The Trials of Evidence-based Education explores the promise, limitations and achievements of evidence-based policy and practice, as the attention of funders moves from a sole focus on attainment outcomes to political concern about character-building and wider educational impacts.Providing a detailed look at the pros, cons and areas for improvement in evidence-based policy and practice, this book includes consideration of the following:What is involved in a ro...

Worldwide, there has been considerable progress in the quality of research evidence generated for use in education, but not the equivalent growth in knowledge of how best to get this evidence into actual use. Yet with far-reaching implications, all of education is damaged when persuasive but poor-quality evidence has widespread influence, or good research lies unused. Focused on the work of the Durham University Evidence Centre for Education, Getting Evidence into Education addres...

Research design is of critical importance in social research, despite its relative neglect in many methods resources. Early consideration of design in relation to research questions leads to the elimination or diminution of threats to eventual research claims, by encouraging internal validity and substantially reducing the number of alternative explanations for any finite number of research ′observations′.This new book: discusses the nature of design; gives an introduction to desig...

What has been done to achieve fairer and more efficient education systems, and what more can be done in the future?Stephen Gorard provides a comprehensive examination of crucial policy areas for education, such as differential outcomes, the poverty gradient, and the allocation of resources to education, to identify likely causes of educational disadvantage among students and lifelong learners. This analysis is supported by 20 years of extensive research, based in the home countries...

This book presents the doctoral dissertation process as not just a way of getting a qualification or even a method of learning how to do research better, but as a substantial and significant piece of research in its own right. The book will inspire current and prospective PhD scholars to take up ambitious and large-scale study projects, dedicating this most important time to a worthy piece of research.This edited collection provides real and outstanding examples of multiple researc...

Research design is of critical importance in social research, despite its relative neglect in many methods resources. Early consideration of design in relation to research questions leads to the elimination or diminution of threats to eventual research claims, by encouraging internal validity and substantially reducing the number of alternative explanations for any finite number of research ′observations′.This new book: discusses the nature of design; gives an introduction to desig...

Governments, local authorities, school leaders, and teachers all over the world want to improve the educational attainment and participation of all students, and to minimise any systematic differences in outcomes for social and economic groups. A particular concern is for those students from backgrounds that may objectively disadvantage them at school and beyond. However, considerable effort and money is currently being wasted on policies, practices and interventions that have very little ...

In a new textbook designed for students new to statistics and social data, Stephen Gorard focuses on non-inferential statistics as a basis to ensure students have basic statistical literacy.Understanding why we have to learn statistics and seeing the links between the numbers and real life is a crucial starting point. Using engaging, friendly, approachable language this book will demystify numbers from the outset, explaining exactly how they can be used as tools to understand the r...

First published in 1997, this study examines the trend towards markets in UK schools, with a particular focus on fee-paying schools in South Wales, by outlining the varied economic and political arguments both for and against increased parental choice and exploring parents’ real reasons for using fee-paying schools. Stephen Gorard destroys the cosy myth that fee-paying schools are large, successful, charitable institutions catering chiefly for a select group of privileged families. Instead...

This edited volume illustrates the idea of a successful research capacity model, critically addressing preconceived notions of early career research projects’ impact and drawing together insights and implications around the encouragement of newer researchers to conduct useful, robust studies with real-world effect.Centring on research undertaken at the UK Durham University Evidence Centre, the volume features contributions from authors based at universities in the US, China, India,...

This engaging book sheds light on the ways in which adults in the twenty-first century interact with technology in different learning environments. Based on one of the first large-scale academic research projects in this area, the authors present their findings and offer practical recommendations for the use of new technology in a learning society. They invite debate on:why ICTs are believed to be capable of affecting positive change in adult learningthe drawbacks a...

This bestselling book provides an accessible introduction to the concepts and practicalities of research methods in health and health services.