the many topics, methods, and questions currently addressed in this field ... Most of all, this research manual truly is dialogic in its very nature, giving the reader a sense of the many conversations that currently exist among researchers in this field ... In this way, the book is an important contribution to the field of educational research in general, where voices that insist on context and complexity are much-needed.