This book is intended as a resource and an indispensable companion to welcome educators into the community of social science research. While it is recognized that some methodological frameworks are incompatible with others, the overarching premise of the book is to indicate how a wide range of researchers choose a methodology and methods which are appropriate to both the area of inquiry and their own way of seeing the world. Readers are invited to explore the ideas in these chapters, seeking to learn with an open mind, and revisit and challenge previously held assumptions. The book is divided into nine parts. Part I, Research Communities in the Social Sciences (Bridget Somekh, Erica Burman, Sara Delamont, Julienne Meyer, Malcolm Payne, and Richard Thorpe) commences the book. Part II, Listening, Exploring the Case and Theorizing, contains the following chapters: (1) Ethnography (Juliet Goldbart and David Hustler); (2) Research Diaries (Herbert Altrichter and Mary Louise Holly); (3) Case Study (Sheila Stark and Harry Torrance); (4) Interviewing and Focus Groups (Rosaline S. Barbour and John Schostak); (5) Grounded Theory (Juliet Corbin and Nicholas L. Holt); and (6) Ethical Responsibility in Social Research (Heather Piper and Helen Simons). Part III, Researching for Impact, contains: (7) Feminist Methodologies (Diane Burns and Melanie Walker); (8) Critical Theories of Race (Laurence Parker and Lorna Roberts); (9) Queer Theory/Lesbian and Gay Approaches (Gloria Filax, Dennis Sumara, Brent Davis and Debra Shogan); (10) Action Research (Susan Noffke and Bridget Somekh); (11) Researching Policy (Jill Blackmore and Hugh Lauder); and (12) The Practice and Politics of Sponsored Evaluations (Tineke Abma and Thomas A. Schwandt). Part IV, Observing, Querying, and Interpreting, includes: (13) Philosophy and Hermeneutics (David Heywood and Ian Stronach); (14) Phenomenology (Angie Titchen and Dawn Hobson); (15) Naturalistic Inquiry (Nigel Norris and Rob Walker); (16) Observation (Liz Jones and Bridget Somekh); and (17) Discourse Analysis (Julia Gillen and Alan Petersen). Part V, Reading and Representing Socio-Cultural Meanings, contains: (18) Life History and Narrative Approaches (Geoff Shacklock and Laurie Thorp); (19) Semiotic Approaches to Image-based Research (Terry Carson, Matthew Pearson, Ingrid Johnston, Jyoti Mangat, Jennifer Tupper and Terry Warburton); (20) Social Semiotics and Multimodal Texts (Gunther Kress and Diane Mavers); (21) Communities of Practice (David Benzie, Diane Mavers, Bridget Somekh and Edith J. Cisneros-Cohernour); and (22) Activity Theory (Ines Langemeyer and Morten Nissen). Part VI, Sampling, Classifying and Quantifying, includes: (23) The Foundations of Experimental/Empirical Research Methods (Dean Garratt and Yaojun Li); (24) The Positivist Paradigm in Contemporary Social Science Research (Charles Crook and Dean Garratt); (25) Elementary Quantitative Methods (Cathy Lewin); (26) An Introduction to Inferential Statistics: Testing for Differences and Relationships (Sally Barnes and Cathy Lewin); and (27) An Introduction to Statistical Modelling (Kelvyn Jones). Part VII, Quantitative Methods in Action, includes: (28) Random Reflections on Modelling, Geography and Voting (Kelvyn Jones); (29) Methodological Issues in International Comparative Assessments of Educational Progress (W.J. Pelgrum); (30) Capturing Complexity through Maturity Modelling (Jean Underwood and Gayle Dillon); (31) Evaluating Literacy Advance in the Early Years of School (John Ainley); (32) Working Backwards: The Road Less Travelled in Quantitative Methodology (Brian Doig); and (33) Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Social Inquiry (Jennifer C. Greene, Holly Kreider and Ellen Mayer). Part VIII, Researching in Postmodern Contexts, includes: (34) Deconstruction as a Method of Research (Erica Burman and Maggie MacLure); (35) From Hermeneutics to Poststructuralism to Psychoanalysis (Tony Brown and Daniel Heggs); (36) Postmodernist Perspectives (Julianne Cheek and Noel Gough); (37) From Structuralism to Poststructuralism (Lee Miller, Joanne "Bob" Whalley and Ian Stronach); (38) Feminism/Poststructuralism (Bronwyn Davies and Susanne Gannon); and (39) Social Science Research in Virtual Realities (Colin Lankshear and Kevin M. Leander). The final section, Participating in the Research Community, by Bridget Somekh, Ian Stronach, Cathy Lewin, Maire Nolan and Jeffrey E. Stake concludes the book. A glossary; contributor biographies; and an index are also included.