It has been noted by researchers from a variety of backgrounds that the dominant social research paradigms have frequently failed to represent the viewpoints of many marginalized groups. The authors of this collection confront this imbalance by looking at how issues such as ethnicity, sexual orientation and identity, disability, gender and ethnicity, and health and old age can be addressed in research conducted among groups who may often be the objects of research, but who seldom have cont...

The practical and ethical challenges facing human service professionals working with refugees, asylum seekers and other people subject to immigration controls are discussed in this much-needed book. The contributors explore the tensions that exist between traditional anti-oppressive values and the role professionals increasingly play as 'gate keepers' to services.Drawing from the experience of practitioners working in child protection and family support, disability, the criminal ju...

Students of social work need to understand the contribution of research, as part of this evidence base, to effective practice. This textbook introduces students to a range of research methods at a practical level and sensitises them to the political dimension of research.

This edited collection addresses theoretical, political and practical aspects of the connection between external immigration controls and internal welfare controls. It considers the implications for the both those subject to controls and those drawn into the web of implementing internal welfare controls. Topics discussed include:forced dispersal of asylum seekerslocal authority and voluntary sector regulationsnationalism, racism, class and 'fairness'...

Social research plays an important part in the social sciences and in the planning and implementation of personal social services. Whilst considerable attention has been paid to the methods used to undertake social research, little has been done to explore the processes under which it is carried out. This volume explores the process of social research from an anti-discriminatory perspective. Contributors address themes connected to every aspect of social research from its design, through f...

Welfare, Exclusion and Politcal Agency develops key topics in social work and social policy relating to exclusion, social divisions and control in welfare. It provides theoretical tools for students, academics and professionals whose work involves them in supporting the political agency of excluded groups.At a time when there have been profound shifts in the organization of welfare and the underpinning theories of the associated professions, the book tackles issues such as:...

Schooling, Society and Curriculum offers a much needed reassessment and realignment of curriculum studies in the UK and international contexts. Comprising a collection of eleven original chapters by prominent, nationally and internationally known experts in the field of curriculum studies, the book leads and fosters critical, generic debates about formal education and its relationships to wider society.Focusing on key debates that have been present for as long as formal st...

With the rapid change experienced by the Early Years Workforce over recent times, this book considers what constitutes professionalization in the sector, and what this means in practice. Bringing a critical perspective to the developing knowledge and understanding of early years practitioners at various stages of their professional development, it draws attention to key themes and issues.Chapters are written by leading authorities, and provide case studies, question and discussion ...

This collection of papers examines ethical issues in different kinds of social research including surveys, ethnography and historical research. Contributors also deal with ethical problems involved in examining controversial issues in education. Hence the book is largely about the ethics of the conduct of social investigation, rather than an analysis of the technical procedures themselves.

Researching Education from the Inside focuses on research projects that are undertaken by people who already have an attachment to the institutions or social groups on which their investigations are based. They can, therefore, be considered to be ‘insiders’. In some cases their insider positioning is primarily important because it gets them access to the particular people and/or the phenomena that they want to investigate. At other times, however, aspects of their own ‘insidership...

This text provides a discussion of the meaning of teacher professionalism and how it can be improved.

While many books explore the possibilities for developing inclusive practices in schools, and ‘inclusion’ is widely regarded as a desirable goal, much of the literature on the subject has been narrowly concerned with the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs. This book however, takes the view that marginalisation, exclusion and underachievement take many forms and affect many different kinds of child. As such, a definition of inclusion should also touch upon issues of equity, ...