This textbook introduces students, researchers, and activists to the practice of qualitative inquiry that contributes to fairness, freedom, and flourishing in community life.The book takes a cyclical approach to research and action by using the metaphor of the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) and the day cycle (dawn, day, dusk, and dark) to organize the content and activities. It lays out the step-by-step process of community-based research projects and guides read...

Urban God Talk: Constructing a Hip Hop Spirituality, edited by Andre Johnson, is a collection of essays that examine the religious and spiritual in hip hop. The contributors argue that the prevailing narrative that hip hop offers nothing in the way of religion and spirituality is false. From its beginning, hip hop has had a profound spirituality and advocates religious views—and while not orthodox or systemic, nevertheless, many in traditional orthodox religions would find the theological ...

This practical book sets out how to approach each stage of your research project, from choosing a research design and methodology to collecting and analysing data and communicating your results – and showcases best practice along the way.Packed with pragmatic guidance for tackling research in the real world, this fourth edition:Offers support for diving into a project using digital data, with how-to guidance on conducting online and social media researchEmpo...

Experience Research Social Change is a “how to” guide to research that also raises broader theoretical, methodological, and ethical questions. First published in 1989, it was the first critical methods book, and continues to inspire generations of researchers, students, and community workers.The third edition has been thoroughly revised, now containing twelve chapters organized into three parts: experience, research, and social change. The new edition also includes a wider...

Transforming Schools demonstrates how transformation is no longer an option in teaching and learning - it has become a necessity. Changes in the way we work and the challenges of issues such as climate change, poverty and migration mean that teaching and learning need to alter to incorporate capacities that will help us meet those challenges. The 4Cs: Creativity, Critical Reflection, Communication and Collaboration have long been present in education, but Transforming Schools

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 part...

Many of today’s books on the tools and techniques of leadership and management provide descriptions of long lists for use in decision-making, leading, coaching and project management. This book takes a completely different approach. It contests the claims that the tools and techniques are based on evidence and explains why human activities of leading and managing are simply not amenable to scientific proof and consequently, why long-term futures of organizations are unpredictable.T...

With his usual engaging and inimitable style, Mats Alvesson takes the reader on a riveting journey through the diverse ways in which culture itself can be understood and how these powerfully inform organizational life.′ - Blake E. Ashforth, Arizona State University′Understanding Organizational Culture comunicates complex ideas in a manner that will illuminate for those who are less familiar with the concepts discussed, as well as providing a depth and crit...

Focusing on writing for publication, The Handbook of Scholarly Writing and Publishing discusses the components of a manuscript, types of manuscripts, and the submission process. It shows how to craft scholarly papers and other writing suitable for submission to academic journals. The handbook covers how to develop writing skills by offering guidance on becoming an excellent manuscript reviewer and outlining what makes a good review, and includes advice on follow-through with edito...

"With each turn of the page I found myself nodding ′exactly!′ Whether as a class text assigned by faculty or as a self-study resource used by students, this book will resonate with readers."—Doug Leigh, Associate Professor of EducationPepperdine UniversityUse these focused guidelines to help you through every stage of the dissertation process!Writing a dissertation requires focus and commitment. The Education Diss...

Qualitative Research Methods is a comprehensive, all-inclusive resource for the theory and practice of qualitative/ethnographic research methodology.Serves as a “how-to” guide for qualitative/ethnographic research, detailing how to design a project, conduct interviews and focus groups, interpret and analyze data, and represent it in a compelling mannerDemonstrates how qualitative data can be systematically utilized to address pressing personal, organization...

Evaluation—whether called by this name, quality assurance, audit, accreditation, or others—is an important social activity. Any organization that "lives in public" must now evaluate its activities, be evaluated by others, or evaluate others. What are the origins of this wave of evaluation? And, what worthwhile results emerge from it?The Evaluation Society argues that if we want to understand many of the norms, values, and expectations that we, sometimes unknowingly, bring ...