International Journal of Research & Method in Education: Special Issue

International Journal of Research & Method in Education

Special Issue

Understandings and Enactments of Inclusive Research: Progress and sticking points in developing participatory and emancipatory research in the field of education

 

Guest Editors:
Professor Jane Seale, Graduate School of Education, University of Exeter; Professor Melanie Nind and Dr Sarah Parsons, School of Education, University of Southampton

 The International Journal ofResearch & Method in Education calls for scholarly papers for a special issue focused on inclusive research in education. For our purposes inclusive research is an umbrella term to encompass research which might also be defined as emancipatory, peer-led or user-centred, involving participatory methods or participatory design. It is understood as research that seeks to involve those who tend to be the subjects or objects of research, such as learners, practitioners or parents, as agents in the conduct of research; it addresses issues that are important to them and includes their views and experiences. Such inclusive research tends to have a practical agenda of improving educational experiences as well as being concerned with democratization of the research process.

Inclusive research is the subject of considerable claims-making and celebratory narrative. In this Special Issue we are seeking reflective critiques of inclusive research that advance and challenge thinking around the benefits and quality of inclusive research, and papers that address the messy detail and sticking points in the reality and rhetoric of inclusive research. The issue will be distinctive in that all the papers will also concern educational research, where inclusive research is under-discussed and developed compared with health, social work and other arenas. The following are some questions that authors may wish to pursue:

 How is inclusive research understood and enacted in education?

 How might we better understand the claims regarding the benefits and potential of inclusive research in education?

 Where do the challenges and sticking points lie when applying participatory or emancipatory principles and how are these being worked through?

 Does the rhetoric of inclusive research hide a messy reality? How is this messiness managed within projects and what impact does it have on outcomes, participation and motivation?

 How can we progress the contentious blurring of boundaries between research and advocacy/consultation?

 How can we judge the quality of inclusive research in education?

 Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere. A guide for authors along with other relevant information can be found on journal’s homepage, http://www.tandfonline.com/IJRME. Papers should be either:

 approximately 7,000 words in length, giving comprehensive consideration to the issues raised by the questions above, or

 approximately 2,000 word research papers co-/written with/by lay people (teachers, parents, children and young people) shedding light on the themes of the special issue.

 Submissions should be marked as for the Special Issue and made online at the International Journal of Research & Method in Education Manuscript Central site: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/cwse by 7th September, 2013.

For further information or queries regarding this Special Issue, please contact either Jane Seale (j.seale@exeter.ac.uk), Melanie Nind (M.A.Nind@soton.ac.uk) or Sarah Parsons