Doing Work Based Research

Dr Geoffrey Elliott is Professor of Post-Compulsory Education at the University of Worcester. He has worked in schools, further and adult education, and has previously held posts in the School of Independent Study at the University of East London, and the Open University where he taught on the Professional Doctorate programme in Education.

His research interests are in Leadership, Ethics, and Widening Participation in Higher Education. Geoffrey is President of the Association for Research in Post-Compulsory Education, the sponsor of the international peer reviewed journal Research in Post-Compulsory Education which he has edited since its launch in 1996. He has written and co-authored a number of books, including (with Carol Costley and Paul Gibbs) the highly popular Doing Work Based Research: Approaches to enquiry for insider-researchers, also published by Sage.

Geoffrey is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA), the complaints ombudsman for HE students studying in England and Wales.

With the growth of work based learning and practitioner research this book leads the way by addressing key issues faced by 'insider-researchers' - learners, practitioners and managers doing research projects in the organizations and communities in which they themselves work, or where they are already familiar with the setting.

The authors explore the implications of these research contexts, and discuss approaches and methodologies that work based researchers might adopt, with a particular focus on ethics - one of the key concerns for those undertaking a research project of this type.

This book is an authoritative and readable guide to the theory and practice of work based research. It is for anyone undertaking a research project based on work practice, including learners on postgraduate, undergraduate and doctoral programmes. Practitioners, managers and participants in work based courses or modules in education, healthcare and business management, will find it particularly useful.

 

This book is essential reading for anyone undertaking a research project in their own workplace, covering everything the researcher needs to consider when researching in this context.

Key Concepts for the Insider-Researcher
Search and Review of Relevant Knowledge and Information
Research Ethics and Insider-Researchers
Privilege, Power and Politics in Work-Based Research
Gaining Access for the Insider-Researcher: Issues, Practices, Audiences, Ethics and Gratitude
Learning Contracts/Agreements and Intellectual Capital
Developing a Methodology
Collaborative Research
A Reflection on Professional Practice
Work-Based Research in Action
The Development of a Research Proposal
Preparing and Evaluating Project Outcomes and Then Assessing the Learning Achieved
Recommendations and Presentations Arising from the Research